Leader, Harold Fairhurst
Conductor, Richard Austin
Solo violoncello, Cassado from the Pavilion, Bournemouth (Soloist, CASSADO )
Serge Prokofiev is considered one of the leading contemporary composers of Russia and in his numerous works such as the opera, The Love for Three Oranges, he has shown himself to be a master technician and a composer of great individuality. His classic symphony, however, is not really representative of his style. It was composed in the spirit of a jeu d' esprit that, as its title would suggest both in form and idiom, harks back to the time of Haydn and Mozart. The music is clear cut, full of straightforward melodies and tunes, and provides a most attractive glimpse of the eighteenth century through modern eyes.