Search - Sergey Prokofiev, Claudio Abbado, Chamber Orchestra Europe :: Prokofiev: Peter And the Wolf/March In B Flat Major/Overture On Hebrew Themes/Classical Symphony

Plentiful Prokofiev

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 09/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though at times overshadowed by fellow Russian-born composers Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Rachmaninoff when it comes to 20th century music, Sergei Prokofiev demonstrated that he had a place in the music of that war-riddled century. This can be clearly demonstrated on this recording by Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe of four of this composer's works, two of which have always held permanent places in the repertoire.



Both the Overture On Hebrew Themes and the March In B Flat are shorter works, with the overture being the product of Prokofiev's association with fellow Russians in New York who introduced him to Jewish tunes, and the March seeming to be a concession to that great sage of Iron Curtain political correctness, Joseph Stalin. But while they are shorter pieces, and thus overshadowed by the other two works on the CD, they are fine examples of Prokofiev's experimental style and his ability to conform (whenever possible) with the desires of the Soviet state.



Of course "Peter And The Wolf" has held a place in many people's hearts because it was a work that exposed children to classical music for the first time via its story of a young boy who takes it upon himself to hunt for a dangerous wolf. Each character is represented by different instruments (or groups thereof) in the orchestra, while a narrator (in this case, former Police frontman Sting) depicts the proceedings through the medium of the spoken word.



Then there's the composer's crisp Symphony No. 1, the "Classical Symphony", so-called because Prokofiev wanted to see if he could create a 20th century symphony that utilized the capacities found in the late 18th century symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, as the symphony became one of the most popular of its type and its century.



Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe bring Prokofiev's four creations to vivid life, with Sting's narration of "Peter And The Wolf" being very lively (and matching his fellow Brit David Bowie's 1977 narration of the work with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra). The March and the Hebrew Themes overture are handled with a not insubstantial amount of wit, and the interpretation here of the Classical Symphony matches three other interpretations in my collection (Previn's L.A. Philharmonic recording of 1986; Gerard Schwarz's L.A. Chamber Orchestra recording of 1980; and Bernstein's 1968 version with his New York Philharmonic). Very highly recommended."

Sting was the only disappointment

R. Stonecipher-Fisher | GA, USA | 12/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Growing up with the 1963 DG recording of Peter and the Wolf performed by the French National Orchestra and narrated by Alec Clunes soured me on this rendition. I would say, however, that all of the performances without Sting's over-the-top narration are fabulous. The performance of the music in the story portion was on the same level as that in the older recording, but with a sound that suggested a lot of post-production level mixing (which is a bit of a turn-off in classical.) It was Sting's rewording and overacting that really killed the story portion of this album."