Search - Sergey Prokofiev, George Szell, Gary Graffman :: Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 1 & 3

Sergey Prokofiev, George Szell, Gary Graffman
Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 1 & 3
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (7) - Disc #1
1. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26: Andante - Allegro
2. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26: Theme and Variations. Andantino
3. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
4. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10: I. Allegro brioso
5. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10: II. Andante assai
6. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10: III. Allegro scherzando
7. Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor ('From Old Notebooks'), Op. 28

CD Details

All Artists: Sergey Prokofiev, George Szell, Gary Graffman
Title: Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 1 & 3
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Release Date: 10/25/1990
Genre: Classical
Styles: Forms & Genres, Concertos, Sonatas, Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Instruments, Keyboard
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 074643780629

Synopsis

Amazon.com

Here's a sad irony--two of the greatest pianists that George Szell worked with during the early '60s--Leon Fleischer and Gary Graffman--lost the use of their right hands due to the same nervous condition. The two had complementary repertoires. Fleischer specialized in the German classical and Romantic composers--Beethoven, Brahms, and Schubert--while Graffman had a strong affinity for the Russian Romantics. His Prokofiev was always exceptional, nowhere more so than in these enlivening and brilliant performances. Of course, Szell's accompaniments are the last word in sensitivity and precision. At mid-price, for a small investment you get a big return. --David Hurwitz

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CD Reviews

More Szell Magic!

Darryl Roberson | Dallas, Texas | 12/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is great! I bought it primarily for #1 (being convinced my Argerich #3 would not be surpassed). At once Szell's accompaniment in #1 seemed full and rich, bringing that combination of instrumental precision and gorgeous music making so characteristic of all his recordings. The soloist plays brilliantly, and the recording has an almost perfect balance between soloist and orchestra. The second movement of #1 has a dreamy quality that is marvelous.

I made a direct comparison with the Abbado/Kissin disc and found Szell's superior in every way. In fact, I found myself dozing off with Abbado. Just to make sure fatigue wasn't the problem (or the dreamy 2nd movement!), I popped the Szell disc back in and was once again rivetted to the stereo."

The finest Prokofiev ever?

John Q. Walker | North Carolina | 12/12/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've lived with the LP and CD versions of this recording for more than 25 years, and I'm more convinced than ever they are some of the greatest performances of all time. I've heard many performances and recordings of each of these 3 pieces. I've learned to play all 3 on the piano. This remains my reference -- and I'm still amazed to discover something new in every listening."

Got it right on the first try

gardineiro | West Jordan, UT USA | 11/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd just happened to be the first classical music recording I ever owned--a birthday gift. Turns out I got it right the first time. It may be that my view of these concertos is forever biased toward the Graffman performance since this was the only version I ever heard until much later--it's hard to say. But while other versions (I most recently purchased the Ashkenazy version) may offer the better sound of a digital recording, nothing I have heard since offers quite the same magical feeling that Graffman and Szell somehow conjured up 40 years ago.

I should also mention that this rendition of piano sonata no.3 is absolutely brilliant, in my opinion. It is one of my favorite piano sonatas, and I actually tried to learn it myself, only to conclude that the recording engineers must have artificially sped it up somehow--Graffman is amazing."