Prokofiev: Seven, They are Seven Cantata, Op. 30

One of the greatest orchestras of the last century, the St Petersburg Philharmonic, and the legendary Russian conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy perform a collection of rarely-recorded works by their compatriot, the 20th century composer Sergei Prokofiev. Included are the suites Summer Night and The Year 1941, the two Festive Poems titled ‘The Meeting of The Volga and The Don’ and ‘Thirty Years’, as well as the cantata Seven, They are Seven and the American Overture.

In January 2009 Vladimir Ashkenazy took up the position of Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser to the Sydney Symphony. He is also Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Iceland and NHK Symphony Orchestras, as well as being Music Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra. The legendary St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1882, and is Russia's oldest symphonic ensemble.

Sergei Prokofiev is mostly known for his seven symphonies, two violin and five piano concertos, and music for the ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. The music on this CD however, which includes the suites Summer Night and The Year 1941, the two Festive Poems and the American Overture, as well as the cantata Seven, They are Seven (sung by the Choir of The St. Petersburg Conservatory), is rarely performed or recorded. These pieces are more representative in style and substance of Prokofiev as a Russian composer living through the violent changes of the first half of the 20th century.