BaL 2.11.24 - Prokofiev: Piano concerto 2

[Ein Heldenleben]

Indeed, although not only after but during, and doubling everything the piano is doing!

I've never been able to get past Ashkenazy/Previn (not that there's much wrong with that apart from the piano intonation) and this is one of my favourite pieces so I will be very interested in proceedings here.

I wonder if that indicates multiple retakes in a recording session with no time to retune ?. The piano takes one hell of a battering in this piece. Ashkenazy is a very powerful pianist with a Horowitz like left hand. I remember John Ogdon , no less commenting on Ashkenazy’s Op 10 No 1 Chopin Etude at the Tschaikovsky competition they both won . He couldn’t believe how loud the left hand octaves were . A bit of a back handed compliment maybe as the technical challenge are the wrist destroying right hand arpeggios.

[Pulcinella]

Listened to Béroff/Masur last night.
Significantly the fastest first movement according to the Wiki timings: positively terrifying!

[oliver sudden]

I wonder if that indicates multiple retakes in a recording session with no time to retune ?. The piano takes one hell of a battering in this piece.

It’s pretty consistent through the whole first movement and honestly it’s the kind of tuning where you would normally expect a voice to come from the control room suggesting an early lunch.

On the one hand I would have thought it a false economy to forego the tuner under such circumstances. On the other, no one else seems to mind it and it’s still a magnificent recording, so what would I know?

[Ein Heldenleben]

It’s pretty consistent through the whole first movement and honestly it’s the kind of tuning where you would normally expect a voice to come from the control room suggesting an early lunch.

On the one hand I would have thought it a false economy to forego the tuner under such circumstances. On the other, no one else seems to mind it and it’s still a magnificent recording, so what would I know?

It’s possible he played two complete performances and they chose the second. Or cut between the two - though you’d acute ears to hear a note pinging early on in the work that isn’t pinging later. At recitals and concerto performances particularly with “muscular “ ,often Russian, pianists it always surprises me how quickly pianos go out of tune. They just hit the keys so much harder than amateurs. In a recording session they’d normally have tuner all day to do a midday tune. It’s a complete false economy with a six figure per day Orchestra not to have one.

[oliver sudden]

It’s possible he played two complete performances and they chose the second. Or cut between the two - though you’d acute ears to hear a note pinging early on in the work that isn’t pinging later. At recitals and concerto performances particularly with “muscular “ ,often Russian, pianists it always surprises me how quickly pianos go out of tune. They just hit the keys so much harder than amateurs. In a recording session they’d normally have tuner all day to do a midday tune. It’s a complete false economy with a six figure per day Orchestra not to have one.

I wondered whether they might even have done the movements out of order and put the first movement last? In any case, the bung notes in the first movement (which are already pretty striking from half a minute in) didn’t spring to my attention later in the piece.

Yes, I’ve done duo recordings with a pianist where he has had a tuner/technician on hand all day. A not insubstantial item on our budget but a drop in the ocean for an orchestra!

[richardfinegold]

Yes, Beatrice Rana recorded it about 10 years ago (one of her first recordings), with Pappano & Santa Cecilia Orch: very good, as I recall.

I had streamed that a while ago and listened to it again yesterday in response to your post. It’s very good , my only knock being the recording quality which shows some glare during the crunchy passages

[Mandryka]

Bolet Stokowski obvs. I think it's really magnificent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4BmVWPg640

[Pianoman]

The new Zlata Chochieva is quite something. I had a feeling she'd be interesting in this piece, as virtually everything I have of hers has something about it - I guess being a star pupil of Pletnev may be a factor...she certainly makes real music of the big cadenza, shaping it in ways I've not heard before. Her fillers are less interesting, though she gives a barn storming performance of the short Rimsky-Korsakov concerto.

[Wolfram]

I know there has been some recent discussion on this forum about BaL returning to certain works after a relatively short space of time, but to cover Prokofiev’s 2nd piano concerto twice within the space of two weeks is pushing it to a ridiculous level. Well that is what the Record Review web site is currently saying. At some point somewhere there will realise the error and correct it.

[richardfinegold]

Just ordered tickets for a CSO concert featuring this PC in March. Seong-Jin Cho is the soloist and Rouvali is conducting. Sibelius 5 is also on the program

[Pianoman]

That's a nice concert ! Great to see/ hear the concerto live, plus I like what i've heard of Rouvali in Sibelius.

[Pulcinella]

I know there has been some recent discussion on this forum about BaL returning to certain works after a relatively short space of time, but to cover Prokofiev’s 2nd piano concerto twice within the space of two weeks is pushing it to a ridiculous level. Well that is what the Record Review web site is currently saying. At some point somewhere there will realise the error and correct it.

I wonder if Jonathan wants a second chance, to be able to say everything he fears Andrew will interrupt first time?
Or will there be a cliffhanger on 2 November and we'll all be chewing our nails until 16 November?

[Wolfram]

I wonder if Jonathan wants a second chance, to be able to say everything he fears Andrew will interrupt first time?
Or will there be a cliffhanger on 2 November and we'll all be chewing our nails until 16 November?

I like the idea of a cliffhanger. “Next time on Building a Library…..Don’t miss the next episode. Tune-in in two weeks when all will be revealed”

Confused? You will be!

[Pulcinella]

The concerto features in a BBCSO concert in the Barbican on 6 December 2024, being broadcast on R3 on 11 December 2024.

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/yeol-eum-son-plays-prokofievs-second-piano-concerto

Programme

James Lee III Sukkot Through Orion's Nebula (UK premiere)
Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 2
Ottorino Respighi Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome

Performers

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Jonathon Heyward conductor
Yeol Eum Son piano

[Goon525]

I like the idea of a cliffhanger. “Next time on Building a Library…..Don’t miss the next episode. Tune-in in two weeks when all will be revealed”

Confused? You will be!

Can they have a dance off?