Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 & Scythian Suite

Product description EMI 754577 CDC; EMI ITALIANA - Italia; Classica contemporanea Orchestrale Amazon.co.uk Sir Simon Rattle directs one of the very finest Prokofiev Fives of recent years. With the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (not to mention EMI's production-team) on top form, it's a reading of characteristic intelligence and stylish flair, full of stimulating observation and (in the scherzo) cocky mischief. Some may conceivably feel that Rattle's hard-working Birmingham strings lack the last ounce of tonal breadth--in which respect no performance has ever quite matched the glories of Serge Koussevitzky's extraordinary Boston Symphony section on their unforgettably eloquent 1946 recording on RCA Legendary Performers. That comes at mid-price, as do Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic (whose powerful 1968 recording can be found on DG Galleria) and André Previn and the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Philips Solo (both among their respective conductor's finest achievements on disc). Mind you, Rattle has an ace up his sleeve in the form of a spectacularly confident account of Prokofiev's dazzling Scythian Suite . Savage and breathtakingly delicate by turns, it's a precisely the sort of colourful piece designed to show off Rattle's mastery of balance and texture. If you love Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring , make this shattering work your next port of call. --Andrew Achenbach

Number of Discs: 1

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