Search - Sergey Prokofiev, George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra :: Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3

Great Performances, Indeed

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 07/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These performances first appeared on LP during the 1960s. The Concertos and 3rd Sonata were reissued, first on LP and cassette, and later on CD, during the 1980s, as part of CBS's Great Performances reissue series. (Those of us past a certain age will remember our local record store bins filled with LPs that resembled newspaper front pages.) Sony has recently revamped its Great Performances series, and thrown in a few features from the Masterworks Heritage series that was begun in the 1990s - - original cover art and liner notes, and greater care with remastering.



Gary Graffman was one of the few aknowledged pupils of Vladimir Horowitz, and doubtless he worked on these pieces with the master. His First and Third Piano Concertos are authoritative and technically immaculate enough to make one regret he didn't record all five Concertos. One of the hallmarks of Graffman's playing is its clarity, so that Prokofiev's more dense configurations emerge with scintillating detail instead of mushiness. Szell, who touched Prokofiev only rarely (his Prokofiev Fifth Symphony is a must have) provides a dedicated accompaniment which serves as an object lesson in the difference between drive and haste.



The sound quality, particularly n the Concertos, is far superior to the earlier CD issue, and, of course, light years ahead of my old cassette tape. Going back to the original master tapes (the previous CD issue used the LP submasters, which were compressed and poorly mixed), the orchestral mix has been markedly improved and the dynamics have been opened up. The result is that you can hear many of the piano/orchestral interactions which were previously masked, and many of Prokofiev's harmonies are clarified. The improvement in the Sonatas is less obvious, and the sound remains dry, if a bit warmer.



This disc is a must for all Prokofiev enthusiasts."

Hard to avoid using the expression "The Best"

Wayne A. | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 08/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Argerich's recording of the Third is touted as the one to own but for my money no one has ever come close to this pairing of Szell and Graffman. This is electric on every level and the recording of the First is no less a thing. What makes this release an absolute joy is the sound--now better than ever--and the reappearance of the original album cover art, which, for anyone who ever loved the original LP release, is just icing on a dang fine cake. The cherry on top is the inclusion of the two piano sonatas which are played magnificently.



This new series by Sony--already with the sensational Ormandy Mahler Tenth (at long last!) and Craft's recordings of Schoenberg (ditto!)--is shaping up to be a classical music-lovers big event!"

Powerful Prokofieff!

Zakmar | CA, USA | 06/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gary Graffman recorded the two piano concertos included on this disk when he was 38 years of age - Szell was 69. With over a hundred years' experience between the two, these performances sound incredibly youthful, full of exuberance and energy.



Sony Classical has done a remarkable job remastering this recording - its age doesn't show at all. The smoothly executed (an oxymoron for these pieces?) orchestral performance is so amazing - the ensemble playing could not be bettered, as usual with the Szell/Cleveland combination.



If you don't have these concertos already in your collection, get this recording at once! If you do have these concertos...well, get this recording anyway...you won't be sorry!



The perfect match to this disk? Lorin Maazel's complete recording of Prokofieff's Romeo and Juliet, made with the same Cleveland forces. The Szell influence on the orchestra was still there, with the added bonus of Maazel's youthful enthusiasm! Enjoy!"