Listeners already familiar with
Prokofiev's First Symphony will immediately notice one thing in particular in listening to this recording of the
Munich Philharmonic under
Sergiu Celibidache. That is, it is by far the slowest performance in memory. If this was the first time ever listening to the First Symphony, the argument might be made that the slower tempi bring a sense of stateliness or nobility. But that's really a stretch and most likely not what
Prokofiev was going for. This symphony thrives at faster speeds and this recording just comes across as labored and ponderous. It's quite a shame, actually, because apart from the choice of tempi, the orchestra sounds quite respectable.
The Fifth Symphony suffers from the same problem but to a much lesser extent.
Prokofiev's music certainly doesn't require speed to be good, but it does need some forward momentum and direction and
Celibidache just doesn't deliver in that department. Here again, the orchestra's sound is fantastic. The brass climax in the first movement is voluminous and the edgy sound is quite enjoyable. The second movement is appropriately successfully militaristic sounding. Marked Allegro giocoso, the fourth movement doesn't deliver on the allegro or the giocoso until the very end.