Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, Op. 25; Britten, Simple Symphony Op. 4; Bizet, Symphony in C Major, WD 33

Prokofiev’s First Symphony is like the Magritte painting of a pipe captioned “This is not a pipe.” Its outlines and sounds are basically those of a late-18th century symphony, but it’s full of weird harmonic turns and wrong notes that remind the listener that they’re looking through a historical frame. That aside, it is ebullient and eminently playful music, much like the other compact works by Bizet and Britten that fill this album out. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is one of the cleanest and most exciting readings of the Prokofiev First on record.