The four works presented on these discs are united by Prokofiev's unparallelled ability to tell a story through music, from the youthful innocence of Reves and the First Violin Concerto's ode to the Russian countryside to the tense and dramatic Symphony No. 3, based on themes from his then unperformed opera The Fiery Angel. At the heart is Chout, the first ballet score Prokofiev completed for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes: a darkly farcical tale of a buffoon who outwits seven other buffoons. Recorded live in concert, this performance is narrated by Simon Callow, with English translation by John Drummond.
CD1
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19
1. I. Andantino - Live 08:54
2. II. Scherzo. Vivacissimo - Live 03:31
3. III. Moderato - Live 08:18
Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 44
4. I. Moderato - Live 13:29
5. II. Andante - Live 06:43
6. III. Allegro agitato - Live 08:08
7. IV. Andante mosso — Allegro moderato - Live 06:38
CD2
8. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21, Scene 1: I. The Buffoon and his Wife - Live 10:06
9. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21: II. Entr'acte I - Live 02:20
10. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21, Scene 2: III. The Seven Buffoons - Live 06:20
11. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21: IV. Entr'acte II - Live 02:39
12. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21, Scene 3: V. The Buffoon's Courtyard - Live 04:18
13. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21: VI. Entr'acte III - Live 01:50
14. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21, Scene 4: VII. The Buffoon's Sitting Room - Live 06:06
15. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21: VIII. Entr'acte IV - Live 03:04
16. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21, Scene 5: IX. The Merchant's Bedroom - Live 05:30
17. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21: X. Entr'acte V - Live 01:01
18. The Tale of the Buffoon, Op. 21, Scene 6: The Merchant's Garden - Live 06:34
19. Reves, Op. 6 - Live 10:41