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Symphony No 4 in C major, (orig 1930 version), Op 47
  
Genre: Symphony
Key: C major
Duration: 23 minutes (approximate)
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Movements
  1.   Andante assai - Allegro eroico
  2.   Andante tranquillo
  3.   Moderato, quasi allegretto
  4.   Allegro risoluto
 
Notes
Composed: 1929-1930
Premiere: 14-Nov-1930, Boston. Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky.

Scoring
Orchestration: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, english horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, tambourine), and strings.

 
Recommended

Prokofiev: Symphonies 3 & 4 / Järvi, Scottish National Orch
Conductor: Neeme Jarvi
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Catalog Num: Chandos 8401

In both Fourths Järvi, certainly one of the top two or three Prokofiev conductors in the world, is right on target. He does not slight the shorter work's moments of massive sonority, but manages through lively tempos and rhythmic inflection to incline them toward a rowdy, good-humored demeanor, rather than toward the epic bigness he brings out in the later work. He understands the differences between the two works and consistently displays interpretive insight. Listen, for instance, to the Op. 47/112's coda (track 8; 6:32 ff.): Järvi imparts a sinister quality to the brass theme with staccato-like accents, making the build-up that climaxes in the powerful return of the opening theme even more effective. And listen to his sensitive phrasing of either symphony's slow movement: the lyricism breathes and inner details emerge to heighten the dramatic flow. And Järvi is abetted by the spirited Scottish National Orchestra and Chandos's powerful sonics.

Clearly he stands out above his competition in both versions. (I have not yet heard the Ozawa, though I suspect from reading at least one review that he won't surpass Järvi.) And in the couplings, the Classical Symphony and Symphony No. 3, he and his forces are again superb--elegant and not overly fleet in the former, gripping and powerful in the latter. In sum, both these discs are urgently recommended.     [Robert Cummings]

[ Read the complete review... ]

1 CD
 
Complete Recordings
Prokofiev - Symphony 4, Op. 47 and Op. 112 / Rostropovich
Composer(s): Prokofiev
Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
Orchestra/Ensemble: Orchestre National de France
Catalog Num: Atlantic/Erato 2292-45733
1 CD

Prokofiev: Complete Symphonies
Composer(s): Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Catalog Num: Philips 475 7655 6
Release Date: May 9, 2006
4 CD

Prokofiev: Complete Symphonies / Järvi, Royal Scottish NO
Composer(s): Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor: Neeme Jarvi
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Catalog Num: Chandos 8931
Release Date: April 25, 1991
4 CD

Prokofiev: Complete Symphonies / Rostropovich
Composer(s): Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
Orchestra/Ensemble: Orchestre National de France
Catalog Num: Atlantic/Erato 2292-45737-2
Release Date: 1988
4 CD

Prokofiev: Symphonies 3 & 4 / Järvi, Scottish National Orch
Composer(s): Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor: Neeme Jarvi
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Catalog Num: Chandos 8401
Release Date: February 28, 1988
1 CD

Prokofiev: Works for Orchestra Vol I / Jean Martinon
Composer(s): Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor: Jean Martinon
Orchestra/Ensemble: ORTF National Orchestra
Catalog Num: Vox Allegretto 5001
Release Date: April 29, 1991
2 CD

Serge Prokofiev 50th Anniversary Edition: Volume 1 - Symphonies
Composer(s): Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
Orchestra/Ensemble: Orchestre National de France
Catalog Num: Warner Classics 0927 49634-2
Release Date: February 14, 2003
4 CD

 


 
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