These two pieces come from the opposite extremes of Prokofiev's career, the Sinfonietta from the beginning and the symphony from the end. Neeme Jarvi's account of the Seventh Symphony is hardly less successful than earlier issues in this cycle. He gets very good playing from the Scottish National Orchestra and is completely at home in this repertoire. Earlier HMV recordings of the Seventh from Malko, Rozhdestvensky (ASD2410, 1/69—nla) and Previn have coupled it with the Classical but Chandos are more enterprising, offering the early Sinfonietta. There is no current alternative of either work on Compact Disc but even on LP, Jarvi would probably be the first choice, save for the mid-price advantage that the Previn version now enjoys. I also hasten to add that in this repertoire Previn is very good indeed and he secures excellent playing from the LSO. The sharply focused 1978 EMI recording stands up very well to the comparison, but the Chandos has greater range and depth. Given the attractions of the coupling—and what a sunny and charming piece it is!—this newcomer must be a first choice. The performance is totally idiomatic and the Scottish orchestra play as well as they have done throughout the series, yielding only to the LSO wind at the opening of the slow movement.
The Sinfonietta was written in the summer of 1909, though Prokofiev made two attempts at revision, one in 1914 and a second in 1929. It is a tuneful, delightful piece that ought to be as popular as the Classical Symphony or Peter and the Wolf. It has that blend of wit and fantasy that Prokofiev made his own, but infrequent performance in the concert hall has denied the work its rightful public. Recordings by Dzhemal Daigat and the Moscow Radio Orchestra (HMV Melodiya ASD2765, 4/72—nla) and Muti with the Philharmonia (HMV SLS5110, 4/78—nla) never stayed long in the catalogue and I only hope that this Chandos recording, which is by far the best to have appeared so far, will have a longer life.'