Essential Prokofiev?
Mark G.
music in my cd collection, symphonies nos. 1 and 5, violin concerto,
string quartets and that's about it. What else do you recommend and
what are in your opinion essential Prokofiev works one should have
recordings of?
Thank you.
Mark
Steven de Mena
"Mark G." <mark.ggg...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:gdoko19nqmd459431...@4ax.com...
Romeo and Juliet - complete ballet - Seiji Ozawa/Boston Symphony (DG 2 CD)
Now about 30 posts will follow listing just about every work Prokofiev
composed and every recording ever made....
Steve
Paul Ilechko
Very little of Prokofiev's music is essential, IMO. Shostakovich is far
more interesting. Other than what you already have, maybe the Piano
Sonatas 6, 7 and 8. Richter is probably better than anyone else in these
- you can get them all on a single Russian Revelation disc.
Vaneyes
Piano Concertos, Piano Sonatas, Romeo & Juliet Suites.
Regards
Sol L. Siegel
Piano Concerti, especially the first three. I'm bigoted in favor of
Mindru Katz in 1, Horacio Gutierrez in 2 and either Kapell or
the composer in 3. Others will post with different ideas.
Romeo and Juliet, preferably complete; Maazel is excellent.
6th Symphony: Kuchar on Naxos is the current winner, only
partly by default.
Alexander Nevsky cantata. I'm a big fan of the Abbado disc
which also includes Scythian Suite and Lt. Kije, though
others here hate it.
Violin Sonatas. Wonderful pieces. I have and enjoy
Perlman/Ashkenazy and Kremer/Argerich.
Piano Sonatas 6 (with Richter and Cliburn OOP,
Pogorelich seems to get the nod here), 7 (Pollini)
& 8 (Richter!).
Good luck.
- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA
"My reputation has nothing to do with me." - Terry Gilliam
Eric Grunin
<mark.ggg...@gmail.com> wrote:
These are canonically 'essential':
Piano Concerto #3
Piano Sonatas #6, #7,# 8
Symphonies #1, #5, #6
Violin Concerto #2
Lt. Kije Suite
Romeo and Juliet (at least a Suite, complete if you like)
Alexander Nevsky
These used to be considered 'essential', but have faded a bit:
Scythian Suite
'Love for the Three Oranges' Suite
Violin Concerto #1
Visions Fugitives
Finally, a few personal favorites:
Violin Sonata #1
Flute Sonata (aka Violin Sonata #2)
Overture on Hebrew Themes
Regards,
Eric Grunin
Gerard
Seconded.
This is all essential Prokofiev.
Add piano concerto 2 and somewhat Cinderella.
And for children: Peter and the wolf.
Dave Cook
> Very little of Prokofiev's music is essential, IMO.
I have no idea what essential means then.
> Shostakovich is far more interesting.
I don't see why Shostakovich comes into the picture. That's a false
pairing like Bruckner/Mahler; they were from different generations.
Dave Cook
Dave Cook
I addition to the usual works recommended, I'd add
Cinderella
Just a hair below Romeo and Juliet in quality. Some of the other "lesser"
ballets, such as The Steel Step, the Stone Flower, and Chout, are worth
getting eventually.
Ivan the Terrible
Unfortunately Prokofiev died before he could make any "canonical"
arrangements of the score; you tend to get a different arrangement from
recording to recording. I like Slatkin (best 1-disc selection, I think;
no narration), Muti (very exciting, though the narration wears thin), and
Fedoseyev, which has more music than any other recording.
Sinfonia Concertante
Either Rostropovich/Sargent or Ha-Na Chang. (this was a revision of a
Cello Concerto which has been recorded a few times)
And some opera DVDs for some balance:
War and Peace
The Paris Opera DVD. This has cuts, though. You might be able to find
Malik-Pashayev CDs used
Betrothal in a Monastery.
The Gergiev DVD with Netrebko.
Raymond Hall
As you have a Prok 1 and 5, then the following :-
Romeo & Juliet ballet suite - Previn/LSO on EMI. Far more finesse and lilt
in many of the dances than Maazel shows with Cleveland, but Maazel 2nd
choice and very good.
Agree with another poster about Kuchar's 6th, and you can add Kuchar's
Prokofiev's 4th coupled with the associative Prodigal Ballet suite. Jarvi's
symphony set is generally excellent also on Chandos, and includes both the
original and a revised version of the 4th symphony. In fact, whilst you are
at it, Jarvi or Kuchar for the 2nd and 3rd symphonies, of which I have come
to admire greatly lately.
