Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra & Sakari Oramo

• Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100
• 1I. Andante11:51
• 2II. Allegro marcato08:45
• 3III. Adagio10:39
• 4IV. Allegro giocoso10:33
• Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 111
• 5I. Allegro moderato13:33
• 6II. Largo13:20
• 7III. Vivace11:16
• Total Runtime01:19:57

Info for Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6

This release features the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sakari Oramo performing Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6.

These two symphonies, composed in 1944 and 1947, are very different in mood, but stylistically closely related. The Fifth was written amid the chaos of the Second World War and seeks to find a positive solution; but in the Sixth, completed soon after war, the mood is darker. Both feature Prokofiev’s melodic writing at its best.

Sakari Oramo, following his tenure as Chief Conductor of the CBSO, served as chief conductor of the Finnish RSO from 2003 to 2012. As of autumn 2013 he will be the chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. With the Finnish RSO, he has won considerable critical acclaim from recordings of 20th-century and contemporary Finnish repertoire.

“Oramo invests the expansive opening andante [of the Fifth] and intense, emotional adagio with rare power and authority...[He] guides us through its devastated landscape with clarity and compassion.” (The Observer)

“Aided by a clean and unfussy recorded acoustic, Oramo and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra bring out the work's remarkable colours and character. In the second movement one senses the Symphony's deliberate hesitations, and those moments where certainties are undermined by a curdled harmony or a baleful brass fanfare.” (BBC Music Magazine)

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo, conductor

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Since the appointment of Sakari Oramo as Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in August 2003, HarrisonParrott has been intrinsic in formulating an international touring strategy to enhance the reputation and standing of this fine orchestra. Each season they give concerts throughout Europe and further afield and in autumn 2011 unveiled the stunning new concert hall in Helsinki, the Musikkitalo. Hannu Lintu took over as Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra at the start of the 2013/14 season, and HarrisonParrott is delighted to continue to work on a number of exciting new ventures with them, including a recent tour to Spain and Italy.

Sakari Oramo
is Chief Conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and from the beginning of the 2013/14 season, Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a position which began with the First Night of the Proms in July 2013. Oramo is also Principal Conductor of the West Coast Kokkola Opera and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. After a decade as Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, he became Honorary Conductor of the orchestra in the 2012/13 season. Between 1998 and 2008, he was Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

This season, highlights include performances at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and a ‘Total Immersion’ project featuring the music of Villa-Lobos at London’s Barbican Centre with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Anu Komsi.

The 2012/13 season included performances with the Wiener Philharmoniker, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and hr-Sinfonieorchester as well as the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and a successful tour of North America with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, Oramo is also a regular guest conductor at the NDR Sinfonieorchester, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Booklet for Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6