3: The Return.Prokofiev marked his return to his homeland with a series of large-scale works on patriotic themes, including the soundtrack for two epic Eisenstein films. Sir Edward Downes talks to Humphrey Carpenter about the music to Ivan the Terrible and what he describes as one of the composer's finest works, The Ballad of an Unknown Boy.
Overture; The Storming of Kazari; Ivan's Plea to the Boyars;
The Banquet (Ivan the Terrible) Nikita Storojev (baritone),
Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra, conductor Neeme Jarvi
Ballad of an Unknown Boy
N Poliakova (soprano), V Malchov (tenor), USSR Radio Chorus and Orchestra, conductor Gennadi Rozhdestvensky Repated next Wednesday 11.30pm