Establishing again its right to perch at the top of the orchestral pile, the London Symphony Orchestra, under Valery Gergiev’s assertive baton, pulls impressive live performances out of the bag. The Prokofiev symphonies may appear to be less serious works than those of his younger contemporary Shostakovich, but, said David Gutman, “there is some tremendous music here which deserves to be on every collector’s shelf”. These are works that come alive under Gergiev’s extrovert, sometimes brusque approach and the performances of Second, Sixth and Seventh “are probably the finest on CD”. Taped during the 2004 Barbican series, the performances showcase both Gergiev and the LSO at their most intuitive and passionate.