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Prokofiev / Piano Concerto No. 3 / Graffman

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Prokofiev Available Now

UPDATE 2026

Not sure if we would still agree with anything we said in the 2008 review you see below.

Back then we only had the one copy to play, and we certainly hadn’t learned how to clean it the way we do now, so who can say what any random copy of the record would sound like?

If you see it for cheap in the bins, pick it up, give it a spin and see.

This Plum Label Original pressing is one of the TOP Victrola titles! The sound is excellent, with real weight to the orchestra, powerful dynamics, deep bass, and solid piano tone.

Add to that a wonderful performance by Gary Graffman and the San Francisco Symphony, and you have one truly OUTSTANDING record. (If you can add 1 or 2 db to the top end, it’s even better.) 

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We Expected Better from Frühbeck De Burgos, But We Didn’t Get It

Hot Stamper Pressings of Orchestral Spectaculars Available Now

We love the skill De Burgos brings to orchestral showpieces such as these, but the sound is not up to par for us. We’ve heard better. A lot better.

Bolero is shrill at the climax and the whole of side two was dull and opaque.

This EMI from 1976 might be passable on an old school system, but it was much too unpleasant to be played on the high quality modern equipment we use.

There are quite a number of other records that we’ve run into over the years with similar shortcomings. Here are some of them, a very small fraction of what we’ve played, broken down by label.

Note that there is no list of EMI’s. There are simply too many bad ones to make listings for.

  • London/Decca records with weak sound or performances
  • Mercury records with weak sound or performances
  • RCA records with weak sound or performances

The EMI classical albums we have reviewed to date can be found here.

Label:   His Master’s Voice – ESD 7019
Released:   1976

Ravel – Bolero
Chabrier: Espana – Rhapsody For Orchestra

Prokofiev – Symphony No.1 In D Major (Classical)

Stravinsky: Fireworks, Op.4
Stravinsky: Circus Polka (1942) (Composed For A Young Elephant)

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Prokofiev / Symphony Nos. 1 & 7 – Our Favorite “Classical” Symphony

More of the music of Sergei Prokofiev

  • This stunning classical recording returns to the site for only the second time in three years, here with solid Double Plus (A++) sound throughout this British EMI import – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Previn has a spritely take on the first symphony, which is precisely what it needs and, every bit as important, the LSO has the chops to bring his vision to life
  • “[The Classical Symphony] is rather a brilliant display of charm, gaiety and good humor as well as a delightful and respectful homage to the early masters whom Prokofieff had at one time so scornfully rejected.”
  • There are about 150 orchestral recordings we think offer the best performances with the highest quality sound. This record is certainly deserving of a place on that list.

This superb release contains one of my favorite performances of the Classical Symphony, and it also carries the distinction of having the best combination of sonics and performance that we have ever heard on vinyl. (There is a recording by Previn and the LA Phil from 1986 with a performance to die for; unfortunately, it comes with the kind of mid-80s tear-your-head-off digital shrillness that makes the CD medium the worn-out joke we analog lovers know it to be.)

The First Symphony happens to be one of my favorite classical works of all time, right up there with The Planets and Pictures at an Exhibition. I wouldn’t want to go to a desert island without all three.

This remarkable pressing has exceptional transparency and dynamics, allowing the energy and precision of the performance to shine through. Truly a sublime recording that belongs in any music collection, whether you’re a fan of classical music or not.

If I had to choose one piece of classical music that I would never want to live without, it would have to be the performance of Prokofiev’s First Symphony found on this very side one. It’s a work of such joy that I’ve never failed to be uplifted by it (except when the performance is too slow, which it often is).

This is a difficult piece to pull off. Most of the time either the orchestra is not up to the task or the conductor misunderstands the work. Previn has a spritely take on the piece, which is precisely what it needs and, every bit as important, the London Symphony has the chops to bring his vision to life.

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EMI’s Wonderful Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 with Previn

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Prokofiev Available Now

This EMI contains one of my favorite performances of the Classical Symphony, and it also carries the distinction of having the best combination of sonics and performance that we have ever heard on vinyl.

There is a recording by Previn and the LA Phil from 1986 with a performance To Die For. Unfortunately it comes with the kind of mid-80s tear-your-head-off-digital shrillness that makes the CD medium the worn-out joke we analog lovers know it to be.

The Classical Symphony

It is difficult to determine whether it was in answer to his critics or in revolt against the romanticism and impressionism of the time that the ‘bad boy’ of modern music undertook to write a symphony such as Haydn would have written ‘had he been living today.’ He scored the work for a Haydn-size orchestra (using a pair each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets, with kettledrums and strings.) But far from being a parody, it is rather a brilliant display of charm, gaiety and good humor as well as a delightful and respectful homage to the early masters whom Prokofieff had at one time so scornfully rejected.

— from the liner notes of RCA’s release with Sargent

This superb release contains one of my favorite performances of the Classical Symphony, and it also carries the distinction of having the best combination of sonics and performance that we have ever heard on vinyl. (There is a recording by Previn and the LA Phil from 1986 with a performance to die for; unfortunately, it comes with the kind of mid-80s tear-your-head-off digital shrillness that makes the CD medium the worn-out joke we analog lovers know it to be.)

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Prokofiev / Peter and the Wolf – Sargent

More of the music of Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

This is a very old review. We are no longer big fans of the recording, although if you can pick one up cheap, which is very doable as this record should be sitting in the bins for under ten bucks, you might want to give it a try. We recommend you look for the earlier STS label, Silver and Black, not Orange and Black.

SUPERB SOUND! This Orange and Black label British pressing has sweet strings, powerful dynamics, plenty of depth and a wide soundstage.

It’s major faults are a lack of deep bass and some congestion during loud passages.

Sir Ralph Richardson makes a wonderful narrator — the sound of his voice is priceless.

But the real attraction is the First Symphony, commonly known as the Classical Symphony. Sargent plays it with VERVE! He brings energy and excitement to this work. The London Symphony is at the top of their game as well; they play with the precision required to bring the work off with aplomb.

It’s hard to find a good Prokofiev First, and since this is one of my all time favorite pieces of classical music, if you don’t have one, this is a good place to start. 

[We prefer the Previn on EMI but this one is very good and easily found in record stores.]