Search - Prokofiev, Berman, Gutierrez :: Sergey Prokofiev: Piano Concertos

First-Rate Prokofiev Piano Concerto Performances

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"[This is a reissue of a set that was first issued in, I believe, 1990 or so, and still available Prokofiev: The Five Piano Concertos. This new packaging and the older issue are being offered here at Amazon for precisely the same astonishingly low price. So I guess you can pick one or the other based on the booklet's cover art.]



Neeme Järvi has proven himself to be an absolutely first-rate conductor of Prokofiev and indeed he has recorded many, many of Prokofiev's orchestral works. I have been very enthusiastic about the current reissues of the symphonies Prokofiev: The Complete Symphonies, The Prodigal Son ballet Prokofiev: The Prodigal Son, music from 'Semyon Kotko' and 'The Gambler' Prokofiev: Four Portraits From 'The Gambler'; Suite from 'Semyon Kotko' and others.



This collection of the five piano concertos is also quite good and entirely recommendable, especially at the budget price. Concertos Nos. 1, 4 & 5 feature pianist Boris Berman, and Nos. 2 & 3 are with a favorite of mine, Horacio Gutierrez; each is a verifiable virtuoso and each suits his playing to various moods of the music. Järvi is a marvelous accompanist and I honestly couldn't find anything to fault him for. The Royal Concertgebouw, of course, are in tip-top shape, as always.



You can't go wrong here.



Scott Morrison

"

The Best Complete Set

Hegelian | Concord, MA USA | 09/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pianists face stiff competition in this repertoire from the likes of Kapell, Argerich, Richter, Ashkenazy and Graffman. But nobody beats Jarvi in the orchestral accompaniment, which is showcased in these briliantly remastered recordings. I continue to prefer Grafmann in #3 and Richter in #5, but on the whole, this is the best set available, surpassing even the outstanding Ashkenazy recordings."