prokofievs piano concerto no.2

[ravel]

hi friends
do you know of any  good recordings of prokofievs piano  concerto no.2  . i have heard ashkenazys recording with andre previn and , also have heard , alexander toradze with the kirov orchestra , both were good,  toradze however impressed me more in some parts,  however i can not find any other recordings of it, did richter ever record this concerto, or gilels , it would be amazing to hear them play this one. Last year i haerd arcadi volodos play this concerto and i think that was the best interpretation i have heard of it, i think it must be as close to how prokofiev wanted it.. i cant tell u even so many years after it was composed i saw shock in peoples eyes with the way volodos was playing it, awesome,  
anywaz, people, do tell me if u know about some good recordings of this piece
byeee
sahir

[Celeste]

I've never heard of it. Is it famous?

[rachfan]

I have a nice vinyl record of it, but would have to go down in the basement to look it up.  The pianist is Nicole Henriot from her much younger days.  It might be with the Boston Symphony, but I'm not sure.  Also don't know if it was ever transferred to CD.  This is Prokofiev's romantic concerto.  Great piece!

[BuyBuy]

No one here ever talks of Prokoviev 5th concerto...

I think it's absolutely wonderful, full of surprises and humor. But no one ever talks about it, performs it or records it. What a pity. Richter, though, made a magnificent recording on Grammophone many years ago.

[ned]

The Prokofiev second is one of the greats! I have the Horacio Gutrierrez CD. Absolutely blistering, mind boggling music. I never tire of listening to it.
Ned

[Colette]

the prokofiev second. my favorite prokofiev concerto. i'm playing it now and enjoying every finger numbing second.
i would recommend listening to prokofiev playing it. what a performer! it should be in the historical recording section of any large cd store (although it's sometimes difficult to find.) of course, nobody plays prokofiev like prokofiev (although that doesn't mean he delivers the supreme interpretation.) but, he's quite a piano personality none the less.

[ravel]

sorry people, extremely late reply, got really busy with some stuff , but thanks for the rplies , most of the names i heard were not known  to me but i ll try geting their recordings,
also umm , how is there any cd of prokofiev playing prokofiev?how can i listne to prokofiev playing it otherwise
also, i love his fifth piano concerto and have richters recording of it, i think it is one of the most amazign pieces written for the piano, what beautiful wit , combined with a haunting slow movement, i love the toccata in that concerto as well, prokofiev is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 hatss off to himmmmmmmmmmmm
anywz i ll try to get those recordings
thanks guysssss

[konrado-tornado]

Hi there!!!!!

the best Prokofiev 2nd I ever heard is with Vladimir Krainev.Those recordings(complete of Prokofiev concertos)is recorded for Teldec.Krainev plays with Frankfurt Radio Orchestra under Dmitrij Kitajenko.I heard 2nd Prokofiev with Askhenazy,with Toradze,with Alexeev..nobody plays like Krainev.This is hard to write how he play..his sound,his time in music,his"sex"with orchestra..I think that this is really Neuhaus piano School.Please,less'n this recording.By the way;I think,thah Krainev plays not only 2nd the best-You must haer 3rd of Prokofiev with HIM!!!

[ravel]

ok thanks a lot
i have actually heard  krainev playing pianoconcerto no.5  of prokofiev, but i think richter did the best job on that concerto,
as for two, ya i thought toradze did a good job, and ashkenazy too, but i was looking for something as blazing as volodos' interpretation, and i  hope krainev gives me that, cuz that piano conet no,2 is one hell of a piece, and  i still can not believe  how beautifully volodos played it right in front of my eyes, its as if he was all over the piano, wow what a concert that was.
but hope i get what i want from krainev
thanks again
sahir

[eddie92099]

Horacio Guttierez's recording on chandos remains my favourite of this piece, although Cherkassky live is very interesting (the point in the cadenze marked 'Colossale' is played pianissimo!),
Ed

[ravel]

is the cherkassky performance available on record, and the other pianist u mentioned ed, ?? i mean all these records seem to be sooooooo rare here, i dontk now i dont think i cou ld find them very easily

[eddie92099]

The Cherkassky is live and part of the BBC Legends series and is coupled with a live Rach 3, while the Guttierez is on Chandos with Prokofiev 3. They are both available on www.amazon.co.uk i should think,
Ed

[ravel]

thanks a lottttt

[tph]

I haven't heard any of the aforementioned versions, but I recently bought the Kun Woo Paik/Naxos version, which I thought was very strong and energetic - and it's relatively inexpensive too.  

Has anyone else heard this version?

tph

[eddie92099]

Yes I have this version too - it is adequate but does not begin to rival Guttierez/Ashkenazy,
Ed

[willster]

try and fing a recording of Severin Von Eckardstein- I saw him at leeds 2000  and at bridge water hall in Manchester and he is a stunning technician- he made the difficulties look so easy. There used to be a live recording of his on the BBC 3 website- he played best at the leeds though and really should have won.

Will

p.s. I HATE the fouth movement played by ashkenazy- too slow and clumsy!

