For this second album on Alpha Classics (following ALPHA885), Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Fazil Say are not only an extraordinary performing duo, but also composers. They have recorded Szymanowski's magnificent Myths and Prokofiev's sonata, written between 1938 and 1946 amid the violence and fear of war and the Soviet regime- 'Every note says something about today' Kopatchinskaja emphasizes but it is Say's sonata Lost Screams-written for Patricia Kopatchinskaja-that opens this program: 'It embodies the struggles, fears, and silent protests of our times,' explains Fazil Say. Patkop's UniSolo closes the album: she sought to create a musical process without knowing it's outcome: ' At the beginning it revolves around the note A - Situations then developed from this that have surprised even me,' explains Kopatchinskaja, who concludes: 'Composing opens up your ears and dispels any sense of awe. I feel freer, and regard my works as living beings whom I've been conversing with for my whole life.'
Prokofiev: Rare Original Solo Piano Transcriptions
Fuga Libera
CD
$39.99Oct 30, 2026
Rarely heard, Sergei Prokofiev's own transcriptions for solo piano reveal a fascinating new perspective on his orchestral imagination. This collection brings together rare piano versions of symphonic and ballet works, including several world premiere recordings. Far from simple reductions, these transcriptions transform works such as the 'Classical' Symphony, Le pas d'acier or L'Enfant prodigue into dazzling and highly personal creations. Performed by Alexey Zuev, a specialist of Russian twentieth-century repertoire, and enriched by the research of leading Prokofiev scholar Marina Raku, this album sheds fresh light on a little-known but essential facet of Prokofiev's creative world.
With her debut album Time and Gravity, Georgian pianist Irma Gigani turns to Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Sonatas Nos. 2, 4, and 8. For the artist, time and gravity serve as metaphors for the human condition: time as an unstoppable flow between memory, hope, and the present moment; gravity as the invisible force of attraction and energy. In Prokofiev's richly layered musical language, she finds the ideal space to explore these ideas-balancing personal expression with the universal themes of human existence, between freedom and constraint, love and pain, beauty and the abyss. Born in Tbilisi in 1996, Irma Gigani is regarded as one of the most remarkable pianists of her generation. Already as a child, she won numerous international competitions and appeared as a soloist with renowned orchestras throughout Europe and Israel. Her concert engagements have taken her to France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Romania, and beyond. She has performed at prestigious venues including the Musikverein in Vienna, the Salle Cortot in Paris, and-performing Bach's Goldberg Variations-the Konzerthaus Berlin, Vatican City in Rome, and many others.
The classicism that emerged in Vienna with Mozart and Haydn was later revisited by Prokofiev in Russia, Poulenc in France, and, most unexpectedly, Villa-Lobos in Brazil. Each composer reimagined this tradition through a sparkling, modern, and energetic lens shaped by their own heritage. Now, Brazilian conductor Simone Menezes leads the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien in a program that takes us back to the city where this tradition was born. Recorded in Vienna and featuring Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, Villa-Lobos's Sinfonietta 'In Memory of Mozart', and Poulenc's Sinfonietta, these performances bring the music full circle. A dialogue across continents and centuries, shaped by clarity and contrast, this is a vibrant and cosmopolitan homage.
This fourth volume in Marin Alsop’s acclaimed Prokofiev symphonic cycle features two of his most viscerally exciting works. Using material salvaged from his opera The Fiery Angel, the Third Symphony was hailed by Serge Koussevitzky at its 1929 première as ‘the best symphony since Tchaikovsky’s Sixth’. Originally commissioned as a ballet by Sergey Dyagilev but rejected as un-danceable, the Scythian Suite has become a popular orchestral showpiece, while Prokofiev retained a lifelong fondness for his dark-hued early symphonic sketch Autumn.
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 4 (revised version); op. 112. The Prodigal Son, op. 46 • Marin Alsop, cond; São Paulo SO • NAXOS 0038 (Blu-ray Audio: 78:18)
Of Prokofiev’s seven symphonies, the Fourth has the most unassuming demeanor. Less sparkling than the First, less violent than the acidic Second and Third, less monumental than the Fifth and Sixth, and less magical than the nostalgic Seventh, its lack of distinctive character has kept it (especially in its baggier revised version) on the edge of the repertoire. Still, despite its relatively anodyne character, it has its fair share of charm, and its virtues are brought to the fore in this graceful performance, the second installment in Alsop’s symphony cycle.
