Prokofiev: Symphony No.5; Romeo and Juliet - Death of Tybalt / Britten: The Young Person's Guide to

by James Leonard In its time -- and its time lasted more than half a century -- the Leningrad Philharmonic was far and away the best orchestra in the USSR. Individually and collectively, its technique was super-virtuosic, the ensemble was virtually flawless, and its commitment to music was unswerving. On top of that, the tone color was unlike any other orchestra's -- the winds more plangent, the brass more penetrating, the strings more soulful -- and the feel for tempo and rhythm was wholly unlike any other orchestra's -- the force and drive of the orchestra in full flight was all but irresistible. In this pair of recordings from 1960 and 1971 of the Leningrad performing in England under Gennady Rozhdestvensky, it sounds not only like the best orchestra in the USSR, but like the best orchestra in Europe. In the 1971 recording of Prokofiev's "Fifth Symphony" from the Royal Albert Hall, Rozhdestvensky and the Leningrad turn in a performance of such power, energy, and intensity that the London audience grants them ecstatic applause. In the 1960 recording of Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and Prokofiev's "Death of Tybalt" from "Romeo and Juliet" from the Edinburgh Festival, Rozhdestvensky and the Leningrad turn in performances of such wit, strength, and tonal allure that the Scottish audience gives them an ovation that threatens to shatter the stones of Edinburgh Castle. Although the BBC's sound ranges from raw to crude, these performances are self-recommending for anyone who loves the works.