Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concertos #1-5—Jean Efflam Bavouzet, piano; BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda (Chandos10802)
Prokofiev wrote these works between 1911 and 1932, mostly as vehicles to display his own astonishing gifts as a pianist. The First Concerto is full of rhythmic energy, but its brief slow movement is surprisingly tragic. The Second Concerto poses some of the most significant technical challenges in the entire piano repertoire, while the bright and breezy Third is today his most popular piano concerto. Nos. 4 and 5 are the least well known, written at a time when Prokofiev was pushing his musical language in new directions, but both contain slow movements full of wistful lyricism, foreshadowing the spirit of later works such as ‘Romeo and Juliet.’
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Prokofiev: Piano Concertos
