Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2 Op.16 Movement 3 (Ashkenazy)

[vesparazzigt]

piece start like you are playing god of war :))

[hymnofashes]

I have never heard a more awesome demonstration of refined power. It is as though a thousand dissonant voices are being torturously twisted, by a cosmic power, into a single stream of blinding inevitability. There is just *nothing* *fucking* *like* this.

[xnarutoxxi]

The opening sounds like it came out of Star Wars.

[sessionmessiah]

Prokofiev = Genius... he had a knack for daring to go beyond what most musicians at his time dared compose...goes from real dark to real sunny, then back and forth, until the crescendo& Cosmic ORGASM at the end, pure firework of sound...

[ziegfried666]

Ashkenazy rules!!!

[vortex481]

Gutierrez knocks this one out of the ball park!

[truman1942]

l love Horacio Gutierrez's brilliant performance. for the Prokofiev piano concerto no 2, I is thrilling and elecrifying, No one comes close to this lendary performance,

[tjtheplay]

@truman1942 omg dude I just listen to both of them and it's soo hard for me to decide which one is better lol

[Ir0nman86]

you can find sheet music @ sheetsearch . com

[Tuck213]

@Ir0nman86 Thanks for that link man :)

[Nicksvoiceinthewild]

No no really.

[ginga189]

I agree Gutierrez's is the best recorded performance -incredible!

[StinehartMusic]

Ashkenazy's interpretation is incredible! Please check out my performance of the first movement of this piece if you have a chance as well!

[RH98]

How can something be so playfull but so menacing at the same time?

[mrbrianmccarthy]

Intense.I think had Prokofiev lived today,he would've been a great soundtrack composer for movies.His concertos are truly magnificent.

[salrigatti]

This is the music that's played when I walk in to a business meeting :)

[avorobyov95]

Prokofiev makes atonal music sound epic.

[Starbirdy9999]

This is orderly chaos...

It's just how can anyone be so creative to create a work like this? I mean that beginning baseline to that flute interjection at 0:45...This is pure genious...

[drsoftee]

@Starbirdy9999 Wait!!! Listen to the flutes at 5:50. In this version the volume is low, but they play some crazy notes :)

[colosalblack]

I love how his stuff is either really dark and heavy sounding or light mellow. Ever since I saw the disney adaptation of Peter and the Wolf when I was a child I've loved this music :)

[xxxhana]

where is the magnificent button?

[Tuck213]

@xxxhana Nice one.

[xxxhana]

why is it so hard to buy this...

[raemeredith]

My heart's beating faster just looking at the score. It's leaping around in such a masterful way.

[juble3]

howww do u write something like this?????? he's amazing!!!!!!!

[newfreshreview]

@juble3 It took him a long time. Apparently, according to his son, Prokofiev would write a melody "straight" (with few leaps and dissonances) and then laboriously add in those Prokofiev characteristics.

[CocoaRadix]

@goodguysdoll It bugs me that in an era where "classical music," to use the blanket term, is sadly but rapidly approaching obsolescence, you still have the nerve to criticize someone for taking the time to learn an extremely difficult and wonderful piece of music. You don't get better by playing stuff that's too easy...

[ReviewerOfRock]

i'm not a great listener of classical but i seem to love everything prokofiev does. Can't stop listening to this piece.

[massimiliano123123]

I love 0:30 - 0:35

[ChopinLiszt82]

he was only 21 when he wrote this freakin difficult concerto

[LackingLack0]

awesome first 10 to 20 seconds... goes downhill from there imo

[RigorMortis000]

The part starting at 0:36 sounds so awesome.

[mbtnr]

hear it at leat 10 times and without prejudice

[TheCriticPiano]

One of the most dissosant concertos I have ever played. This concerto is the definition of fear, and almost every pianist I know that played this piece was mind-boggled. Very great rendition, and great concerto. I enjoy the fe-fi-fo moments. I almost literally got carpal-tunnel syndrome from learning this piece.

[goodguysdoll]

@TheCriticPiano This piece sounds way too hard for you. The hand problems and you calling it the def of fear. You should never have ventured into it. The pianists I know who played this were not "mind-boggled' at all.

