Sergei Prokofiev was one of the most accomplished and complicated composers of his time, and remains so even now. This is a superb, and entirely musical performance of one of Prokofiev's most difficult and elusive works performed by Petersburg's great Mariinsky Orchestra under the equally great Russian conductor Valery Gergiev.
Yes, and Prokofiev is a master @ taking a germ motif -- a rhythm here -- and letting it grow into something decisive. His timing is always extraordinarily precise.
Yes. And perhaps the reason it's underrated is because Prokofiev didn't make a career of his pain like Shostakovich who, believe it or not, suffered far less than Prokofiev, but you'll have to dig really hard to find that. Or as my late composer-critic friend Virgil Thomson put it in his 1949 piece for "The New York Herald Tribune " --"In contrast to the apparently incurable maladjustments of Prokofiev ( who is physically ill, as well, for he seems to have had last spring another stroke like the one he suffered in 1946 ), Shostakovich is clearly on the road to recovery.Not only is he being sent to us on a mission, he has also been praised by the head of his union his "successful " film music. " But that, as they say, is show biz...
@@michaelmcdonagh5104 Two quite different, yet similar experiences. Shostakovich was the survivor. Prokofiev had the misfortune of passing away on the day Stalin died, his obit overlooked. Both great composers were victims of the notorious post war "Zhdanovschina" where "formalism" was not tolerated. In Stalin's USSR one could find himself on a long train ride to a cold distant place for a show of originality. I wonder if Mr Shostakovich and Mr. Prokofiev kept a packed suitcase under their beds? I am grateful to Shostakovich for the symphonies and the wonderful quartets. I would not want to be without Prokofiev's last three symphonies, the piano sonatas, the Romeo and Juliet ballet. Hear! Hear! to both gentlemen.
@@michaelmcdonagh5104 This is a great symphony-there are mysteries here I don't understand, and maybe no one ever will. I enjoyed playing a couple of Virgil Thomson's pieces btw!
I wouldn’t agree with this though. I’ve played under him so many times, and his gestures are just transformative. Plus, he’s always there for us on the podium rather than beating every measures. He knows when we need him. Such a Great Maestro!
In this movement, and in the whole symphony in general, Prokofiev is much more lyrical and less dissonant than one would expect. In the last movement, he seems to have taken a lesson from Shostakovich on how to have some ironic fun with a symphony.
This is not just Prokofiev's best symphony. It's one of the best of the 20th Century.
A great orchestra, a genial conductor, the music of Prokoviev.....what else?
GORGEOUS playing from the first trumpet.
A great performance of such a great work!
Exquisite. A grand performance of a masterpiece.
Sergei Prokofiev was one of the most accomplished and complicated composers of his time, and remains so even now. This is a superb, and entirely musical performance of one of Prokofiev's most difficult and elusive works performed by Petersburg's great Mariinsky Orchestra under the equally great Russian conductor Valery Gergiev.
He is russian!
Seriously underrated symphony. Especially love the theme of first movement starting at 6:48
Yes, and Prokofiev is a master @ taking a germ motif -- a rhythm here -- and letting it grow into something decisive. His timing is always extraordinarily precise.
Indeed! That theme seems to encapsulate the entire mood of this tragic movement.
Yes. And perhaps the reason it's underrated is because Prokofiev didn't make a career of his pain like Shostakovich who, believe it or not, suffered far less than Prokofiev, but you'll have to dig really hard to find that. Or as my late composer-critic friend Virgil Thomson put it in his 1949 piece for "The New York Herald Tribune " --"In contrast to the apparently incurable maladjustments of Prokofiev ( who is physically ill, as well, for he seems to have had last spring another stroke like the one he suffered in 1946 ), Shostakovich is clearly on the road to recovery.Not only is he being sent to us on a mission, he has also been praised by the head of his union his "successful " film music. " But that, as they say, is show biz...
@@michaelmcdonagh5104 Two quite different, yet similar experiences. Shostakovich was the survivor.
Prokofiev had the misfortune of passing away on the day Stalin died, his obit overlooked.
Both great composers were victims of the notorious post war "Zhdanovschina" where "formalism" was not tolerated.
In Stalin's USSR one could find himself on a long train ride to a cold distant place for a show of originality.
I wonder if Mr Shostakovich and Mr. Prokofiev kept a packed suitcase under their beds?
I am grateful to Shostakovich for the symphonies and the wonderful quartets.
I would not want to be without Prokofiev's last three symphonies, the piano sonatas, the Romeo and Juliet ballet.
Hear! Hear! to both gentlemen.
@@michaelmcdonagh5104 This is a great symphony-there are mysteries here I don't understand, and maybe no one ever will. I enjoyed playing a couple of Virgil Thomson's pieces btw!
Csodás mű fantasztikus művészek Gergiev utánozhatatlan, imádom a felvételt.Köszönöm
Very clear and understandable 😂
And there are people out there that say Prokofiev is not a important composer ..........
If you say the word ‘important’ put the articles ‘an’. And then, why Prokofiev is not an important composer?
Only people who are not important say that.
Are these hip hop fans? Maybe they're into country? Because no classical fans would ever say that.
He's certainly more " important" than Haydn or Schubert just to name two overated composers. ( IMHO)
Beautiful harp at 25:25
Superbe.
Gergiev is conducting with a toothpick.
16:56 Parsifal ??
I. Allegro Moderato: 0:07
II. Largo: 15:39
III. Vivace: 30:32
A symphony within piano and harp...
Quite common in 20th century symphonies...
16:29 trumpet solo
Key is e-flat minor, which would be difficult for strings.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I. Allegro Moderato-00.07
II.Largo-15.39
III. Vivace-30.32
Change it to colon instead of dot (between hours and mins), so that it's clickable
Where, O where is the Mariinsky Orchestra based?
Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg
Petersburg.
Gergiev's conducting is so hard to read
I wouldn’t agree with this though. I’ve played under him so many times, and his gestures are just transformative. Plus, he’s always there for us on the podium rather than beating every measures. He knows when we need him. Such a Great Maestro!
The last movement is a bit of a trainwreck
Would you let me know where there is an interpretation that is not a train wreck?
@@tomestubbs Sure! Listen to Oramo and the Finnish Radio Symphony
In this movement, and in the whole symphony in general, Prokofiev is much more lyrical and less dissonant than one would expect. In the last movement, he seems to have taken a lesson from Shostakovich on how to have some ironic fun with a symphony.
@@wcsxwcsx I meant the performance
@@slateflash Oh! In other words a Finnish conductor can do better with the last movement than Gergiev!!
SLAVA UKRAINI!