Prok 5th piano concerto - Richter/Rowicki. Nobody else comes close.
Btw, imo Prokofiev was the greatest tunesmith of ANY composer, and the above
are just merely some of his greatest works, and doesn't reflect on the value
of his others, his piano sonatas, his other piano concertos, Peter and the
Wolf, Alexander Nevsky suite (Reiner is superb, avoid Abbado), Lt. Kije,
Love for Three Oranges, etc..
Basically, if the weight of his lower orchestral colours are not displayed,
then avoid, especially in his symphonies. Symphony no.7 is quite lightweight
really, but very delightful. It is virtually impossible to mash up a tune,
and in this regard Prok was a master, especially in the larger orchestral
forms.
The Prokofiev piano concerto No.3 is very popular, but is best left for the
inevitable scrum from the painophiles wrt this work. I can imagine many of
them having 100s of different versions of this work, in wild adoration of
their pianistic gods. Makes one wonder what else they listen to.
<g>
Ray H
Taree
sidoze
Prokofiev is quite hit-and-miss with listeners so I would recommend
listening to as much as you can by him and then making your own
decision as to which works you should keep and which discard. This
pretty much goes for everything though :)
Poldie
> The Prokofiev piano concerto No.3 is very popular, but is best left for the
> inevitable scrum from the painophiles wrt this work.
I love pain; if you feel the same way then avoid Argerich's #3, as it
simply won't cause any - it's wonderful.
Leland Windreich
the ballets CINDERELLA, STONE FLOWER, ROMEO AND JULIET, CHOUT, Symphony no.
4 and 7, to name but a a few.
Dan Koren
Andy Evans
Visions Fugitives. I don't think there's a version of the whole 20 I'd
recommend - good to wonderful excerpts from rubinstein, gilels, richter
and the composer. anybody know of a complete version of this quality.
I also like the 9th piano sonata, and Richter is the man here.
sidoze
>anybody know of a complete version [of VFs] of this quality.
Novitskaya :)
Andy Evans
few others) I think I prefer Demidenko of the two. Andy
Dan Koren
news:1133206918....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Andy Evans wrote:
>> Added to the above I'd say his shorter piano pieces - especially
>> Visions Fugitives. I don't think there's a version of the whole
>> 20 I'd recommend - good to wonderful excerpts from rubinstein,
>> version of this quality. I also like the 9th piano sonata,
>> and Richter is the man here.
>
Is Novitskaya the man there?
dk
Bas
news:1133206918....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
> Andy Evans wrote:
>>anybody know of a complete version [of VFs] of this quality.
>
> Novitskaya :)
>
Novitskaya also made a beautiful recording of Prokofiev's First Piano
Concerto (with the Radio Philharmonic c Jean Fournet, 1969)
But I mainly remember her as the girl with the greasy hair :-)
Citizen
Sonatas 6, 7, and 8 are especially notable. Gilels's Sonata #8 and
Vision Fugitives are also great.
The Third Piano Concerto is well played by Argerich and Katchen.
Paul Ilechko
> On 2005-11-28, Paul Ilechko <noSPaM_pile...@patmedia.net> wrote:
>
>
>>Very little of Prokofiev's music is essential, IMO.
>
>
> I have no idea what essential means then.
>
It means that I don't particularly like it. I'm not a library, I don't
collect what I won't play.
>
>>Shostakovich is far more interesting.
>
>
> I don't see why Shostakovich comes into the picture. That's a false
> pairing like Bruckner/Mahler; they were from different generations.
And that's a false analogy, so what the hell.
Joe Martin
> >>Very little of Prokofiev's music is essential, IMO.
> >
> > I have no idea what essential means then.
> >
> It means that I don't particularly like it.
>
"essential." I would think that if you don't particularly like
Prokofiev, you would not find it essential to respond to the OP's
question.
Speaking of which: I can't add much to what already been said, other
than to suggest that the piano sonatas and concertos are under-rated,
IMO, and well worth getting to know as cycles (as opposed to
cherry-picking the two or three most popular items in each set).
Paul Ilechko
> Paul Ilechko wrote:
>
>>>>Very little of Prokofiev's music is essential, IMO.
>>>
> Then Dave Cook wrote:
>
>>>I have no idea what essential means then.
>>>
>
> Then Paul wrote:
>
>>It means that I don't particularly like it.
>>
>
> Then I wrote: that is not the commonly understood meaning of
> "essential." I would think that if you don't particularly like
> Prokofiev, you would not find it essential to respond to the OP's
> question.
