Prom 14: Prokofiev piano concertos (28.07.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

7.00 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

The pianists Daniil Trifonov, Sergei Babayan and Alexei Volodin join the LSO and Valery Gergiev to perform the complete Prokofiev Piano Concertos, live at the BBC Proms.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Presented by Tom Service

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Concerto

INTERVAL

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major

INTERVAL

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 4 in B flat major
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 in G major

Daniil Trifonov (piano) (Concertos 1 & 3)
Sergei Babayan (piano) (Concertos 2 & 5)
Alexei Volodin (piano) (Concerto 4)
London Symphony Orchestra
Valery Gergiev conductor

All five Prokofiev piano concertos in one concert - it's a feat conductor Valery Gergiev achieved in 2012 at the Mariinsky and now brings to the Proms, along with three of his original pianists. It's a rare opportunity to hear three international soloists back-to-back, to compare styles and approaches, as well as to explore the composer's later, lesser-known concertos with their newly expressive tenderness. Daniil Trifonov, the prodigious young winner of the Tchaikovsky and Chopin Competitions, shares the bill with his teacher Sergei Babayan, while Alexei Volodin tackles the rarely heard Fourth, commissioned, like Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, by the one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Saturation concerts…


Noooooooooooo!

[rauschwerk]

The whole thing is a very bad idea indeed, especially as they are ending with the weakest concerto of the lot.

[Roehre]

The whole thing is a very bad idea indeed, especially as they are ending with the weakest concerto of the lot.

Seconded

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Seconded

The fifth and third are my two favourites - not keen on the Coda of the Fifth, but that astonishing melding of cynicism and tenderness everywhere else I find one of the best things Prokofiev ever achieved.

Not keen on this Marathon idea, though - shall probably i-Play them one-at-a-time. Anyone know which ones the magnificent Trifonov will be playing?

[Beef Oven!]

The whole thing is a very bad idea indeed, especially as they are ending with the weakest concerto of the lot.

I find it interesting and fun. I think I'll go. I'm not sure if I understand any strong-weak continuum, I tend to judge music as to whether I like it or not. I'm cool about the last work.

[zola]

The fifth and third are my two favourites - not keen on the Coda of the Fifth, but that astonishing melding of cynicism and tenderness everywhere else I find one of the best things Prokofiev ever achieved.

Not keen on this Marathon idea, though - shall probably i-Play them one-at-a-time. Anyone know which ones the magnificent Trifonov will be playing?

Trifonov's playing one and three.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Trifonov's playing one and three.

[zola]

Style note ( from Verbier earlier today ) Trifonov now sporting a beard and glasses, so no longer the "wunderkind " ? Actually, he was sight reading an unfamiliar chamber music part so that probably explains the glasses.

[Norrette]

With two intervals I'm likely to be plastered by the 5th - so it won't matter.

[VodkaDilc]

Surely these concertos would be better programmed over three nights, like the current Beethoven series. This is not good programme-building.

[Petrushka]

This is not good programme-building.

It's worse than that: it's truly idiotic programme planning and scuppers the chances of other artists to have included one of these concertos in their own programmes at other times during the season.

To be honest, I can't see the rationale behind it.

[zola]

Not looking closely when this was first announced, I had assumed it was going to be with the Mariinsky but now see it is with the LSO. Which seems to be a bit of a waste of their prom for this year, being relegated to a supporting role throughout the concert ?

[richardfinegold]

It's worse than that: it's truly idiotic programme planning and scuppers the chances of other artists to have included one of these concertos in their own programmes at other times during the season.

To be honest, I can't see the rationale behind it.

The only rationale I can see would be if a recording will be issued of the complete 5, but it would be a strange cycle that features one Conductor and 3 Soloists

[edashtav]

I do urge boarders to give this Prokofiev concerto-fest a whirl this evening not least to encounter the youthful Daniil Trifonov in the popular 1st and 3rd concertos. I've just been listening to him on Youtube in the First in concert with the Mariinsky Orchestra and Gergiev. Trifonov's dynamism in the toccata sections, clarity and precision in fleet passages, his poetic touch in the Scriabin-inflected slow movement and complete absorption throughout were deeply impressive.

Prokofiev's first effort lasts barely 16 minutes. Pour yourself a cup of tea and take a break for a while at 7pm this evening. I promise you will not be disappointed.