Prokofiev's Paddy Wagon

Started by Danny, April 07, 2007, 09:29:23 AM

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Brahmsian

Quote from: Velimir on December 02, 2009, 10:54:01 PM
What about Prokofiev's string quartets? How good are they? Any recommendations?

Of course, I love them!!  :)  Try the Aurora SQ on Naxos.  Comes also with the sonata for cello and piano, also fantastic!

karlhenning

I enjoy the quartets very much, too;  I've got both the Emersons, and the Arte Nova budget disc (forget the name of the group).  Preference goes to the Emersons, natch.

karlhenning

The other day, I lamented afresh at the long wait for vol. II of the David Nice bio . . . and chanced on a title the OUP released in November of 2008: Simon Morrison's The People's Artist: Prokofiev's Soviet Years.  Has anyone read it?  In all events, I went ahead and pulled the trigger.

Benji

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 04, 2009, 06:08:13 AM
The other day, I lamented afresh at the long wait for vol. II of the David Nice bio . . .

Yeah, I wondered about that recently, too. It's been.... 6 years since I read the first volume.  :o

karlhenning

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 04, 2009, 06:08:13 AM
. . . a title the OUP released in November of 2008: Simon Morrison's The People's Artist: Prokofiev's Soviet Years.

Well, this one is now in transit;  looking forward to it.  I went back to amazon and read the first four-ish pages, and then mashed the Surprise Me link and read three pages about the origin of the Eugene Onegin project.  I expect this book to consume me for four days immediately upon its arrival.

The new erato

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 05, 2009, 06:21:37 AM
Well, this one is now in transit;  looking forward to it.  I went back to amazon and read the first four-ish pages, and then mashed the Surprise Me link and read three pages about the origin of the Eugene Onegin project.  I expect this book to consume me for four days immediately upon its arrival.
4 days where we can play on the forum all alone? Yippieeayey!  :P


Air

#487
http://www.prokofiev.org/

Pretty good reference and there is a nice little forum.  ;)
"Summit or death, either way, I win." ~ Robert Schumann

greg

Quote from: RexRichter on December 20, 2009, 01:07:47 PM
http://www.prokofiev.org/

Pretty good reference and there is a nice little forum.  ;)
I used to go there a lot, and then they just stopped updating it. It looks like the last update was 4 1/2 years ago.

Archaic Torso of Apollo

I see the Walter Weller complete symphony cycle is available on Brilliant. I am completely unfamiliar with this one. Any opinions?
formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

vandermolen

Quote from: Velimir on December 21, 2009, 04:18:10 AM
I see the Walter Weller complete symphony cycle is available on Brilliant. I am completely unfamiliar with this one. Any opinions?

I have the original Decca release. I am now of the opinion that this is the best set currently available. It had mixed reviews, but I played Symphony No 3 the other day, which is one of my favourites (with No 6). I fould that Weller's performance gripped me more than any other (I have complete sets by Martinon, Ozawa, Jarvi and Rostropovich). It may not be as superficially exciting as Jarvi's, for example, but it has greater depth I think. I would not hesitate to get this set on Brilliant.
"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).

Archaic Torso of Apollo

Quote from: vandermolen on December 21, 2009, 04:32:51 AM
It may not be as superficially exciting as Jarvi's, for example, but it has greater depth I think. I would not hesitate to get this set on Brilliant.

I've done a bit of research, and it appears he takes a somewhat relaxed approach - not necessarily a bad thing in music that has a lot of built-in excitement.
formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

The new erato

Quote from: vandermolen on December 21, 2009, 04:32:51 AM
I have the original Decca release. I am now of the opinion that this is the best set currently available. It had mixed reviews, but I played Symphony No 3 the other day, which is one of my favourites (with No 6). I fould that Weller's performance gripped me more than any other (I have complete sets by Martinon, Ozawa, Jarvi and Rostropovich). It may not be as superficially exciting as Jarvi's, for example, but it has greater depth I think. I would not hesitate to get this set on Brilliant.
I've listened a lot to the Weller set since 15 years and never was discontent with it. But I feel Kitaenko superseeds it.

karlhenning

As a rule, I tend not to like the 'circus bee' overdrive approach to the Classical Symphony, and I took immediately to the unforced elegance in the Ozawa reading.

