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 if their lyricism is not quite as expressive as
Rostropovich's, their power is completely convincing. The remastered sound of Supraphon's stereo originals is warm and clear, but a bit distant.