Prokofiev - Symphony nr. 5

I couldn't resist to move on to Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony. It's a stalwart of the symphonic repertoire, of course, and I used to like it a lot. I remember my father having it on loan from the library, 30 years ago: an Erato LP with a recording conducted by Armin Jordan if I remember well (I may be mistaken as I can't find anything on this back) But it was definitely a French(-speaking) conductor. There are only a few of these early musical discoveries which come with very strong visual memories and the Fifth is one of them.

I still like the work but haven't listened to it for a very long time. For me, THE reference recording is an almost forgotten CBS album. A very early digital recording (1979!) with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein. The performance was taped in the Herkulessaal in Munich, while the orchestra was on tour. Bernstein is a conductor I'm not naturally leaning towards. Neither is the IPO my orchestra of choice. But here they work magic. The relationship between Bernstein, the IPO and Prokofiev's Fifth goes back to the orchestra's first US sojourn, in 1951 when they spent the winter months on tour visiting 40 cities coast-to-coast. The concerts were conducted by Sergei Koussevitsky (who died just a few months later) and Bernstein. They played Prokofiev's Op. 100 too on that occasion.

This recording came almost 20 years after that memorable tour. It looks like it has disappeared completely from the catalogue. Edward Seckerson in Gramophone thought it was not a very successful recording: too thick and heavy. Indeed, Bernstein's timings for the first and third movements are rather extreme, each going over 15 minutes (whilst 12 minutes would agree with a normal tempo). It's a matter of taste, as it is with some of the controversial recordings Bernstein made later in life (the Enigma Variations, an interminable but marvelous Pathétique). I happened to like what Seckerson found wearisome. This is really a grand reading, fantastically epic, panoramic in scope and in glorious, moody technicolor. Socialist realism at its very best! The recording is stellar, surprisingly so for such an early digital effort. It's spacious and weighty, lacking the usual harshness but emphasising the lower end of the spectrum. The first movement is grandiose and completely in tune with the spirit of the times, I find. This is really the Russian steam roller, skies aflame, pushing the Nazis back to the Oder. Despite the slow tempo, Bernstein avoids any longueurs and keeps the movement admirably together. It is in a masterly sonata form after all. The climax in the development section is spellbinding with brass and percussion making a fantastic din. Bernstein does not make the error of also taking the scherzo slow. It comes in at 8 minutes. Quite a standard time, but compared to the solemnity of the introductory movement it feels very brisk. The Adagio is beautiful. It's almost a night music, so dark is the palette. The finale is again fairly brisk and bitingly ironic.

As I've always loved this recording so much, I've never felt the urge to collect many other versions. I have a couple of them, in some of the complete sets of symphonies. But it's the only one in the Järvi series I'm missing. I do have the Karajan, but despite the critical acclaim I can't say I like it very much. II remember it as much more nimble and transparent. For me the Bernstein/IPO version sounds like final. It's a treat to be consumed with moderation and exhilaration.