PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5

São Paulo Symphony Orchestra;
Alsop, Marin

NBD 0031

In 1944 Sergei Prokofiev composed his "Fifth Symphony", one of his most important and extensive symphonic works. He himself described it at its premiere as "a symphony of the greatness of the human spirit".

The first movement combines extraordinary musical power with unexpectedly expressive themes that are constantly being developed further. The passionate "Scherzo" is followed by the slow, lyrical third movement, which has a dramatic middle section that is intensified to the most violent degree. No less impressive is the symphony's finale, in which Prokofiev again and again lets the fire of hardly suppressable passion flare up.

The symphonic suite "The Year 1941", as the "Fifth" was written during the war, is Prokofiev's answer to the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

The Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP) under the baton of its new principal conductor Marin Alsop begins the first part of Prokofiev's complete symphony cycle with the recordings on this CD.

Blu-ray audio

Muzyka klasyczna

Naxos

23-08-2012

0730099003162