Granted, at first, the performance seems slightly distracted. But within a minute or two, it comes into focus, and from then on, Alsop shows consistent sensitivity to the score’s harmonic flavor (the more mournful harmonies are especially well conveyed), its lyrical pull (especially in the more regretful moments—try the melancholy of the second movement), and its rhythmic stride. Alsop never tries to push the score into a grandeur it doesn’t possess—this is a fairly laid-back performance. But while it’s low in pressure, it’s never inattentive. She has a good sense of balance, so the passages with superimposed ideas (especially in the Finale) have enviable transparency. Details carry well, too (listen, for instance, to the marcato chatter on the bass lines at the beginning of the Finale). And while São Paulo is not quite a super-virtuoso ensemble, its members (especially the busy solo winds) play deftly. If the Symphony still sometimes seems to meander or sag (especially in the second movement and the Finale), the fault is really with the composer, not the performers.
Just as Prokofiev fashioned his Third from his opera The Fiery Angel, so he filched most of the musical material of the Fourth from his ballet The Prodigal Son. Putting the Symphony and its source material together on a single disc will seem either revelatory or redundant, depending on whether you are more interested getting insight into Prokofiev’s compositional methods or getting some musical variety. In any case, the original ballet is as pale as the Symphony (and formally a lot looser): You’ve rarely heard a less violent robbery scene than the seventh movement here, or, for that matter, a more anemic seductress than the one Prokofiev introduces in the third. Still, it too has its beauties (or, most of the time, the same beauties), and the interpretive grace that serves the Symphony so well has the same effect here. The sound is excellent, with plenty of timbral clarity (timpani have exceptional presence); the surround speakers on the 5.1 tracks offer an appropriate warmth to the total aural experience. Recommended.
The flautist Sharon Bezaly has, over the past 20 years, released some 40 albums on BIS, recordings which have contributed to the international recognition that she enjoys. Both on recordings and in concert she has done much to champion new repertoire – she has had no less than 20 concertos dedicated to her. On her new release, however, she turns to core repertoire, although not necessarily that of her own instrument. The two sonatas by Cesar Franck and Gabriel Faure were composed with the violin in mind, and even though Prokofiev's sonata was originally intended for the flute it is often heard in the composer's own version for violin and piano. But joined by the legendary pianist and conductor Vladimir Askenazy, Sharon Bezaly now claims (and reclaims) the three works for her own instrument, in eloquent performances that make the best possible case for the flute.
Visions Fugitives: Modernist Music For Strings / Tonneson, Camerata Nordica
BIS
SACD
$21.99Oct 14, 2014
The Swedish string ensemble Camerata Nordica and its artistic director Terje Tønnesen made their first joint appearance on BIS in 2013 with a critically acclaimed all-Britten program, released in conjunction with the ensemble’s BBC Proms début. The team now returns with another program of 20th c. music for strings – this time by four different composer: Bartók, Webern, Prokofiev and Hindemith, spanning the years from before WWI to a few days before the outbreak of WWII. These musicians are completely attuned to each other's dynamics, attack, phrasing, and blend.’ - Fanfare
Classic Library - Prokofiev: Symphonies No 1 & 5, Lieutenant Kijé Suite
Sony Masterworks
CD
$11.98Oct 12, 2004
Yuri Temirkanov makes Prokofiev's well-worn Classical Symphony sound invitingly fresh through his swift tempos and painstaking observance of rhythm, accent, and dynamic contrast. The outer movements proceed with a breezy playfulness, while the larghetto and gavotte exude 18th-century elegance. The Lieutenant Kijé Suite is similarly accomplished as Temirkanov evokes the work's contrasting moods while nicely capturing its folk atmosphere, especially in the Troika.
Temirkanov doesn't really break any new ground in the Fifth Symphony, but his rendition nonetheless is impressive for its flowing tempos and sense of drama, especially at the close of the first movement with its phalanx of brass and percussion. Temirkanov uncovers some of the score's inner details, such as the usually inaudible piano part in the first and third movements. But the real star here is the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, whose bold brass, lively winds, and sumptuous strings (in the Adagio especially) make this one of the better versions on disc. With such fine performances, it's unfortunate that RCA's acoustically dry recording drains the sound of warmth, while the low levels require you to crank up the volume--but then, watch out for those big climaxes in the symphony! --Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com
Nikolai Madojan who is turning 21 this year is no new comer to the world’s major concert scenes since his sensational debut with the Kirov Orchestra at the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival in 1989, when he was only 16. Nikolai, in spite of his youth, is a dazzling virtuoso on the stage and the critics do not shy away from giving him superlative praises like “the driving force of the concert...”, “masterly interpretation..”, “a performance of genius!”, etc.
This is Nikolai’s debut CD for which he chose the works by Prokofiev not only to showcase his performance skills and profound interpretation but also to express his personal background as an Armenian born youth who had to witness his home land falling apart in turmoil. Nikolai Madojan lives now in Lübeck, Germany with his family.
