Prokofiev's Paddy Wagon

[not edward]

Just wrote this, wanted to share it here...

Thanks for posting.

While we're talking of individual recordings from sets, I think Rozhdestvensky is the only recording to have convinced me of the expanded 4th.

[TheGSMoeller]

Thanks for posting.

While we're talking of individual recordings from sets, I think Rozhdestvensky is the only recording to have convinced me of the expanded 4th.

Thanks, Edward. I feel Rozhdestvensky is needed in my collection.

[Karl Henning]

I suggest a "listen and discuss" for The Fiery Angel.

Ну?

. . . Very much enjoyed the Malko/Philharmonia account of the Op.131 (upbeat coda notwithstanding).

[Cato]

From the Wall Street Journal a book review by Norman Lebrecht which contains some nasty comments about e.g. The Rach and Debussy by both Prokofiev and Lebrecht!.

Few composers escape Prokofiev's withering pen. Chausson is "glutinous," Ravel "an alcoholic" and Debussy "calf's-foot jelly." Again, there is a lethal accuracy to this metaphor, an uncanny intimation of Debussy's colorless shimmer.

See:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324582804578344131609665470.html?KEYWORDS=Prokofiev#

[Karl Henning]

Is it the English edition of parts of the diary? Yes, there's a school-priggish glee in Lebrecht calling that lethal accuracy.

[katewishing]

The first movement of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 2 sounds more like Allan Pettersson than anything else I've heard. I love it. Kitaenko is my favourite recording so far (Gergiev is fine, Rozhdestvensky is too sloppy).

[Cato]

The first movement of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 2 sounds more like Allan Pettersson than anything else I've heard. I love it. Kitaenko is my favourite recording so far (Gergiev is fine, Rozhdestvensky is too sloppy).

I have often compared the first movement to being inside the guts of a tower clock.

Still not known enough, as far as I am concerned!      Welcome to the club, KateWishing!

[Brian]

It's come to my attention that I own a Philadelphia/Ormandy recording of Symphonies 6 and 7, which says "1950, 1953." How are these and which ending of the Seventh is used?

[TheGSMoeller]

It's come to my attention that I own a Philadelphia/Ormandy recording of Symphonies 6 and 7, which says "1950, 1953." How are these and which ending of the Seventh is used?

Ormandy uses the revised-faster ending.

[Sergeant Rock]

Ormandy uses the revised-faster ending.

I call it The Stoned Guest ending.  In that P.D.Q.Bach opera all the characters die...but for no logical or biological reason spring back to life, singing Happy ending, Happy ending! Prokofiev does the same thing.

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Mercy, Sarge, but I've not thought of The Stoned Guest in an age . . . .

[Hattoff]

Two books have appeared so far this year relevant to Prokofiev (not including the third volume of his diaries).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Wars-Lina-Prokofiev-ebook/dp/B00BFTSZ5C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375019593&sr=1-1&keywords=prokofiev

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Composing-Red-Screen-Prokofiev-Soviet/dp/0199967598

The first, "The Love and Wars of Lina Prokofiev", is about his wife, Lina, who had a very hard time in Russia to say the least, but it also lays out the reasons for Prokofiev's return there at, what seems with hindsight, an almost suicidal time.
It's a very good read with a lot of new discoveries filling in much unknown detail of Prokofiev's life and travels.

The second, "Composing for the Red Screen: Prokofiev and Soviet Film" I've only just found and ordered.
It's about time someone put the unpublished film scores into order and got them recorded. It could makes someone's name (think Anthony Payne). Anyone here up for it?

[Hattoff]

By the way, the Prokofiev Archive at Goldsmith's College, London, England, is being moved to Princeton University, New Jersey. You Americans can now get your entrepreneurial hands on the film scores. And, a jolly good thing too, as nothing has been done with them here.

[Octave]

Apropos a little recent discussion in the Purchases Today thread, wherein the Ozawa/Jarvi cycles were given some props...

Can anyone provide a gloss on the qualities of Zdenek Kosler's cycle of Prokofiev symphonies with the Czech Phil?  I saw a little discussion from a year ago, and a brief mention of it again several months ago. 
My main points of reference thus far have been two complete sets, Leinsdorf (Sony reissue box) and Rozhdestvensky (Melodiya), both of which have sounded great to me.  A mishmash of one-offs as well, but I cannot think straight about who.

I ask because I have been moving toward getting both Ozawa and Jarvi, but it would be nice to find a great set of recordings that is quite different from the two I know.  It seems, per Sarge, that both Ozawa and Kosler opt for the original, non-'happy' ending to the 7th.

[TheGSMoeller]

I ask because I have been moving toward getting both Ozawa and Jarvi, but it would be nice to find a great set of recordings that is quite different from the two I know.  It seems, per Sarge, that both Ozawa and Kosler opt for the original, non-'happy' ending to the 7th.

+1 for the Ozawa, also the Kitajenko set is nice. And for a little funk there is the Gergiev, not always appreciated but great for an alternative. All three have the original 7th ending which is more appropriate to me, I can't stand the prize-winning, happy ending.
Oh, Kitajenko and Gergiev have both 4ths, and Ozawa uses a baritone voice for his Lt. Kije performance.

The Jarvi set is good, and complete with nice add-ons, but I find the playing is often overly bombastic and the Chandos sound has too much reverb that drowns out a lot of the colorful voices within Prokofiev's scores.

[Octave]

Kitajenko, damn!     Forgot about him.  I will not escape Prokofiev cheaply.
I got the Kitajenko recordings of the piano concertos [Apex reissue, w/Krainev tossing molten lead like Richard Serra] and they were bomb-ass.

[Karl Henning]

I do like that set of the pf concerti.

[snyprrr]

Symphonies 6-7

Previn

Malko(CfP)

Orami(?)

Rosty(Erato)

Ashkenazy

Previn(Philips)

Uhhh... now I forgot all the one-offs I just saw... how bout Previn?

[Pierre]

By the way, the Prokofiev Archive at Goldsmith's College, London, England, is being moved to Princeton University, New Jersey. You Americans can now get your entrepreneurial hands on the film scores. And, a jolly good thing too, as nothing has been done with them here.

To the best of my knowledge, the film scores were all composed in Soviet Russia, and therefore would be in some archive over there rather than in the  soon to be ex-Goldsmiths archive in London.

[Mirror Image]

Apropos a little recent discussion in the Purchases Today thread, wherein the Ozawa/Jarvi cycles were given some props...

Can anyone provide a gloss on the qualities of Zdenek Kosler's cycle of Prokofiev symphonies with the Czech Phil?  I saw a little discussion from a year ago, and a brief mention of it again several months ago. 
My main points of reference thus far have been two complete sets, Leinsdorf (Sony reissue box) and Rozhdestvensky (Melodiya), both of which have sounded great to me.  A mishmash of one-offs as well, but I cannot think straight about who.

I ask because I have been moving toward getting both Ozawa and Jarvi, but it would be nice to find a great set of recordings that is quite different from the two I know.  It seems, per Sarge, that both Ozawa and Kosler opt for the original, non-'happy' ending to the 7th.

I would say that Kosler, from the performances I've heard, falls somewhere between Rozhdestvensky and Kitajenko. He's not really all that extreme in the tempi and everything seems to be evenly paced. The CzPO play wonderful Prokofiev. I need to finish going through Kosler's set at some point, but if you haven't heard Rozhdestvensky's cycle than that receives an urgent recommendation from me.