Andrew Litton…supported by the Bergen Philharmonic's superbly responsive playing, brings weight and expressive intensity to the big climaxes without sacrificing the music's momentum. His careful attention to orchestra detail highlights interesting textural aspects of Prokofiev's orchestration often overlooked in other performances

Litton is not usually a conductor prone to interpretative extremes and…there is little to criticise and much to admire…the Bergen orchestra's brittle winds and relatively gritless sonority may disappoint those who consider a darker, thicker kind of sound de rigeur in this music but you get to hear piano lines usually buried and well-defined percussion

this is one of the finest performances of the Fifth that I can recall hearing...excellent and idiomatic playing by Litton and his Bergen orchestra…I hope Andrew Litton will continue to record Prokofiev in Bergen.

In many ways, it is typical Litton: wholesome and unguarded, often good fun and refreshing in repertoire that’s customarily loaded with innuendo. There’s great momentum and some nice colour from the Bergen orchestra, but whether the performance works for you will depend on just how pummelled you want to be by your wartime Prokofiev.