Winner of numerous international cello competitions Michaela Fukacova has established herself in the forefront of world’s elite cellists. Here on her fifth CD on Kontrapunkt, Michaela together with Czech’s leading pianist Ivan Klansky interprets Russian masterpieces for cello.
On her London concert, The Times wrote, “...she displayed her full impassioned tone and eloquent musicianship.
The Royal Edition - Prokofiev: Symphonies 1 & 5 / Bernstein
Sony Masterworks
CD
$17.99Jan 27, 2010
...[I]n such a spirited reading [as this performance of the Prokofiev First] the parallels between the Prokofiev and the Bizet [Symphony in C] are very much highlighted: the 'classical' symphonies of Prokofiev's title—those, presumably, of Haydn and Mozart — seem comparatively remote. But for all their brilliance elsewhere the players manage to be sinuously winning enough in the Symphony's slow movement... [a performance] of the very first class.
-- Gramophone [5/1969, reviewing an LP release of the First Symphony]
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Bernstein gives a highly romantic version of the first movement... [I]t could hardly be better done... The playing throughout the whole symphony is in the highest class and the recording is of the same quality.
-- Gramophone [10/1967, reviewing the original LP release of the Fifth Symphony]
PROKOFIEV Piano Sonatas: Nos. 1–5 • Alexandra Silocea (pn) • AVIE 2183 (65:16)
As with Beethoven, one can with the revisions he made to the Fifth Sonata follow Prokofiev’s development almost from the beginning of his career to the end of it. Though a handful of the nine sonatas became popular with audiences and performers right from the beginning, others fell into the cracks of history shortly after their inception. Many of these sonatas became popular not only with Soviet pianists of the era, but musicians worldwide—Richter, Gilels, Horowitz, Gould, Cliburn, Argerich, François, to name just a few. In choosing to record the complete sonatas for her debut recording (of which the present release is just the first volume), Alexandra Silocea pits herself against some of the greatest pianists of the last century. Even in considering just the lesser-known sonatas, she has stiff competition from both Frederic Chiu and Anne-Marie McDermott, who have both recorded excellent complete cycles of these works. So the question remains, how does this young pianist, now in her mid-20s, fare? Remarkably well, actually. She possesses both the maturity to handle the subtleties of this music along with the requisite mechanical skill to handle the technical hurdles that Prokofiev throws at the pianist. She might not have the kind of fiery temperament that Gilels and Weissenberg bring to the Third Sonata’s climaxes, but the assured way she handles the dramatic alternation from the percussive opening to the more lyrical semplice e dolce theme is masterly. Her quirky way with the Second Sonata’s scherzo movement can stand at the top of the list for great performances, while her romantic yet never over-sentimentalized way with the First Sonata’s obvious debt to Rachmaninoff imbues the movement with a sound all of its own—one that Prokofiev was soon to abandon. Will this perhaps lead to the First Sonata being performed more in public? One can only hope so. Her ghostly, almost pale sound is equally perfect for the Più mosso section of the Second Sonata’s first movement. Silocea may possess a thin sound in general, but she has a beautiful one in regards to her melodic line, and has the ability to maintain a long line over a large span of time. Her crescendos and diminuendos always lend the pieces a feeling of momentum, which is especially important in these often forward-propelled movements. How will Silocea fare in the later sonatas? Only time will tell. But if she can manage to bring the same technical assuredness and musical sensibilities to these works, then we could be looking at not only an auspicious debut, but a very fine overall cycle of Prokofiev’s sonatas. I for one am looking forward to the second installment—in other words, highly recommended.
Prokofiev: Quartets No 1 & 2, Visions Fugitives / Quartetto Energie Nova
Dynamic
CD
$18.99Mar 26, 2013
PROKOFIEV String Quartets: No. 1 in b; No. 2 in F. Visions fugitives (arr. S. Samsonov) • Energie Nove Qrt • DYNAMIC 726 (69:31)
The Italian label Dynamic seems to be re-energizing itself (pun intended) with a roster of new and unfamiliar artists. First it was a recording of Bach’s French Suites with a harpsichordist new to Fanfare, Alessandra Artifoni, reviewed elsewhere in this issue; and now we have a similarly unfamiliar string quartet ensemble billing itself Quartetto Energie Nove, which, like Artifoni, has neither an official website nor any other recordings I could find. The ensemble’s rep agency, Suavis Artists, does however, have a bio-blurb about the group, and I stumbled upon a YouTube entry of a complete performance by the ensemble of Beethoven’s “Harp” Quartet, op. 74, which sounds very promising. Energie Nove’s makeup is international—Russian, German, and Italian—but all four musicians play on neutral territory, being members of Switzerland’s Orchestra della Svizzera Italiano. Familiar names, such as Salvatore Accardo, Tibor Varga, Franco Gulli, and Valentin Berlinsky (long-time cellist of the Borodin Quartet), figure prominently in Energie Nove’s training.
