Repertoire: The BEST and WORST Prokofiev Symphony Cycles

[@MichaelCattermole]

It's great that you mention Walter Weller's as being amongst the best Prokofiev cycles. Weller endowed us with a magnificent group of recordings, and it is good to know that Eloquence will be issuing a box of those he made for Decca. Weller's somewhat underrated Rachmaninov/Decca recordings are firm favourites of mine - the 2nd Symphony in particular has enormous integrity, and Weller's sense of pacing is exemplary.

[@andre_p]

Walter Weller was appointed a member of the Wiener Phiharmoniker (first violins section) AT AGE 17 and became, at 22, the youngest ever concertmaster of the orchestra - a position he maintained for 11 years. Doesn’t qualify him for russian repertoire automatically, but he was a wonderfully sensitive and perceptive conductor.

[@steveschwartz8944]

@@MichaelCattermole seconded!

[@keithmontgomery2680]

I was lucky enough to be a concert season ticket holder during Jarvi's years as principal conductor with the SNO - so I have also heard live performances of all the cycle. Hard to express the excitement of having such astonishing music-making so readily accessible throughout an Edinburgh winter! Their performances of 'Alexander Nevsky' remains one of my favourite concerts of all time

[@jimryon1002]

Great show David, thanks.

[@bruckner1]

I bought the LP of the Weller recording of the first and seventh symphonies out of a cutout rack years ago and was quite impressed. I later bought the complete cycle on CD and it's good to hear Dave speak so well of it.

[@episodesglow]

Thanks for the repertoire/best performances video Dave (my favorite series). The Rohzdestvensky cycle is available in a 3-disc digipak on Melodiya which is my favorite cycle but of course frustratingly extremely hard to find!

[@johnmarchington3146]

Many thanks, David. The Järvi recordings that I have are exceptional, with a sixth that is virtually perfect (in my opinion).

[@sleepjar7013]

Dave, I bought the Jarvi after you said it was the best overall set during the Ideal Prokofiev symphonies video. Love it, thanks!

[@jgesselberty]

So glad to hear that you like the fourth. It is actually my favorite, with the revised version having a more satisfying symphonic ending. Also, noting that the first movement coda of the 5th is a good indicator of a conductor with the abilites to perform Prokofiev, is spot on. Often this coda makes or breaks it for me.

[@andre_p]

Every once in a few years I got (past tense) to attend a concert at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Vacation time with the wife’s family, so no control on what I was to hear during my stay but it did happen about 15 yrs ago that the Prokofiev 6th was played when I was in town. Dennis Russell Davies conducted the RCOA. I’ve never heard so many decibels in the concert hall as that night. I was seated about 10 feet from the hall’s left wall and I swear I could feel the vibrations bouncing off. Such an incredible sonic experience. So overwhelming that to this day I can’t recall what else the orchestra played that night.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I heard him do it with the Beethovenhalle Orchestra of Bonn and it was the dullest thing imaginable. Just goes to show that orchestras matter. Conductors...not so much.

[@b1i2l336]

Thanks for this stellar overview. It's too bad Leinsdorf didn't finish his cycle with the Boston Symphony- I remember really liking his 2nd and 6th Symphony outings.

[@rogermilne8563]

The Martinon (then on the budget Turnabout label) was where I first experienced the full symphony cycle (& couplings). But when I switched to CDs it was Järvi. Collected all his Chandos Prokofiev series as they came out.

[@HassoBenSoba]

Walter Weller's expertise as a Violinist is very evident in his set; you will not hear the "Classical" Symphonie's very challenging string parts played with more precision and character. It's stunning. Weller is also able (along with his engineers) in clarifying and balancing the wildly over-written textures of #2: you can actually HEAR most everything, including the strings! As you say "He never puts a foot wrong" in this cycle; nothing is less than very good, and often it's superb. Considering all of the options, it's the one complete set I keep on the shelf. LR

[@Tungusqa]

David, thanks for the "Repertoire" video. I missed one of this great series. I hope not to wait several months for another one. Greetings from Valencia, Spain.

