Sergei Prokofiev - Symphonies Nos. 1-3 (Andrew Litton)

Information

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

• (01) Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 'Classical'
• (05) Symphony No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40
• (13) Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 44

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Andrew Litton, conductor

Date: 2020

Label: BIS
https://bis.se/conductors/litton-andrew/prokofiev-symphonies-nos-1-3

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Review

This is the final instalment of Andrew Litton’s Prokofiev symphony cycle, one of the most sonically sophisticated in the lists. Only don’t look to Bergen for the raw sonorities associated with those old Prokofiev LPs emanating from communist Russia. For all that his sequence opts for the later, Soviet incarnation of the Fourth, Litton is closer to Marin Alsop in rendering this music as full-blooded mainstream fare.

In the ubiquitous Classical Symphony Litton is out-sparkled by Thomas Søndergård’s recent account. Marshalling what sounds like a bigger band, the American conductor too narrowly skirts clumsiness in his self-consciously moulded Gavotte. That said, it was generous indeed to give us three symphonies. Søndergård couples the First and Fifth while Pentatone present Vladimir Jurowski in the Second and Third alone. One wonders whether BIS’s extended-play physical product might bamboozle older systems.

Towards the end of his life Prokofiev intended to recast the two-movement Second, having long since retreated from the modernist aesthetic exemplified by its initial 12 minutes of ‘iron and steel’. Litton unearths unsuspected textural subtleties there and conveys real affection for the subsequent theme and variations. Prokofiev’s lovely melody makes a quite different impression under Jurowski, chaste even when fleshed out, piano figuration to the fore, whereas Litton can be positively schmaltzy, letting the strings dominate. This is not to say that he lacks sensitivity or fails to set teeth on edge (in a good way) in the raucous, climactic variation. In truth neither goes for maximal animal excitement.

Litton’s Third is noticeably tauter than Jurowski’s and some will count that a plus in what purports to be a symphony rather than a suite: the material derives from the occult opera The Fiery Angel. The warm immediacy of the interpretation worked for me, but listeners prioritising creepy atmospherics and timbral specificity will probably prefer Jurowski, fronting the contemporary incarnation of Evgeny Svetlanov’s old orchestra.

Enhanced by apposite, unsensational artwork, the present issue takes its place at or near the top of a growing pile. The surround sound, a shade brighter than ideal, is a vast improvement on those shouty Soviet sound carriers. Even Neeme Järvi’s much-praised 1980s Prokofiev now feels like a bridge between sonic worlds.

-- David Gutman, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

MusicWeb International  RECORDING OF THE MONTH

https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/prokofiev-symphonies-nos-1-3/

https://www.allmusic.com/album/prokofiev-symphonies-nos-1-classical-2-3-mw0003417701

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Sergei Prokofiev (23 April, 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous genres, he was one of the major composers of the 20th century. Prokofiev wrote seven completed operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony-concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas, many of which are widely known and heard. He also enjoyed personal and artistic support from a new generation of Russian performers, notably Sviatoslav Richter and Mstislav Rostropovich.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Prokofiev

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Andrew Litton (born May 16, 1959, New York City) is an American conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School, and holds both undergraduate and Masters degrees in music from Juilliard. He served as music director and principal conductor of Bournemouth Symphony (1988-1994), Dallas Symphony (1994-2006), Bergen Philharmonic (2003-2015), Colorado Symphony (2013-2016) and New York City Ballet (2015-2016). Litton's recordings include a Grammy-winning Walton's Belshazzar's Feast. Under Litton, the Dallas Symphony became the first major orchestra to broadcast a live concert via the Internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Litton

http://www.andrewlitton.com/bio/index.html

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