Prokofiev - Symphonies 4 & 5

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Karabits

The eagerly awaited 3rd volume in the critically acclaimed Prokofiev Symphony cycle from Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The original version of the 4th, probably the least performed of the seven is coupled with the 5th, arguably the most performed. The 4th is based on material from the ballet ‘The Prodigal Son’. The symphony was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to mark the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The 5th dates from 1944 at the height of the Russian struggle against the Nazi invasion. Although considered a wartime work, the overall mood is one of optimism. Yet again music from another project was used to good effect in a Prokofiev symphony. The powerful slow movement draws on music composed in 1936 and intended for an abortive film of Pushkin’s 'Queen of Spades'.

Prokofiev:
 Dreams Op. 6: Symphonic Poem
 Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 47 (original 1930 version)
 Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100

"Karabits manages to give the [Fourth Symphony] greater structural coherence through a sharper delineation of moods in each of the four movements. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is exceptionally responsive to his demands, bringing a wealth of fascinating timbres and colour to the composer's often opaque orchestration [and] there is a similar degree of aural illumination in the far more familiar Fifth Symphony."
BBC Music Magazine - November 2015