Scythian suite, Op. 20

Lolly's Pursuit of the Evil God and the Sunrise


  • Recorded: 27th March 1973
  • Record Place: The Dvořák Hall of Rudolfinum, Prague
  • First Release: 1973
  • (P) 1973 SUPRAPHON a.s.
  • Genre: Orchestral

Artists

  • music by: Sergei Prokofiev
  • conductor: Zdeněk Košler
  • musical group: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Album

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Zdeněk Košler

Prokofiev: Symphonies

Catalogue Number: SU 4093-2
Published: 15th June 2012
Genre: Orchestral
Format: 4 CD
Sergey Prokofiev - Symphonies Nos. 1-7 (complete), Scythian Suite, Op. 20
Recordings from 1973-1982

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Zdeněk Košler

Sergey Prokofiev's seven symphonies reflect all the stylistic transformations along his artistic path - from a "modernist", whose works echo the headlong development of music in the first two decades of the 20th century, to the mature creator of Symphony No. 7 (1951/52), characterised by melodiousness and freedom of expression. While the Scythian Suite, with its harshly "barbarian" aggressiveness, is the work of a young innovator, the simple Haydn-like melody treatment and lucid texture of the First Symphony, which the twenty-five-year-old Prokofiev referred to as"Classical", made it perhaps his most frequently performed work, one that anticipated the neo-Classical trend in modern music. Despite Prokofiev's endeavour to create new "great musicuvo devoid of complexity and accessible to the people, his later compositions were constantly fiercely criticised for being "formalist".
Zdeněk Košler drew attention to his artistry by winning globally prestigious competitions (Besançon, New York), as well as by assisting Leonard Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic. His Prokofiev with the Czech Philharmonic is one of the very first complete recordings of the composer's symphonic works. The newly remastered sound confirms its timeless qualities.

The life of Sergey Prokofiev in seven symphonies - and in one of the first complete recordings.

CD 1

Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1 in D major, Classical, Op. 25
1. Allegro 04:28
2. Larghetto 03:57
3. Gavotta. Non troppo allegro 01:33
4. Finale. Molto vivace 04:23
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40
5. Allegro ben articolato 11:57
6. Tema. Andante. Var. I.-VI. (attacca), Tema. Andante molto 23:56

CD 2

Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 44
1. Moderato 13:47
2. Andante 07:29
3. Allegro agitato. Allegretto 09:19
4. Andante mosso. Allegro moderato 06:18
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 47/112
5. Andante. Allegro eroico 14:10
6. Andante tranquillo 09:53
7. Moderato quasi allegretto 06:24
8. Allegro risoluto 09:37

CD 3

Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100
1. Andante 13:16
2. Allegro marcato 08:49
3. Adagio 12:10
4. Allegro giocoso 10:20
Sergei Prokofiev
Scythian suite, Op. 20
5. Invocation to Veles and Ala 07:28
6. The Evil God and the Dance of the Pagan Monsters 03:15
7. Night 07:06
8. Lolly's Pursuit of the Evil God and the Sunrise 05:36

CD 4

Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 111
1. Allegro moderato 14:37
2. Largo 15:41
3. Vivace 11:40
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 131
4. Moderato 10:23
5. Allegretto 07:58
6. Andante espressivo 07:00
7. Vivace 09:09