Prokofiev: Symphonies 1 & 5

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Thomas Søndergard

Prokofiev:
 Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 'Classical'
 Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100

"Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony receives here a performance of one’s dreams. Using a slightly reduced body of strings, Thomas Søndergård elicits from the Royal Scottish National orchestra neatly articulated and next to immaculate playing…Every movement seems ideally paced, exemplified by the finale – a miraculous combination of briskness, glitter and charm."
BBC Music Magazine - May 2020 ****

"So what if the orchestra’s sonority is not the heftiest. It matters not a bit in the Classical Symphony. With Søndergård pursuing a good-natured middle course between the quicksilver dash of Serge Koussevitzky and the mushier trudge of Seiji Ozawa or Valery Gergiev, we’re offered a wealth of detail commonly overlooked. Bassoons chortle and violins gleam above the stave...This is fresh and engaged music-making, well worth exploring."
Gramophone Magazine - May 2020

"Søndergards opname is overweldigend gedetallieerd en open. Hij gebruikt geen extreme tempi, zoals Jansons met de Leningrad Philharmonic en dat komt vooral het Adagio ten goede. Dit is een succesvolle, moderne opname die nog wel even meekan."
Luister Magazine 749 - LUISTER NEGEN