To repeat what I’ve said many times before, we are blessed to be living in a golden age of string playing, and the Quartetto Energie Nove is but yet another manifestation of our blessings. Most performances of Prokofiev’s First String Quartet start off with an appropriately jaunty stride of cockeyed optimism. But Energie Nove’s players spring forth, jack-in-the-box like, with a mischievous alacrity. Their first movement timing, 6:39, leaves the St. Petersburg Quartet (on Delos), at 7:43, in the dust. They’re even faster than the Emerson Quartet at 7:05 and the Chilingrian Quartet (on Chandos) at 7: 01.
In the Andante, the timings are reversed, with Energie Nove being slightly slower and more probing than any of the above-cited three versions, while in the last movement—the one Prokofiev himself arranged for string orchestra—Energie Nove’s timing is very close to the others, but its playing is sharper edged. The effect, to recall the previous pun, is to energize the music in a way I’ve not heard it played before. Admittedly, I’ve not heard the recent version by the Pavel Haas Quartet on Supraphon, which was very highly rated by Boyd Pomeroy in 33:6 and Want Listed by Bart Verhaeghe in 34:2.
Prokofiev was close to 40 when he wrote his first of only two string quartets in 1930. The work was commissioned by the Library of Congress, where it was first performed the following year. The composer’s Second Quartet, in F Major, was written a decade later and under very different circumstances. By 1941, Prokofiev was back in Moscow, but not for long. When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, he, along with several other artists the government deemed “high value” assets, was whisked away to the safety of Nalchik, a town some 900 miles south of Moscow. It was here that the composer was asked (ordered, would be more accurate) to write a string quartet based on the Karbadino-Balkar folk tunes and rhythms of the indigenous tribal peoples of this North Caucasus region.
One would think that having to produce a work on-demand like that would not motivate a composer to his best efforts, but Prokofiev became quite intrigued by the native folk music he’d been directed to incorporate into his new quartet, and he ended up composing a very attractive and, in some ways, more emotionally stirring score than that of his First Quartet. Again, Energie Nove plays with consummate technical authority and real feeling for the music’s folk idioms.
Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives, 20 short pieces the composer wrote for piano between 1915 and 1917, performed here in an arrangement for string quartet by Sergei Samsonov, is perhaps a bit of an odd choice as a complement to the two string quartets, but the sad fact (our loss) is that Prokofiev didn’t really compose much chamber music. These two string quartets, a Quintet for mixed winds and strings, a couple of sonatas for violin and piano, a Sonata for cello and piano, a Sonata for two violins, and a Sextet, better known as Overture on Hebrew Themes, are about the extent of it, unless one counts a few miscellaneous pieces for violin and piano and for cello and piano. Though the Visions fugitives string quartet arrangement is not in Prokofiev’s hand, it makes more sense to me as a disc filler than does the Emerson Quartet’s choice of the two-violin sonata—the identical program offered by the Pavel Haas Quartet—or the St. Petersburg Quartet’s choice of a not very appealing 1985 string quartet by Georgian composer Zurab Nadarejshvili. And Energie Nove’s choice is certainly preferable to the Chilingrian Quartet’s filler on Chandos, which is nothing, a 43-minute disc I’m now retiring from my collection.
I’m hoping to hear a lot more from Quartetto Energie Nove in the future. Meanwhile, this new Prokofiev offering is strongly recommended.
Prokofiev’s great ballet scores for Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella have become firm favourites in both the concert hall and the repertory of ballet companies worldwide – ‘The Montagues and Capulets’ from Romeo and Juliet, for example, features regularly at major sporting events, something Prokofiev probably never envisaged!
The earliest of the ballets featured here is Romeo and Juliet, commissioned in the mid-1930s, soon after Prokofiev returned to the USSR from self-imposed exile. Drawn from the main events of the ballet, the music of Suite No.2 ranges from the grand, formal music of the ball and sounds of a popular holiday to the tragedy and despair of the story’s end, illuminating Prokofiev’s commitment to communicating the depths and intricacies of Shakespeare’s play.
Cinderella followed Romeo and Juliet in the 1940s, with a score of rich and sophisticated music that rewards audiences of adults and children alike.The Suite No.1 features some of the ballet’s best-loved music, including ‘Cinderella’s Waltz’ and the brilliant Mazurka.The Stone Flower was the last of Prokofiev’s Soviet ballets, dating from 1948, and is based on a folk tale from the Urals. Although it will perhaps be the least familiar of the works on this disc, its score contains music of great beauty, with soaring tunes that are as memorable as anything in the two ballet scores that preceded it.
OTHER INFORMATION: • Recording made in 1997. • Includes booklet notes.
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