[TheCriticPiano]

@goodguysdoll Excuse me my fine gentleman. You may have misinterpreted my comment, just like you do in most of your pieces I suppose. Don't worry, that was a joke. What I meant by the definition of fear, is the way the piece sounds. And the comment regarding every pianist being mind-boggling; well, I mean't to say they were mind-boggled on how charismatical and ferocious it sounds. And mind you, this piece is hard if you play it right, unlike the pianists you referred to.

[AnnaLauraN]

amazing!

[967Capricho]

Each klavieKonzert by this author translates into a great and mysterious work of architecture whose mysterious origins are lost in the unknown human, giving rise to theories impossible legendary ...... who knows what would have been like without the music of Star Wars Prokovief

[967Capricho]

Each klavieKonzert by this author translates into a great and mysterious work of architecture whose mysterious origins are lost in the unknown human, giving rise to theories impossible as legendary ......( qual'cosa knows the author of Star Wars)

[Flutist11]

Poor flute near the end. So many notes.

[optx100]

I want to download this piece as an mp3. But i don't know any site to download classical music from. Can someone please tell me one..?

[Flutist11]

@optx100 What's really easy to do nowadays is download the audio straight from youtube videos. Go to listentoyoutube. com and you can download this actual video here.

[SchrodingersCake]

Is this piece in the public domain? I mean, could I share the sheet music with others without any copyright worries?

[HDGamingReplays]

@SchrodingersCake The piece itself is, any particular sheet music is subject to the copyright of who produced it.

[mortalfrog0815]

@SchrodingersCake if the composer has been dead for more than 70 years all sheets are public domain... otherwise we still would have to pay royalty to bach's descendants!

[PhysiqueQuantique]

The clarinet sounds like evil laughter. In triplets. >:D

[AL10Hermann]

partiturlesen bei youtube! witzig....und dann mit dem wunderbaren,selten gespielten

2 Klavierkonzert von S.P. Ich liebe dieses Stück Musikgeschichte!

[Gargantupimp]

The begining of this reminds me of the feeling I used to get waking up next to my x-wife every morning, oh jeez I think I have post traumatic stress syndrome from her, She left me wanting, Wanting a labotomy that is!

[stagesix6]

this concerto is just AMAZING!!!

[ch252525]

Prokofiev has made dissonance and beauty a good pair

[rukashawn]

wow, just plain wow / O

[filopaa1990]

puttanaccia eva!!

[Willywaw]

Ashkenazy is out of this world...

[Gargantupimp]

so soothing and relaxing

[SickForest]

Does anybody find that the 5:12-two notes (and the answer of the orchestra) are something special? I mean... Can´t find the words... But are so important for the movement I think... Like externalize a feeling strongly repressed, for me it had such load of sarcastic nonconformity... Like to say "This Is What I Feel, And It Feels extremely Bad, That Is Ridiculous!!"... I don´t know, just me:P... And sorry my english by the way...

[cafity]

@SickForest i think prokofiev was a genius, specially puting strange "emotions" in his pieces, like sarcasm or irony... I agree with you! it makes tottaly sense (specially if you listen to that part sometimes ;D)!!!

[AmadeusStatisitician]

@cafity not sure irony is an emoition

[cafity]

@AmadeusStatisitician it is for prokofiev ; )

[AmadeusStatisitician]

@SickForest sounds just happy to me

[javiertw89]

Ashkenazy rules.

[SickForest]

5:12!!!!! This is to much... (I love this so!!!!!) I don´t know but I think that express such load of nonconformity, some sort of reproach to life. Just saying. And I love Prokofiev and this movement. Thanks.

[BNM321zxy]

wow,, correct me if im wrong but i think he is very depressed when he composed this magnificent piece.

[Chopinatic27]

@BNM321zxy Yeah, it was written in memory for his friend Maximilian Schmidthov who had commited suicide and had written prokofiev a farewell letter. talk about depressed

[urahara53]

nahh doesn't sound depressed. More crazy

[BNM321zxy]

the piece is dark but beautiful and magnificent ....

[cafity]

Just discovered the sound! Violas, bassoon, flutes and an horn I think... My ear can't hear the horn, but i think it's there. Beautifull melody anyway!!!

[aizendarwin]

I love all his works... he is really amazing...

