# Prokofiev piano concertos



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Prokofiev wrote five brilliant piano concertos with highly virtuosic piano parts. Just wondering which ones you go for, both as individual recordings and also as a set of five. The set by Bromfman is terrific with not a dud performance and it includes all the sonatas. Individual performances might surpassed some of these but it is a great bargain.


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## Rangstrom (Sep 24, 2010)

Ashkenazy on LP, Toradze on CD. Works for me.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Picked this up a while back. I also have some individual recordings.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

I have the Ashkenazy/Previn/LSO on a Decca 2CD. Brilliant performances all. Wouldn't trade any of them. Though I know Martha Argerich has played a couple of them, and I really want to hear her performances. Sviatoslav Richter gave the definitive performance of the 5th concerto for DG as well.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

flamencosketches said:


> I have the Ashkenazy/Previn/LSO on a Decca 2CD. Brilliant performances all. Wouldn't trade any of them. Though I know Martha Argerich has played a couple of them, and I really want to hear her performances. Sviatoslav Richter gave the definitive performance of the 5th concerto for DG as well.


The Argerich Third with Abbado is great. I first heard this piece (or excerpts from it) in the movie "The Competition." I also have her playing the 1st with Dutoit. Haven't listened to it as much.

I have Janis playing the 1st and 3rd on a Mercury CD.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

This thread is a great reminder. I know #1, #2 (a favorite, Wang). and #3 (another favorite, Argerich). But I can't recall listening to #s 4 and 5. Will remedy this!


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

KenOC said:


> This thread is a great reminder. I know #1, #2 (a favorite, Wang). and #3 (another favorite, Argerich). But I can't recall listening to #s 4 and 5. Will remedy this!


4 is a concerto for the left hand alone, but I think it's neglected compared to Ravel's left hand concerto. It's pretty good, I think. I've only heard it once. It's certainly less often played than 2 or 3.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

I'm more a fan of Nos.2 and 3 than of the others, No.2 being one of my favourite Piano Concertos, something that I have been delighted to discover is not a weird or eccentric opinion.

I bought the Bronfman set for the Sonatas, but he's equally as good in the Concertos; a very fine set. But Ashkenazy has always been a favourite. That said, this one is "surprisingly good" (as in it's on Naxos so it can't be that good - see Naxos-snobbery comments elsewhere )


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I have the set of Michel Beroff and Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig under Masur. The third is my favourite, followed by the second and fifth.


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## Rmathuln (Mar 21, 2018)

The John Browning recordings under Leinsdorf are special.

And available on the cheap side.


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

@OP. I haven’t heard the Bronfman but will certainly try and find it. I was fortunate to hear him perform live many years ago and remember being quite impressed with his technique. For a complete set I would recommend Krainev Kitaenko Frankfurt as a solid choice. But these are my favourite individual recordings.

1 - Argerich Dutoit
2 - Wang Dudamel
3 - Argerich Abbado
4 - Fleisher Ozawa
5 - Richter Wowicki

Also some excellent recent recordings of the 2nd: Rana Pappano, Zhang Slobodeniouk (a more intimate approach)
And in the 3rd: Graffman Szell, Matsuev Gergiev (flashy), Lugansky Nagano, Katchen Kertesz, Argerich Dutoit etc.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

For the oft recorded no 3 there are fantastic performances by

Argerich
Graffmann
Janis

For no 5 there is of course Richter. Nuf said!


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

CnC Bartok said:


> I'm more a fan of Nos.2 and 3 than of the others, No.2 being one of my favourite Piano Concertos, something that I have been delighted to discover is not a weird or eccentric opinion.
> 
> I bought the Bronfman set for the Sonatas, but he's equally as good in the Concertos; a very fine set. But Ashkenazy has always been a favourite. That said, this one is "surprisingly good" (as in it's on Naxos so it can't be that good - see Naxos-snobbery comments elsewhere )
> 
> View attachment 130706


The Paik is very highly regarded by one and all


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Paik/Wit/Polish is going on the list for sure. I am a fan of many recordings by Antoni Wit and his Polish National RSO, I have little doubt these are good recordings. But I'm seriously blown away by Askhenazy at the moment. Really great stuff.


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

The Bronfman/Mehta and Beroff/Masur are probably my two favorite sets overall. But I haven't seen a mention of the Toradze/Gergiev set, which features broader and more muscular readings and makes a nice contrast to those two.










For individual recordings, Horacio Gutiérrez and Neeme Järvi doing concertos 2 & 3 is excellent. Graffman and Szell for concertos 1 & 3, and of course Richter/Rowicki in No. 5.


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