The CD booklet cover claims that this disc contains Prokofiev’s Fourth Symphony plus the suite from the ballet The Prodigal Son. This isn’t true. The ballet is performed complete, which is even better. It’s also the most logical coupling imaginable, because the symphony borrows its principal thematic material from the ballet. There are two versions of the Fourth Symphony, and Kuchar plays the revised, expanded score dating from the composer’s last years. This has been an extremely impressive cycle of Prokofiev symphonies–technically not quite the equal of Neeme Järvi’s Chandos versions, but every bit as good interpretively. The National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine plays with boldness and conviction, and if this isn’t a world-class ensemble, this also isn’t the kind of music that suffers as a result. There’s a rawness and edge to this composer that either comes naturally or has to be cultivated. These players have a natural feel for the style, and at the price, you simply can’t do better.