You may have noticed that I said "IMO". Plus, I would hazard a guess
that most people don't regard music that they dislike as "essential",
unless they happen to run a library or a radio station.
Russ and/or Martha Oppenheim
"Paul Ilechko" <noSPaM_pile...@patmedia.net> wrote in message
news:3uv7ubF...@individual.net...
> Very little of Prokofiev's music is essential, IMO. Shostakovich is far
> more interesting.
Maybe to you . . .
- Russ (not Martha)
Gregory Morrow
Mark G. wrote:
For me the 1962 Byron Janis/Kiril Kondrashin Mercury Living Presence
recording made in Moscow of the Third Piano Concerto is absolutely
indispensable
http://www.deccaclassics.com/music/mercurylivingpresence/releases/4756607.html
--
Best
Greg
A. Brain
news:ksAif.5676$ea6....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Romeo & Juliet ballet suite - Previn/LSO on EMI. Far more finesse and
> lilt in many of the dances than Maazel shows with Cleveland, but
> Maazel 2nd choice and very good.
The sound on Maazel seems better to me. I am not familiar with the
operas, but so far, I think that R&J is possibly the greatest of his
works and arguably the greatest orchestral work of the 20th century.
One of our local music schools, having possibly the best hall I
have ever experienced, did "Three Oranges" a couple of years ago
and I am still kicking myself for missing it.
--
A. Brain
Remove NOSPAM for email.
Andy Evans
recording made in Moscow of the Third Piano Concerto is absolutely
indispensable >
Yes, yes, yes. He's the man, he's the conductor, they are the
orchestra. We are well served.
Andy Evans
> I don't see why Shostakovich comes into the picture. That's a false pairing
How would Shostakovich compare with sex with a beautiful stranger?
Russ and/or Martha Oppenheim
> music in my cd collection, symphonies nos. 1 and 5, violin concerto,
> string quartets and that's about it. What else do you recommend and
> what are in your opinion essential Prokofiev works one should have
> recordings of?
>
> Mark
Real Prokofiev lovers, and I'm certainly one of 'em, will probably give you
the most unhelpful answer - which is to say, just about everything the guy
wrote.
But I don't want to be difficult, so I'll suggest "The Prodigal Son" ballet,
and if you like that, check out the revised version of the Symphony #4 (Op
47/112), which uses themes from said ballet.
Schoenberg was right on the money when he commented that there was still
plenty of good music to be written in C Major.
Happy listening.
- Russ (not Martha)
Joe Martin
Paul Ilechko wrote:
>> You may have noticed that I said "IMO". Plus, I would hazard a guess
> that most people don't regard music that they dislike as "essential",
> unless they happen to run a library or a radio station.
Not to beat this particular dead horse any further, but I would suggest
that the term "essential" implies exactly that sort of objectivity--or
at least an attempt at it. One doesn't have to personally like
Prokofiev--or Bruckner, or whomever--to know which compositions are
widely considered to be canonical.
Martin Altschwager
Newsbeitrag news:Jo%if.17084$Au1...@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>
> Schoenberg was right on the money when he commented that there was still
> plenty of good music to be written in C Major.
I've read that quote recently, and I thought it was Prokofiev himself and
not Schoenberg who said this. Am I wrong?
M.A.
Matthew B. Tepper
following letters to be typed in news:438c99e5$0$20854$9b4e6d93
@newsread2.arcor-online.net:
I've always heard it attributed to Schoenberg, who had more of a point to
be made by saying so. After all, he did write a string orchestra work in a
neighboring key.
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made. ~ FDR (attrib.)
Paul Ilechko
"Canonical" and "Essential" are two different concepts. If the OP wanted
to know which Prokofiev was considered canonical, that would have been
easy to look up.
Paul Ilechko
norman...@comcast.net
"Mark G." <mark.ggg...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:gdoko19nqmd459431...@4ax.com...
> For one reason or another I have very few recordings of Prokofiev's
> music in my cd collection, symphonies nos. 1 and 5, violin concerto,
> string quartets and that's about it. What else do you recommend and
> what are in your opinion essential Prokofiev works one should have
> recordings of?
I don't think it's essential to have ANY Prokofiev in your collection. If
you hear something you like, and it turns out to be by Prokofiev, buy it.
Otherwise, don't worry about it.
Norm Strong
Frank Berger
<norman...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:8LudnRCWjYoDthDe...@comcast.com...
>
> "Mark G." <mark.ggg...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:gdoko19nqmd459431...@4ax.com...