[@piotrkaczmarczyk1792]

Dave, thank you! Maestro Jarvi the Father already bought and downloaded. Fabulous sound He destilated from those Scotsmen!

[@classicalmusiclists]

Dave, that was fast! Amazon still has a few copies of Jarvi so I will have it in my hands on Wednesday. 😺

[@barryguerrero6480]

I agree about P7. It's much better than most people think.

[@jasonklein8102]

Barry, you weren't with us when we played P7 a decade ago. You're right, though. We played the real ending and then (starting a bit earlier) the loud one as an encore. SP wanted it destroyed as soon as he won some prize with it. (T bithe loud ending, not the whole symphony)

[@sjc1204]

I'm a big fan of these symphonies but I can't remember the last time I listened to anything other than the SNO/Järvi cycle. I like it so much I sought out all the individual CDs on the used market after buying the Chandos box. I'm really looking forward to hearing the Bergen/Litton cycle this week and I'm curious about the Rozhdestvensky. Prokofiev's third symphony is still my favorite and Concertgebouw/ Chailly still takes first place for individual recordings.

[@RogerBesst]

I heard Martinon perform the Fifth with the CSO, twice in the 60s. It's a shame he did not have a chance to record this work, and the others with the Chicago Symphony.

[@barryguerrero6480]

David may not agree with me on this, but I think how Martinon was treated in Chicago was a complete travesty. It's so obvious that he was VASTLY more musical than Solti could ever hope to be. To this day, Solti is the single worst conductor I've ever seen a concert.

[@joshuafurr3703]

Walter Weller and CBSO was the first Beethoven cycle I heard when I was a munchkin. Still my favorite cycle. Did not know he did Prokofiev.

[@JPFalcononor]

Any thoughts on the James Gaffigan/Netherland Radio Philharmonic set? I found them to be good interpretations of the symphonies.

[@ZviNetanel]

I came to know it not long ago and I was totally captivated by the 6th. Absolutely exciting and moving.

[@Bezart34]

Grreat presentation, as always Dave. I'm now going to enjoy going back to your Prokofiev playlists. Such a pity that Litton's 5th doesn't quite match up to the rest of his BIS set. Oh well....

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

I just dumped the Martinon Vox set because -- after the initial excitement of thinking I'd snared a bargain -- I was disappointed by it for the reasons you state. I'll make due with the various good or better single versions of each work I have. Always good to go over Prokofiev again, though. He has always been a slow riser for me in terms of esteem and personal preference but I'm enjoying the journey.

[@dmntuba]

Happy to see Weller pop up. His Prokofiev recordings will surprise you. 👍 Ted Kucher is just a 1st class musician. He could make music out of the phone book 😂

[@richardsandmeyer4431]

Nice review. Though I haven't heard all of these cycles, I do agree that Järvi is probably the best bet for a single cycle. I also have Rostropovich (the Teldec cycle) and Rozhdestvensky as well as individual CDs of some symphonies (especially 1 and 5). I find the sonics on the Rostropovich to be disappointing for its recording dates; the Rozh sound is also rough but one expects that from the source and the era of the recordings. I also like the "roll your own" Leinsdorf (2, 3, 5, 6) and Ormandy (1, 4, 5, 6, 7) hybrid cycle which includes my favorites of nos. 1 and 2.

[@jimryon1002]

I wish Martinon had recorded the Prokofiev symphonies with the Chicago Symphony when he was there. That would have been awesome.

[@olegroslak852]

In the Melodiya release, the orchestra is called (in English), the "Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra". I assume this is the same orchestra and recording as the "USSR Radio and TV Large Symphony Orchestra" set. I can't imagine that they are different, despite the quite different English translations of the name of the orchestra.

[@ssprokofiev]

Actually there are quite a few more than a dozen Prokofiev symphony cycles. Besides the ones you mentioned there are two by Gergiev (Decca and Arthaus Musik video),Karabits (Onyx) Gaffigan (Northstar), and now Welser-Most/Cleveland, who may have one or two more to go to finish his cycle. His Sixth is simply superb--the tam-tam in the first movement is crushing in its power!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, but Gergiev is out of print, Gaffigan only partially available, Karabits seems to be streaming only, and as you say, Welser-Most isn't complete. I don't feel the need to waste time on more versions that are difficult to source or no longer available, especially when I already mentioned a couple that belong to that frustrating category. I don't feel any necessity to cover everything as long as I have a representative sample with most of the really important titles included. A dozen versions seems like plenty to me.

