BaL 2.11.24 - Prokofiev: Piano concerto 2

[Pulcinella]

Can they have a dance off?

The suspense is over.
16/11/24 has been revealed as Berlioz' Nuits d'été.

[Retune]

...and the new Chochieva, which I'm still getting to know.

I didn't know she'd done it until now. Anything she records is pretty much an automatic purchase for me, so Presto now have my money (previewed and enjoyed the Rimsky-Korsakov online just now, which I had never heard before). I wonder if this disc was released too late to be considered for today's BaL? I already have Rana and Wang in the Prokofiev, which should make for some interesting comparisons. An excellent concert from Wang and Ólafsson at the RFH last night, by the way.

[Pulcinella]

Gramophone (November 2024, just dropped through the letter box) has a comparative review by Marina Frolova-Walker of the new recordings by Goodyear and Chochieva, with the latter being a pretty clear favourite.
If they've been out in sufficient time to have these reviews prepared and printed, one does indeed hope that they'll feature in today's BaL.

[oliver sudden]

A pianist friend has recently made me aware of an early live Ashkenazy with Rozhdestvensky. Not a BaL-type choice (nothing really goes wrong but the piano is clearly only just surviving the onslaught), but absolutely blistering.

[Retune]

Gramophone (November 2024, just dropped through the letter box) has a comparative review by Marina Frolova-Walker of the new recordings by Goodyear and Chochieva, with the latter being a pretty clear favourite.
If they've been out in sufficient time to have these reviews prepared and printed, one does indeed hope that they'll feature in today's BaL.

Hopefully! The official release date was 18 Oct, just 2 weeks ago, but reviewers must get advance copies and it would make sense to pass one on to the BaL guest reviewer in time to consider it, if possible.

[Retune]

Yuja Wang wins.

Rachmaninov #3, Prokofiev #2
Yuja Wang (piano), Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel
DG 479 1304

No Chochieva, so I guess we don't know whether she didn't make the deadline or didn't make the cut. Still, with the way BaL works these days they'll probably do it again in 5 years...

[Pulcinella]

Yuja Wang wins.

Rachmaninov #3, Prokofiev #2
Yuja Wang (piano), Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel
DG 479 1304

No Chochieva, so I guess we don't know whether she didn't make the deadline or didn't make the cut. Still, with the way BaL works these days they'll probably do it again in 5 years...

Thanks: added to OP.
Listening interrupted during second movement discussion.

[Alison]

Sorry not to hear any of the new Goodyear although David Nice was not too enthusiastic in BBCMM. Litton and the BBCSO added interest for me.

[Barbirollians]

David Nice - once a very reliable BAL contributor.

i was surprised MFW didn’t do this BAL as she did the Third Concerto . Yes she prefers the Chochieva but doesn’t like her programme . Goodyear gets plaudits for his technique but brickbats for his musical interpretation.

[Nick Armstrong]

Yuja Wang wins.

Rachmaninov #3, Prokofiev #2
Yuja Wang (piano), Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel
DG 479 1304

No Chochieva, so I guess we don't know whether she didn't make the deadline or didn't make the cut. Still, with the way BaL works these days they'll probably do it again in 5 years...

An ear-opening BAL for me - I must confess it’s a work that I’ve never listened to… so I was grateful for a sensible analysis and a decent range of interpretations. It took me back to the ‘80s when the programme was my introduction to so much hitherto unknown music.

Based on the extracts played, I warmed to the Shelest performance (never heard of her before, nor the Janacek Philharmonic which I see has made loads of recordings) and shall give it a proper listen.

Incidentally, I’d never heard of Chochieva either… Have I been living in a cave?

[Retune]

Incidentally, I’d never heard of Chochieva either… Have I been living in a cave?

I first came across Zlata Chochieva about 10 years ago, when her excellent set of Chopin Etudes was very well reviewed in Gramophone and she was praised by Kovacevich. She has recorded half a dozen albums for Piano Classics and Naive before the Prokofiev, and has given a great recital at the Wigmore Hall.

[richardfinegold]

An ear-opening BAL for me - I must confess it’s a work that I’ve never listened to… so I was grateful for a sensible analysis and a decent range of interpretations. It took me back to the ‘80s when the programme was my introduction to so much hitherto unknown music.

Based on the extracts played, I warmed to the Shelest performance (never heard of her before, nor the Janacek Philharmonic which I see has made loads of recordings) and shall give it a proper listen.

Incidentally, I’d never heard of Chochieva either… Have I been living in a cave?

The work has overtaken the 3rd as my favorite Prokofiev PC. It isn’t perfect, but perhaps 3 became over familiar to me. I love the crazy cadenza in the Second

[Nick Armstrong]

The work has overtaken the 3rd as my favorite Prokofiev PC. It isn’t perfect, but perhaps 3 became over familiar to me. I love the crazy cadenza in the Second

V interesting… It’s always been the 3rd for me, and the live performance I attended at this year’s Proms showed it hasn’t palled yet! But I heard good signs in the BAL extracts.

I might have missed it in the foregoing, but which is your ‘go-to’ performance - or the one that powered it into the lead of the Prokofiev PC GP?

[ostuni]

This was a piece that I wanted to get to know better (like many other posters, I only really knew PC3), so I downloaded the score from IMSLP, and listened to most of the available ones on Presto's streaming service, both before and after the programme. The one that really stood out for me was Beatrice Rana: highly characterful playing, both from her and from Pappano's Accademia Santa Cecilia orch. Yuja Wang's 1st movement cadenza is probably the most barnstormingly brilliant of anything out there, but I found Rana's playing more interesting in a few other places. Chochieva was impressive, but not always as soft as the score asked for.

[mikealdren]

Incidentally, I’d never heard of Chochieva either… Have I been living in a cave?

Maybe not but she's a very fine artist and well worth searching out.