[sajtosdnb]

OH MY GOD!!! THIS IS AWESOME!!! Prokofiev is a genius!

[agilbosco]

YES he is!!!!!

[Collagenre]

Holy crap, agreed.

[MrLacidaremlamano]

@sajtosdnb Welcome to the fan club

[StandSoon]

@sajtosdnb and you're a fag!

[sajtosdnb]

@StandSoon . And what do you mean man?:o

[RH98]

@sajtosdnb I think he means that he is a troll and you should ignore everything he says ;)

[sajtosdnb]

@RH98 I don't understand you!

[RH98]

@sajtosdnb What I mean to say is that when someone calls you a "fag" on Youtube generally he is not worth your time.

[COCOONFABULA]

Can you post movement 1 and/or movement 4 please !!

[tommy9882]

yea the middle part is just so interesting

[WrogPublicznyNumer1]

@cynic150 i don't hear anything hellish in it! :)

[COCOONFABULA]

It's more like... sadic....scary...GOD I LOVE THIS CONCERTO

[volleycutie95]

im OBSESSED WITH THIS SONG!!!! prokofiev is a geniousss!!! i want to eventually play this in maybe a few years when im a senior or junior or something but it will be EXTREEEMELY hard..<3

[cafity]

Can somebody tell me how it's made that "ghost" sound at 3:42? I hear a little bit flute and clarinet, but i'm not sure about the other instruments...

[MikeTheSoundGuyDotCA]

Are you possibly talking about the high piano that's being played very lightly with the woods? Definitely a neat texture there.

[cafity]

No... I'm talking about the notes of the orchestra. The piano is doing arpeggios...

[bonerici]

cafity I think you are hearing the downward glissandos merging together in the various instruments, so I the "ghosty" sound isn't any particular instrument but a mixing of a slur.

[gomongio]

I love Prokofiev's art

[JFman00]

Anyone know what happened to the Yujia Wang recording that used to be up on youtube, or where I could find/buy it?

[jezmuff]

RMANNION - thank you immensely for posting all these scores, they are very expensive to buy otherwise!!

Prokofiev to me is one of the greatest composers. He is certainly my favourite - and this work is my favourite work of his. It has....everything, it is just so severe. I absolutely love it. And I have never heard anyone do prokofiev like Ashkenazy - he has so much power. Right up to his fifth finger, SO much power.

[yingnay000]

I'm amazed that anyone could memorize this! I would have a hard enough time just playing it! I've always had a hard time memorizing stuff. I can't imagine how many hours of practicing someone would have to put in to do this. Though I suppose if you're a concert pianist and that's all you did, I can see where it would be possible...but DAMN!!!

[mathwpmusicgeek]

i love the coda starting at 5:40...it's like complete insanity

[LlortnA]

Brilliant.

[ComTh0m]

4:39

[BrackenClelk]

lol I'm obsessed with 3:22, sounds so wonderfully surreal, like a Dali painting morphed into music.

But gotta love 4:01 too, I've always been a sucker for those crispy grace-notes.

[iose123]

4:01

i'm absolutely obsessed with that part

[maydengarNSBHS]

me too

D;

[MarioCavaradossi]

I love VA and I have just about every recording he's made. No lie. But I must tell all of you that the most amazing recording I own of this piece is on VINYL and performed by Vladimir Krainev with one of the Soviet radio orchestras. The conductor is either Rozhdesvensky or Kondrashin. It is on the Melodyia label and not to be missed. That recording FAR exceeds the other Krainev recording he did for one of the Warner labels (Teldec? Erato?).

[Harle4]

i did as you told me. but now i feel kinda bad for doing it. why did you tell me to do this?! what is wrong with you o.O and what is wrong with me??!!!

[Harle4]

oh, yes. yes i see where you're coming from there. nice one. so, how old did you say you were?

[Harle4]

wow, your parents must be proud of you that you can go on the internet all by yourself... good for you!

[bcbdaggtrf75]

electric guitars?? why not, that would be interesting!

[cattleman6420012000]

Ashkenazy plays this wonderfully. He made his very successful New York debut with Bernstein in 1958 playing this work.

[giuseppele]

Ab 1:19 ist meine Lieblingsstelle !!

Ach, Prokofiev ist einfach toll.

