Karel Ancerl dispatches Prokofiev's fearsome Alexander Nevsky Cantata with admirable speed and efficiency. While for some who admire the massive and monumental work, speed and efficiency might be the last thing one wants in a Nevsky, for those to whom the work has always seemed a little overblown, Ancerl's 1963 recording with the Czech Philharmonic will be just the thing. Because while no one could doubt the strength and energy of the performance, no one could accuse Ancerl of playing to the last row of the balcony.But as ...
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Karel Ancerl dispatches Prokofiev's fearsome Alexander Nevsky Cantata with admirable speed and efficiency. While for some who admire the massive and monumental work, speed and efficiency might be the last thing one wants in a Nevsky, for those to whom the work has always seemed a little overblown, Ancerl's 1963 recording with the Czech Philharmonic will be just the thing. Because while no one could doubt the strength and energy of the performance, no one could accuse Ancerl of playing to the last row of the balcony.But as admirable as Ancerl's Nevsky is, his recording of Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto is even better. Partnered with the superb and soulful André Navarra, Ancerl turns in a performance of nearly unmatched lyricism and power. Nearly unmatched because, of course, there is always the Rostropovich premiere recording that invariably must be regarded as all but definitive. But despite competition from the all but definitive, Navarra and Ancerl have a leaner and harder conception of the work and...
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