Search - Sergey Prokofiev, Stephen Gunzenhauser, Andrew Mogrelia :: Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5: Lieutenant Kijé

Delightful recording of two of Prokofiev's best...

John O'Neill | Alpharetta, GA | 08/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This generously filled disc (78 minutes!!) contains wonderful performances of two of Prokofiev's finest symphonies. It also provides the listener a chance to hear two sides of Prokofiev.



The 1st, or "Classical" symphony, is a charming neo-classical work written by Prokofiev as an experiment to write in the style of Haydn or Mozart BUT using 20th century harmonies. The result is a very accessible work, pleasant and delightful. (The Larghetto is one of my favorite movements in the symphonic repetoire.)



Jump ahead almost three decades and we get the other side of Prokofiev in a much more dramatic and modern work. Prokofiev's unexpected harmonic twists are present throughout this work, which is very modern sounding but never hard on the ears. This is one of the GREAT symphonies of the 20th century.



The last fifteen minutes of the disc are just icing on the cake: the composer arranged suite from his film score for "Lietenant Kije" (the "Troika" with it's sleigh bells should be immediately familiar) and the famous "March" from his opera The Love for Three Oranges".



Prokofiev's unique musical language is present throughout this disc and the performances, by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gunzenhauser (the symphonies) and the Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mogrelia, are beautifully executed and recorded. From the late 80s, these are examples of the quality of early Naxos recordings that kept the label going and has made it one of the most successful classical labels in the world."