Sergei Prokofiev's spectacular music for Ivan the Terrible is arguably one of his finest film scores. This classic recording conducted by Leonard Slatkin is filled with Prokofiev’s irrepressible energy, eloquent melodic power and colourful orchestration. Ivan, the first ‘Tsar of all the Russias’ is portrayed in the film not as the bloodthirsty tyrant his nickname suggests, but as a sorrowful and lonely man, betrayed by his friends, deprived of love, and determined at all costs to preserve a unified Russia under constant attack from abroad and treasonous intrigues at home.

Leonard Slatkin’s Ivan the Terrible has long been an audiophile favourite and received a Grammy nomination of Best Choral Performance (Other Than Opera) in 1981.

This Vox Audiophile Edition recording was first released in 1981 as LP cat. 3-VCL 9004X, and later in VoxBox CDX 5021.

Founded in 1880, the St Louis Symphony, America's second-oldest orchestra, is renowned worldwide for its excellence. The symphony's recordings have garnered numerous prestigious GRAMMY awards and nominations, solidifying its place among the world's finest ensembles.

Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin holds the esteemed titles of Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL), and Conductor Laureate of the St Louis Symphony Orchestra. A prolific guest conductor, composer, author, and educator, Slatkin has received six Grammy awards and 35 nominations.

The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

‘… [It] is captivating in its own right through its brilliant orchestral effects…and its raw and rhythmically vibrant choral writing. The music’s grandiloquence and its sometimes savage energy are all handsomely conveyed by Slatkin and his forces.’ – ClassicsToday.com

‘… stunningly good performances by the excellent St. Louis Symphony under the direction of Leonard Slatkin.’ – Los Angeles Times