Favorite Prokofiev Symphony Cycle

Started by SurprisedByBeauty, March 13, 2018, 03:26:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Which is your favorite Prokofiev Symphony Cycle (if you have one) [max. 2 votes]

Rozhdestvensky, Moscow RSO, Melodiya, 1962-67
7 (21.2%)
Martinon, NO ORTF, Vox, 1970s?
1 (3%)
Kosler, Czech Phil, Supraphon, 1973-82
1 (3%)
Weller, LSO & LPO, Decca, 1974-78
2 (6.1%)
Järvi, RSNO, Chandos, 1984-85
8 (24.2%)
Rostropovich, OdNFrance, Erato/Warner, 1985-??
0 (0%)
Ozawa, BPh, DG, 1989-92
5 (15.2%)
Kitayenko I, Moscow Phil., Melodiya [does not exist]
1 (3%)
Kuchar, Ukraine NSO, Naxos, 1994/95
3 (9.1%)
Gergiev I, LSO, Decca, 2004
3 (9.1%)
Kitayenko II, Gürzenich, Capriccio/Phoenix, 2005-07
3 (9.1%)
Ashkenazy, Sydney Symphony, Exton, 2009
0 (0%)
Karabits, Bournemouth, Onyx, 2014?
3 (9.1%)
Alsop, OSESP, Naxos, 2011-15?
0 (0%)
Gaffigan, Netherlands RPO, Challenge, 2014?-2017?
0 (0%)
Too little exposure to say
9 (27.3%)
Has not been made yet
2 (6.1%)

Total Members Voted: 33

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: Draško on March 14, 2018, 03:05:54 AM
Kitayenko I doesn't exist. 6 & 7 were never recorded. He emigrated, or USSR collapsed, whichever came first. Recording dates for 1-5 are '85-'89.


Ah, thanks much for that info! I was getting frustrated not finding much of a trace of it, except one or two individual recordings.

Mirror Image

Quote from: Daverz on March 13, 2018, 09:09:38 PM
If you want to ease into the opera, I suggest the video of Betrothal in a Monastery with Netrebko.

Thanks, but I doubt I'll be watching/listening to the music if Netrebko is involved. She's a babe and I'll be envisioning her in another form of entertainment. ;) ;D


SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 14, 2018, 06:23:38 AM
Thanks, but I doubt I'll be watching/listening to the music if Netrebko is involved. She's a babe and I'll be envisioning her in another form of entertainment. ;) ;D



She ain't looking like that anymore, she doesn't.

But Prokofiev!

Mirror Image

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on March 14, 2018, 06:57:58 AM
She ain't looking like that anymore, she doesn't.

Well, I can certainly continue to dream. :D

Daverz

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on March 14, 2018, 06:57:58 AM
She ain't looking like that anymore, she doesn't.

But Prokofiev!

She's adorable in the Betrothal video.

vandermolen

I realise that I'm allowed two votes - so, I've put Jean Martinon and the ORTF on the map.
8)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

SurprisedByBeauty

Can anyone who has the MARTINON check the recording dates (earliest and last) for me?

Much appreciated!

vandermolen

#27
Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on March 15, 2018, 12:48:55 AM
Can anyone who has the MARTINON check the recording dates (earliest and last) for me?

Much appreciated!

I do have the complete Vox/Turnabout cycle but due to redecoration my CDs are all over the place at the moment. I will look out for them however. Early 1970s is my guess.

PS The Arkiv Music website shows a date of 1971 for the recording of symphonies 2,3 and 6 (ORTF Martinon Vox/Turnabout). Probably the same for the others as well.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Baron Scarpia

Placed an order for one volume of Karabits, V4 including the relatively unpopular 4th and 6th symphonies. Maybe that will be the set for me. Litton/BIS occurred to me, but I have to admit the uniformly negative reviews put me off.

NikF

Quote from: vandermolen on March 15, 2018, 11:11:27 AM
I do have the complete Vox/Turnabout cycle but due to redecoration my CDs are all over the place at the moment. I will look out for them however. Early 1970s is my guess.

PS The Arkiv Music website shows a date of 1971 for the recording of symphonies 2,3 and 6 (ORTF Martinon Vox/Turnabout). Probably the same for the others as well.

Yeah, I just looked and the case and booklet for the 2, 3 and 6 etc states a recording date of 1971. But the case/booklet for the other symphonies has no recording date. Neither have details of where the recording took place.

And fwiw, I had another listen and to my untutored ear these performances sound very romantic - hugely different from any other interpretations I've heard, although I'm sure others will find more in them.
"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: NikF on March 15, 2018, 03:54:54 PM
Yeah, I just looked and the case and booklet for the 2, 3 and 6 etc states a recording date of 1971. But the case/booklet for the other symphonies has no recording date. Neither have details of where the recording took place.

