Yuri Temirkanov - Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky, op.78 (FLAC)

Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky, op.78

Chorus Of St. Petersburg Teleradio Company, Chamber Chorus Of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Chorus Capella 'LIK'
St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Yuri Temirkanov, conductor

Recorded on March 16 & 17, 1993, in Philharmonia Hall, St. Petersburg. 
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Review
by James Leonard

Although there are superb recordings of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky Cantata out in the world, none of them can beat this 1993 recording by Yuri Temirkanov and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. First, the sound is unbelievably clear and vivid and immediate: there are moments when you'll swear the tympani are in the room with you. Second, the singing is incredibly strong and sensitive and soulful: it does, after all, take a Russian to sing Russian and to understand Russian history. Third, the playing is extremely powerful and polished and dedicated: even after they changed their name from the Leningrad Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg is still the finest orchestra in Russia. Fourth, Temirkanov is beyond all doubt the finest Russian conductor after Mravinsky, the conductor with the most nuanced technique, the most profound interpretations, and the most emotional commitment. Fifth and most decisively, it is the only recording of the complete score of Eisenstein's film Alexander Nevsky, that is, the only recording that contains not only the Nevsky Cantata, but all the rest of the cues from the film. So while one might argue that Reiner or Abbado's recordings of the Cantata are as fine or finer than Temirkanov, after hearing the Temirkanov, their recordings will always seem to be missing the rest of the music. For anyone who loves twentieth century Russian music or film scores, this is a necessary recording.