That said, Ančerl makes the Ferrari ethic work with the Opus 25.

Air

Quote from: Velimir on December 21, 2009, 04:18:10 AM
I see the Walter Weller complete symphony cycle is available on Brilliant. I am completely unfamiliar with this one. Any opinions?

Get it without hesitation.    ;D
"Summit or death, either way, I win." ~ Robert Schumann

knight66

I have got hold of the new full version of the Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet under Gergiev with the LSO. I won't be letting go of it any time soon.

My first encounter with the piece was a spur of the moment purchase when I was about 14 of an LP containing merely 10 numbers extracted from the two suites. It was on a bargain label. It thrilled me and I fell for the music hook, line etc. Little did I know I was listening to possibly the best version available at that time, and possible still considered so by many. Karel Ancerl and the Czech Philharmonic.

That disc opens with the brutal clashing sounds representing the two families in conflict with one another and when I did eventually hear the whole ballet, it was a shock to me that this shocking movement was not the opening to the whole ballet.

Since then I have had the Previn and Mazzel full versions pass through my hands, Sallonen in the suites, but nothing thrilled me like the Ancerl. When I got rid of my LPs, it was a sore miss for many years and it was not until about two years ago it was restored to me on CD. It was as fiery and passionate and committed as I had recalled. Other versions disappoint up against it. But now we have this second Gergiev version with the LSO, recorded live and complete with a couple of very short excisions restored.

Gergiev is a bit of a hit or miss merchant for me. He is undoubtedly exciting, but can overheat some pieces and if the Romeo and Juliet is not allowed its tenderness, yearning, its repose and gentle interludes, then a lot is missing.

But here the contrasting number are given their differing atmospheres. The orchestra is superb, strong brass, sweet strings, piquant woodwind. Not the old Russian sound, but not a homogenised 'European all comers' sound either. There is lots of irresistible rhythmic pointing, long arching of phrases too. Add playful into the mix. Then there is the dramatic aspect. We assume Gergiev will excel here and he does, the death of Tybalt a case in point, slow relentless and shattering. The equal of Ancerl, but different.

A vast amount of pleasure for not very much money.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

eyeresist

#496
Quote from: Velimir on December 21, 2009, 04:18:10 AM
I see the Walter Weller complete symphony cycle is available on Brilliant. I am completely unfamiliar with this one. Any opinions?

I picked this set up recently. The sound is nice, but it's generally been superceded. Weller is recommendable in 1, 6 and 7. In the rest, he lacks fierceness and the last ounce of conviction.

Edit: I recommend Kuchar.

karlhenning

I've been re-acquainting myself with the Järvi/RSNO set of the symphonies.  Better than I remember it.  I suspect I still prefer the Ozawa/Berliner Phil set . . . but now I can do a "bake-off" . . . .

Air

Here's an honest man's review of the Weller cycle (not mine):

http://www.prokofiev.org/recordings/album2.cfm?aid=000823

It's interesting because like the reviewer, I also find that Weller conducts Prokofiev's more "obscure" symphonies best (2,3,4,6).  I rarely listen to the 1st, 5th, or 7th symphonies on this set, as there are many better recordings of these.  That said, the 1st and 7th are my least favorite symphonies as well.  Maybe that's one reason I like Weller's set so much.

If would be interesting to know what prokofiev.org thinks of Kitajenko's cycle, which came out after the site apparently shut down? closed?  I don't know.  But this is the set I've been eyeing for awhile now because apparently it is the set.
"Summit or death, either way, I win." ~ Robert Schumann

greg

I always wonder what happened to that site. Maybe the guy running it died?