And fwiw, I had another listen and to my untutored ear these performances sound very romantic - hugely different from any other interpretations I've heard, although I'm sure others will find more in them.

Thanks much!

Baron Scarpia

Martinon also recorded 5 and 7 for Decca with the Paris Conservatory orchestra. Anyone have an opinion? (Not a cycle, but still.)

NikF

Quote from: Baron Scarpia on March 15, 2018, 04:04:21 PM
Martinon also recorded 5 and 7 for Decca with the Paris Conservatory orchestra. Anyone have an opinion? (Not a cycle, but still.)

I've heard the fifth (if it's the one from the late 1950s) and found it more rugged/less romantic than the later recording.
"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

vandermolen

Quote from: Baron Scarpia on March 15, 2018, 04:04:21 PM
Martinon also recorded 5 and 7 for Decca with the Paris Conservatory orchestra. Anyone have an opinion? (Not a cycle, but still.)

I recently bought this CD and only heard it once. I enjoyed it but not necessarily more than the Vox/Turnabout versions. Opinions are quite polarised on it. No 5 has a faster slow movement than other recordings I know and No 7 has the 'happy ending' which I don't like. Will listen again.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Baron Scarpia

Quote from: vandermolen on March 15, 2018, 10:20:54 PM
I recently bought this CD and only heard it once. I enjoyed it but not necessarily more than the Vox/Turnabout versions. Opinions are quite polarised on it. No 5 has a faster slow movement than other recordings I know and No 7 has the 'happy ending' which I don't like. Will listen again.

Useful information, thanks.

Quote from: NikF on March 15, 2018, 04:11:31 PM
I've heard the fifth (if it's the one from the late 1950s) and found it more rugged/less romantic than the later recording.

Can you put your finger on what makes it "romantic?"

Baron Scarpia

I've found my way with No 3.

I started with Jarvi, and I was lost. I experienced incomprehension.

I listened to Ozawa, I felt I understood, but there was little pleasure.

Then I found this, I understand, and I enjoy it.

[asin]B00000E554[/asin]

Chailly is working for me, and this recording has genuinely good audio engineering. Still, the symphony has some features that grate on me. One of the things I like best from orchestral sound is the way the bass violins can provide a deep, rich foundation for the music. In this work, too often it is the rumble of percussion that is providing the foundation. And there are too many extended passages of screeching (treble instruments playing loud in high register with no bass foundation). It's never going to become a favorite work, but I can say it gave me pleasure to listen to this one.

vandermolen

#36
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on March 16, 2018, 06:30:48 AM
I've found my way with No 3.

I started with Jarvi, and I was lost. I experienced incomprehension.

I listened to Ozawa, I felt I understood, but there was little pleasure.

Then I found this, I understand, and I enjoy it.

[asin]B00000E554[/asin]


That's a great CD. The sad, lyrical closing section of the first movement of Symphony No.3 is one of my favourite moments in any Prokofiev symphony.
Chailly is working for me, and this recording has genuinely good audio engineering. Still, the symphony has some features that grate on me. One of the things I like best from orchestral sound is the way the bass violins can provide a deep, rich foundation for the music. In this work, too often it is the rumble of percussion that is providing the foundation. And there are too many extended passages of screeching (treble instruments playing loud in high register with no bass foundation). It's never going to become a favorite work, but I can say it gave me pleasure to listen to this one.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

NikF

Quote from: Baron Scarpia on March 16, 2018, 06:26:13 AM

Can you put your finger on what makes it "romantic?"

Probably not, but I'll try.
In comparison to other performances it sounds less than straightforward. Sometimes there's an the impression of meandering through passages, being sidetracked, maybe even adding deeper colour to them.

Maybe it's better to define what I mean by romantic in the first place and then there's a frame of reference. The example that comes to mind is if I compare Pollini playing the adagio of the Brahms D minor to that of Grimaud; the latter emoting all over the place, perhaps indulging herself in a passing whimsy, and moments that seem delivered almost with a sigh. She's putting a Softar filter on it.

Yeah, that's my best shot. But I think the Martinon/ORTF is definitely worth a a listen, although my copy was a gift and knowing what I do now I'm not sure I'd have bought it for myself.
"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

Baron Scarpia

#38
Quote from: vandermolen on March 16, 2018, 06:48:48 AM
The sad, lyrical closing section of the first movement of Symphony No.3 is one of my favourite moments in any Prokofiev symphony.

Yes, the first movement is the highlight of the work and the passage you describe made an impression on me also.

Looks like I will be piecing my Prokofiev cycle together one symphony at a time. (Where's Haitink, when you need him?) On the other hand, maybe Karabits will do it for me.

Baron Scarpia

#39
Quote from: NikF on March 16, 2018, 07:07:39 AMShe's putting a Softar filter on it.

...and Pollini is shooting Tri-X with a #25 red filter.  I think I get you.  :)

Damn, now I need to put Pollini's Prokofiev 7 on my listening list...