Top 10 Prokofiev recordings
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
His music had a profound effect on the 20th century and continues to inspire audiences today through music for ballet, film and concert hall. We choose our top 10 Prokofiev recordings, with a bonus at the end!
Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 8
Yuja Wang / The Berlin Recital (DG)
Gramophone Award Winner – Instrumental Award 2019
Editor's Choice - December 2018
'Exceptional artistry, technical perfection and boundless imagination’ it says on the back cover. Such hype normally puts my back up. But on this occasion I’ll happily endorse it.'
Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos 1-5
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet pno BBC Philharmonic / Gianandrea Noseda (Chandos)
Recording of the Month– March 2014
Gramophone Awards Winner 2014 - Concerto
'Bavouzet displays a light touch and laudable levels of physical stamina, with a firm grasp of the very different personalities of each piece.'
Prokofiev Complete Works for Violin
James Ehnes vln / Amy Schwartz Mortetti vln / Andrew Armstrong pno / BBC Philharmonic / Gianandrea Noseda (Chandos)
Editor's Choice – October 2013
'James Ehnes’s particular combination of matchless virtuosity, sweet tone, flowing tempi and interpretative restraint suits all this music down to the ground.'
Prokofiev String Quartets Nos 1 & 2
Pavel Haas Quartet (Supraphon)
Gramophone Awards Finalist – 2010
Recording of the Month – March 2010
'In the wondrous Adagio the cello line rises high, ghostly melodic statements in octaves can expose the smallest tuning difficulties and pizzicati needs must sparkle like ice. The young players pass every test before dispatching the inventive finale with equal aplomb, differentiating a wide variety of moods and timbres within a swiftish frame.'
Prokofiev Symphonies Nos 1-7
Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Neeme Järvi (Chandos)
Gramophone Awards Winner – Orchestral 1985
'As a Prokofiev interpreter Neeme Järvi is among the best.'
Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf
New Philharmonia Orchestra / Richard Baker narr / Raymond Leppard cond (EMI)
Gramophone Magazine Collection Winner - March 2011
'Richard Baker, the broadcaster and music buff, had one of the great microphone voices of recent times. His narration, ideally balanced against the orchestra, bears repeated listening. Raymond Leppard and the New Philharmonia don’t miss a trick.'
Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky
Yelena Obraztsova mez / London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Claudio Abbado (DG)
'it has an unassailable power and the opening of "The Battle on the Ice" sequence is very sinister. The LSO Chorus sing splendidly, even if one senses they are carefully controlled. But Abbado places the emotional climax of the work at the tragic lament after the battle. The last part of the battle sequence is hauntingly nostalgic and prepares the way for Obraztsova's beautiful solo, with its wonderfully expressive orchestral backcloth.'
Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges
Bacquier / Viala / Gautier / Dubosc & Bastin Choirs / Orchestre de L'Opera national de Lyon / Kent Nagano cond (Erato)
Gramophone Award Winner - Recording of the Year 1990
Gramophone Award Winner - Opera 1990
'One of those rare concatenations of circumstances absolutely everything - performance, production, recording, presentation - has come out right.'
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet
London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn(Warner)
'It is marvellous ballet music...by a virtuoso orchestra and conductor... and, frankly, you won't go wrong with this version...'
Prokofiev Sinfonia concertante
Mstislav Rostropovich vc / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Malcolm Sargent (Warner)
'This account of the Sinfonia concertante, coming from the heat of the concert hall, is absolutely electrifying, its high voltage matched by strong expressive character..'
A bonus recording! Prokofiev Plays Prokofiev
Mstislav Rostropovich pno / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Malcolm Sargent (Naxos)
'Piano Concerto No. 3: Prokofiev at the piano, with the LSO under Piero Coppola, recorded for HMV in June 1932, a recording which shows off the composer's powers as soloist in his own music at their phenomenal best. Try it if you want to know exactly what Geoffrey Bush means when he describes being "knocked sideways" by the piece, thrilled "by the tremendously wide spectrum of sound,"'