>> For one reason or another I have very few recordings of Prokofiev's
>> music in my cd collection, symphonies nos. 1 and 5, violin concerto,
>> string quartets and that's about it. What else do you recommend and
>> what are in your opinion essential Prokofiev works one should have
>> recordings of?
>
> I don't think it's essential to have ANY Prokofiev in your collection
This will be a minority view.
Frank Berger
"DZ" <13104@1287519942.2286329615.26612.2695.12095> wrote in message
news:23...@2771722709.1993413195.7395.24860.3152...
> Wayne Reimer <wrdsl...@pacbell.net> wrote:
>> Another essential Prokofiev item would be the first violin sonata,
>> which may be the essence of the essential; it's surely a contender for
>> the best of all of his music.
The Perlman/Ashekanzy version of this played a major part in my awakening to
classical music. I have probably listened to this work more times than any
other. Other favorite versions are Oistrakh/Richter, Grubert/Raekellio and
on LP only, Wilkomirska and Schein.
Norman M. Schwartz
"Frank Berger" <frank.d...@dal.frb.org> wrote in message
news:11orvu7...@news.supernews.com...
(Decca). Other favorites?
Frank Berger
"Norman M. Schwartz" <nm...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:eEnjf.35484$7n6....@fe08.lga...
Anosov and Malko.
Norman M. Schwartz
Tower.com doesn't show any Prokofiev by Anosov.
Frank Berger
Matthew B. Tepper
following letters to be typed in news:11osp47...@news.supernews.com:
> "Norman M. Schwartz" <nm...@optonline.net> wrote in message
> news:Kusjf.17434$mM2....@fe09.lga...
>
>> Tower.com doesn't show any Prokofiev by Anosov.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/c9zrj
Anosov also, uh, "produced" some fine Prokofiev recordings, but at a
remove, if you get my point.
Norman M. Schwartz
"Matthew B. Tepper" <oy兀earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:Xns971ED92C53...@207.217.125.201...
> "Frank Berger" <frank.d...@dal.frb.org> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed in news:11osp47...@news.supernews.com:
>
>> "Norman M. Schwartz" <nm...@optonline.net> wrote in message
>> news:Kusjf.17434$mM2....@fe09.lga...
>>
>>> Tower.com doesn't show any Prokofiev by Anosov.
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/c9zrj
>
> Anosov also, uh, "produced" some fine Prokofiev recordings, but at a
> remove, if you get my point.
>
can't dig.
Frank Berger
I didn't get it either. I decided to think about instead of just asking
right away, but I didn't come up with anything.
Matthew B. Tepper
following letters to be typed in news:56Fjf.22105$mM2....@fe09.lga:
> "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy兀earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:Xns971ED92C53...@207.217.125.201...
>> "Frank Berger" <frank.d...@dal.frb.org> appears to have caused the
>> following letters to be typed in news:11osp472oe11k29
@news.supernews.com:
>>
>>> "Norman M. Schwartz" <nm...@optonline.net> wrote in message
>>> news:Kusjf.17434$mM2....@fe09.lga...
>>>
>>>> Tower.com doesn't show any Prokofiev by Anosov.
>>>
>>> http://tinyurl.com/c9zrj
>>
>> Anosov also, uh, "produced" some fine Prokofiev recordings, but at a
>> remove, if you get my point.
>>
> I'd like to get your point. You insiders see and know things we peasants
> can't dig.
Anosov is the daddy of Rozhdestvensky.
Paul Goldstein
gggg gggg
> For one reason or another I have very few recordings of Prokofiev's
> music in my cd collection, symphonies nos. 1 and 5, violin concerto,
> string quartets and that's about it. What else do you recommend and
> what are in your opinion essential Prokofiev works one should have
> recordings of?
> Mark
(2022 Y. upload):
Dave's Faves No. 184 (Prokofiev)
randy wolfgang
Martin Schöön
> On Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 8:21:23 PM UTC-4, gggg gggg wrote:
>> On Sunday, November 27, 2005 at 5:57:23 PM UTC-8, Mark G. wrote:
>> > string quartets and that's about it. What else do you recommend and
>> > what are in your opinion essential Prokofiev works one should have
>> > recordings of?
> The ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella
/Martin
Andy Evans
> Solo piano works.
>
> /Martin
Yes, of course. Prokofiev was a marvellous pianist himself and you can start with his own recordings. Plus...
Sonata 2, Gilels
Sonatas 6,7,8,9 Richter
Visions Fugitives
Herman
Frank Berger
> So many Prokofiev works are top class, so I'd say pretty much everything is essential.
Graham
Herman
> So many Prokofiev works are top class, so I'd say pretty much everything is essential.