[eddie92099]

I am doing an A level project at school whereby I have to do a performance comparison of three recordings of this work. Naturally I chose Ashkenazy and Cherkassky live for the first two, but had problems deciding on a third. I have just ordered a CD of Dagmar Baloghova playing (recorded with Ancerl in the 1950s). I will let you know how it sounds!
Ed

[thracozaag]

Try the Bolet recording (if you can find it)

[eddie92099]

I did see the Bolet (coupled with the third concerto) but he's not really my cup of tea for Prokofiev,
Ed

[jakester]

Ok.. first of all, there is no Prokofiev recording of the second.

Second of all, I heard Volodos play it last year. it was horrible. He got a standing ovation, but then everybody gets standing o's nowadays in NY. it sucks. People who knew the piece, music students, teachers, professors, musicologists, and generally knowledgable people, came out of the hall shaking their heads, saying things like "yeah, that was fast.. but.. what the hell was in it? nothing!" There WAS nothing in the music. He gave a performance in which almost every note was played at super-human speed, but he forgot 1 essential thing - the music itself!!

As for good recordings of the piece - I heard one that I really liked, the Bronfman one. Also check out Mei-Ting Sun's recording on mp3.com - www.mp3.com/thepianist, and do a find (ctrl-f) for prokofiev.

Jakester

[thracozaag]

I did see the Bolet (coupled with the third concerto) but he's not really my cup of tea,
Ed

whatever

[eddie92099]

Quite,
Ed

[thracozaag]

Quite,
Ed

ditto

[meiting]

lol. ditto plus

[ravel]

well, when i heard volodos playing it , it was the first time i heard that work, maybe thats why i didnt know what to compare it with, but i will still say tht his performance played a major role in making me like that work , ( i dont think i would have got that crazy for that piece if i had just heard it in a recording), and that was the starting for me, when i started exploring prkofievs other piano works that i hadnt heart, lie his third concerto, and his sonatas
anywazzz, i ll still say it was good, it was fast, but i think  i have that much of an ear that i can differentiate  good performance froma bad one, but  thats my opinion , u are free to differ from it haha,
by the way all these recordings i heard about, do i need to go to an antique store for it, haha cuz i dont find them any where, all i find it ashkenazy and toradze maybe,
sahir

[eddie92099]

Check out www.arkivmusic.com or www.prokofiev.org to find the recordings. Most of them were recorded in the 90s since relatively few people played this work before that,
Ed

[franz_]

I know it's kinda dated, but are here people who played this concerto, and that are able to help me with some fingerings in the second movement?

Thanks anyway.

[retrouvailles]

Why couldn't you just start a new thread, instead of bumping a really old thread that isn't even that relevant to what you are asking for? And besides, fingering threads are sorta pointless, for the only one that can provide good fingerings for you is yourself, given that all hands are different.

[franz_]

I know... If you really want, I'll start a new tread about it. And about the fingerings, I have my version, but appearently it doesn't work that well for me in some places, and I just would like to now which - may be smarter - fingerings other people use...

[viking]

I`m playing this in October.  This is by far the most difficult movement in my opinion.  Which particular passages bother you?

[franz_]

Thanks. Check your PM

[chopin1993]

I really like the one played by Yuja Wang!
And Yundi Li with the Berlin philharmonic (not with Hong Kong philharmonic!! That one is kinda sloppy in my opinion..)

[retrouvailles]

I really like the one played by Yuja Wang!
And Yundi Li with the Berlin philharmonic (not with Hong Kong philharmonic!! That one is kinda sloppy in my opinion..)

Wow, the two weakest recordings ever. I'm surprised you also didn't mention Kissin's awful recording. For a real recording of this concerto, check out Horacio Gutierrez or Malcolm Frager. You absolutely cannot do any better.

[viking]

Wow, the two weakest recordings ever. I'm surprised you also didn't mention Kissin's awful recording. For a real recording of this concerto, check out Horacio Gutierrez or Malcolm Frager. You absolutely cannot do any better.

Absolutely agreed.

[chopin1993]

Wow, the two weakest recordings ever. I'm surprised you also didn't mention Kissin's awful recording. For a real recording of this concerto, check out Horacio Gutierrez or Malcolm Frager. You absolutely cannot do any better.

Thanks for the advice  I'll listen to their recordings.

[imbetter]

I would advise Vladimir Feltsmans. That has always been my person favorite although I have not heard Gutierrez or Frager.

[argerichfan]

For a real recording of this concerto, check out Horacio Gutierrez or Malcolm Frager. You absolutely cannot do any better.

I have Gutierrez, the only recording in my library (I pruned out some others a few years ago), and it definitely ranks at the top.  Frager is so legendary, probably all the more so because only older members here have heard it, but I've read nothing but praise for it.  I wish it would turn up on CD.  I heard John Browning's recording with the BSO on the radio a few years ago, and that is definitely a contender also.  Alas, the last time I checked, it is only available in a boxed set.  With Richter in the 5th and Argerich in the 1st and 3rd, I don't see the need for unnecessary duplication.