[@fred6904]

Gergiev, The complete Gaffigan, and Karabits is available for streaming on Spotify.

[@petekohn]

Gaffigan and the NRPO is absolutely awesome and he does both versions of the 4th. That cycle blew my socks off.

[@jonbaum]

The Kuchar and Jarvi cycles are both on Spotify.

[@1e9n4i7gma]

Yes I am the second person (probably more) who has mentioned what about Gergiev and the LSO on Philips or don't we talk about him anymore. OK the acoustic for the London Barbican is poor but I am sure this production is worth a mention (as an addendum)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Already reviewed at classicstoday.com. Have a look.

[@judsonmusick3177]

Dave, you didn't mention Valery Gergiev's Prokofiev symphony cycle with the London Symphony. How would this one rate?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

See my review at classicstoday.com.

[@Symphonic76]

Considering Chandos only rarely box up their sets, it always seems like a great badge of honour for the few they do release. (And on that note, it is still disappointing when they then do the cycle but then refrain from keeping the original couplings. Like, how am I supposed to get the sinfonietta and the waltz suite? Buy half the same CD? BIS did the same for their Schnittke set. Honestly infuriating).

[@kellyrichardson3665]

Just for fun, I Googled "dark, turgid tam tams" and found Target only has the Dark Mint Tim Tams.

[@michelangelomulieri5134]

Sorry Dave, besides that I Fully agree on this overview of prokofiev symphonies cycles, as to the classical symphony I’ve recently bump into ancerl and czech phil and it shocked me a lot. I find it more colorful, insightful, swinging between avantgarde and classical taste. Ormandy’s got a serious contender!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes.

[@martinhaub6828]

Where's Gergiev in this? I enjoy his Philips set, but his audible contributions are annoying.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

The concertos with Toradze are fine, but the symphonies (No. 6 aside) are mostly pretty average.

[@michelangelomulieri5134]

@@DavesClassicalGuide yes, and also the sound quality is awful

[@ammcello]

Funny how you describe Alsop - that’s my opinion of everything she does both live and recorded. What about Gergiev and Gaffigan?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Both underwhelming, except Gergiev's Sixth is terrific.

[@mikewinter2235]

Ozawa is puzzling - what I’ve heard from him in Boston is outstanding - energy infused - but also the Thai 5th in Berlin is lackluster. Maybe he was uncomfortable in German. You say his Mahler cycle is among the best…so odd the Prok cycle is flat.

[@horsedoctorman]

​@mikewinter2235 Ozawa was Karajan's protégé in Berlin and the man he groomed to be his successor. They chose Abbado instead and the Prokofiev recordings date from the early years of the Abbado era. There may have been some discomfort for that reason...

[@steveschwartz8944]

I have the Järvi, Kuchar, and Weller sets, as well as single recordings of all the symphonies. I've been happiest with Weller, superb music-making in fine sound. Nice to see he made it into Parnassus.

[@Bezart34]

Gergiev is 'persona non-grata' as far as I'm concerned

[@murraylow4523]

Thanks for the repertoire survey Dave :) For me I have the Rodzhestvenky and the Jarvi. I don’t think it’s out of court to note that the Jarvi uses the trashy revised version of the ending of the seventh. To me, but maybe to other people not, this is a very poor judgment on his and Chandos’ part. So actually as the finale fails, there’s a problem. Maybe -although this is more difficult - you can do the piano concertos sometime next year ;)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It's not really "revised." He just adds a coda. If you like the original version (minus that last pizzicato chord) just turn it off before the coda! It's not a big deal either way, I think.

[@HassoBenSoba]

"Trashy" is really a bit much, yes?

[@murraylow4523]

@@HassoBenSoba maybe so, but I find the coda to be an interruption of the mood in an unfortunately disorientating way.