Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra concluded their survey of Prokofiev's symphonies and symphonic suites with the release of the first three symphonies in 2020. Here, BIS offers the five discs as a box set, presented in reverse chronological order from when they were released individually. Litton, the music director of the Bergen Philharmonic from 2003 until 2015, when he took the title of music director laureate, was instrumental in establishing the orchestra's reputation internationally through tours and ...
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Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra concluded their survey of Prokofiev's symphonies and symphonic suites with the release of the first three symphonies in 2020. Here, BIS offers the five discs as a box set, presented in reverse chronological order from when they were released individually. Litton, the music director of the Bergen Philharmonic from 2003 until 2015, when he took the title of music director laureate, was instrumental in establishing the orchestra's reputation internationally through tours and recordings. The Classical Symphony, one of Prokofiev's most popular works, receives a sharp, concise reading, demonstrating the control Litton commanded over the orchestra. One of the intriguing aspects of these recordings is the decision to sequence the three Romeo and Juliet Suites in the order the music appears in the original ballet. This is the earliest of the recordings here, from 2005, and the execution for this music doesn't quite live up to the later recordings, and one...
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