Ormandy: Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 - Philips 835 502 AY (Hi-Fi Stereo label)

$

25

ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This outstanding LP from Philips (835 502 AY, Dutch pressing, plum/silver "Hi-Fi Stereo" label, stereo) features Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra's powerhouse performance of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major Op. 100, recorded in the rich acoustics of Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia on 14 March 1957. Anyone who thinks that change from Stokowski to Ormandy meant a step down for the orchestra need only hear this stunning recording, easily one of the great Prokofiev Fifth's on record – truly magnificent!

 

Wrote critic J.N. in his August 1960 review for The Gramophone: "In the past I have often had hard things to say about performances conducted by Ormandy, and about his insensitive preoccupation with crude "effectiveness". But although there are one or two exaggerated moments (the passage for divided 'cellos at the beginning of the finale, for example) this is, taken as a whole, by far the best performance of Prokoflev's Fifth Symphony that I have ever heard.

 

"Prokofiev was an over-civilised personality, who did not take refuge in preciosity (as Ravel did, for example), but continually strove for direct emotional expressiveness. At times, and I have always been inclined to think this symphony was one of them, he tried so hard that he fell into a banality totally foreign to the essential fastidiousness of his own musical character. (The result, as might have been predicted, is that the Fifth Symphony has become more popular than the more truly characteristic Fourth and Sixth.) But this performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra not only looks the banalities in the eye, it also plays them for absolutely everything they are worth. The result is something like a revelation. The magnificent string section, in which the second violins and violas seem every bit as powerful and sensitive as the firsts, reveal beauties in Prokofiev's score that less expert orchestras (and more mealy-mouthed interpretations) simply fail to bring out. The wind and brass-playing are full of character, too, and countless phrases tell as I have never heard them do before. And Ormandy's broad, direct approach to the music lends the whole performance a conviction which many a more careful, would-be subtle one simply misses.

 

"The recording is not quite ideal, perhaps. There could be a shade more top, so that details of percussion (including piano) came through more clearly, and the dynamic range is just a little restricted for a work whose scoring veers between the extremes of delicacy and monumentality. Nevertheless the total sound of the orchestra is magnificently encompassed, with a degree of hall-resonance that is for once entirely appropriate. Of the various existing versions of the symphony one or two are worthy of comparison as performances, but when you take into account the quality of the new one's sound (and this is a score that really needs stereo), it seems to me to lead the field without any question. "

 

CONDITION:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

 

The condition of the jacket is GOOD. There is a minor bend to the upper-left corner, some creasing, bumping at the other corners, and to the rear panel the following: a sticker tear, ringwear, an “occasion” (“used”) stamp, and mild discoloration. However, on the plus side, there are no seamsplits or other defects and the album remains solid, bright, glossy, and very attractive – overall, still a good collector’s copy.

 

The condition of the LP itself is EXCELLENT. Although there is some occasional light surface noise, in general the playback is quite fine. However, those wanting a flawless or near-MINT copy are kindly advised to look elsewhere. Overall, this rates as an excellent collector's copy.

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