Search - Prokofiev, Ancerl, Czech Philharmonic :: Ancerl Gold Edition 10: Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Symphony No. 1

The great thing here is Richter's Prokofiev First

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/19/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although this CD appears in a series dedicated to conductor Karel Ancerl, he is secondary to Sviatoslav Richter. I know of no other Prokofiev First Concerto with Richter, at least not one in such good sound. The mono recording is a bit bright and shallow, the piano on the tinny side, but one must remember that few early Richter LPs from this era sound anything but marginal. He was without dispute the greatest interpreter of Prokofiev's music, and here the passagework is dazzling, the mood constantly shifting, the energy unflagging. Martha Argerich, herself a great proponent of this propulsive, motor-driven work, can hardly be faulted, but Richter adds just that much more brio and sparkle -- you can't tear your ears away. As an accompanist Ancerl is attentive but adds little in terms of interpretation.



By comparison, the Classical Sym., also in mono, is chipper and buoyant but in the end a trifle. Ancerl misses the parody and swagger of the music, especially in the Minuet, yet it's refreshing to hear somebody take the score as lightly as a Rossini overture. Post-Soviet conductors like Gergiev get down to business too seriously for such an effervescent throwaway. I have no knowledge of pianist Dagmar Baloghova, who cannot help but suffer when juxtaposed next to Richter. It's nice to report that she's very stylish in the Prokofiev Second, particularly in the slow music, and doesn't clang and pound where most pianists are tempted to. If there's a criticism, it would be that she's a touch too low key. The Czech Phil, sounding decidedly scrappy in the early Fifties, has improved by the Sixties, and Supraphon's stereo recording is good enough -- it was never special on LP but has lost some of its thin brightness in this digital reissue.



The Prokofiev First Concerto is too brief, perhaps, to justify buying this entire CD, but the Second Cto. is another highlight, so the entire collection makes a positive impression."