Opinion poll : best recordings of Prokofiev's complete seven symphonies?

Favorite Answer

I was delighted when Gennadi Rozhdestvensky's old 1960s set on Melodiya was re-released. There are better-recorded sets, it's true, but no-one has ever matched Rozhdestvensky's deep understanding of these works.

EDIT: Gergiev is a fine Prokofiev conductor (much less so Shostakovich) and I enjoy most (but not all) of his interpretations. As well as the Rozhdestvensky set, I could also recommend:

Erich Leinsdorf/Boston SO (much acclaimed on release in the 1960s, this set is very finely recorded for its time and has now been re-released in a super-bargain set (£12.45 on Amazon) along with the concertos and other orchestral works)
Walter Weller/LSO (probably the best recorded set and some nice performances)
Neeme Jäarvi/RSNO (some find the resonant acoustic 'muddy' [I don't] and the performances are close to Rozhdestvensky's in spirit. The only set to include BOTH original and revised versions of No 4 (closely-related but ultimately different works)).

To hell with it - get 'em all!...Show more