Derek Lim asked:

>This cycle seems to have invited sharply divided opinions.  Can someone
>comment on these performances?  Thanks!

What interests me about them is that some infrequently-recorded Prokofiev
is being used as fillers, eg 1941 with the 5th, The Prodigal Son with the
the Op 112 version of the 4th.  The performance of the 5th is a good one,
IMHO, although the touchstone for me will always be the Karajan on DG but
that also has its detractors.  I only got the 4th in the mail yesterday -
the Naxos pipeline is currently rather erratic - and will comment further
later.  There's also a Naxos CD of Prokofiev music for cello and orchestra
which is worth checking out.

The conductor of the series, Theodore Kuchar, is in Australia at the moment
for the Townsville Chamber Music Festival, which he initiated.  Townsville
is in N Queensland.  A Naxos CD of Martinu chamber music released in 1997
was recorded there with Kuchar playing viola.

Richard Pennycuick
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