[Kalen1457]

Its so unorganized and dissonant...I like it.

[coasterman16]

dissonant, yes. unorganized, no.

[davidbaker03]

this is very organized. It is amazing.

[mayorde18]

@coasterman16 unorganized music is bad anyway? D;

[newfreshreview]

@Kalen1457 It's like the cadenza from the first movement. At first, it sounds like unmusical chaos. Upon several listens, you begin to unwind the dissonance and realize that the cadenza is almost exclusively based on earlier themes, and not even distorted that much. Prokofiev had a gift for making "chaos" out of order, and by "chaos" I mean cleverly disguised order.

[ch252525]

It's terribly difficult...

[gwiwall]

you should check the other three movements!

[JFman00]

Where did this sheet music come from?

[Eradicator00987]

From Prokofiev's imagination... hahaha!

[1984bubu]

a really nice idea to have the score shown while listening! thanks:)

[chillisnake]

Outstanding!!!

[khlymore]

I like Horacio Gutierrez's performance as well is my favorite great sincro between piano and symphony and great audio i though for a moment this is a concerto or a hollywood movie soundtrack lollll

[FabioThePianist]

I love it........So Beautiful!!!!!!

[chutdigadut]

man, so dark and evil. prokofiev must have been pretty pissed off when he wrote this

[clubsandwedge]

hahahahah

[Eradicator00987]

Electric guitars!?!?... how vulgar and barbaric! You all did the right thing by giving me a thumbs down on that comment.. Yes I'm being facetious too, lighten up people!

[mickyj300x]

Perhaps they just didn't agree with you, Eradicator. Maybe they didn't think that it would sound good on electric guitars.

Did that occur to you?

[YellowMagi]

If they gave him thumbs down plainly because they disagree it is preposterous. But that how it works

[TatTwamAsi]

Ashkenasy knows how to intermingle brutal, primitive passion with intellectual poetry, JUST what Prokofiev yearns for.

[mnfchen]

no idea what that meant

[coldio]

heehee, you will eventually (:

[cattleman6420012000]

I love his playing in Prokofiev.

[markopianist]

I like the begining with the bassoons!

[IloveAlexisBledel689]

That huge Crescendo at 5:48 is breath taking! So dramatic.

[ibonykeys]

love the chord progressions from 3:40-3:55

[kingstravinsky101]

the man is a superjew! like mahler. SUPERJEW!

[cattleman6420012000]

Ashkenazy played this work for his successful New York debut with Leonard Bernstein in 1958.

[aldebussy]

I never liked this one. I LOVE his 1st, 5th, 3rd and 4th. But

There are some interesting touches though. It's very witty and funny though!

[keykanonmania84]

It is probably the hardest piano concerto ever besides of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 Not only for reading and playing it without any stumble, it is pretty difficult to bring out its musical messages and personalities.

[aldebussy]

Nope. The opening passages 'look' difficult. They're not. Follow up more carefully.

[plantluver9]

i have nothing against you but i think you should inform yourself better, this piece is very often played in competitions because of it being so incredibly hard(listen to the movements) it is indeed often associated with rach 3 and tchaikovski 1 because of its familiarity, only the greatset pianists can get away with it.. dont say it isn't difficult just because you don't like it..

[remyrem12]

Post a video of yourself playing this and hold up at least three forms of ID. Otherwise, shut the fuck up.

[plantluver9]

i didn't say that i could play it, in fact i din't give any critics on the playing..

so on that remark it is absolutely ridiculous to say that i couldn't give info that is to be found everywhere, if i didn't play this piece..

i also think you need to get anger management therapy

[remyrem12]

Yeah, maybe i do need anger management, but it wouldn't hurt you to appreciate the genius of Prokofiev.

[plantluver9]

i think you read my comment wrong, i certainly do, i love his music, and if you are a fan of this piece too you should search for the version of anna vinnitskaya, a russian pianist who won the queen elizabeth competition with it, IMHO thats one of the best versions that i know, srr for any misunderstanding..

[CocoaRadix]

Dude, I have the score and have played through it a few times -- it's pretty damn rough from start to finish. Yeah, the piano's opening passage in this movement really boils down to the same measure's worth of material going up in octaves, but I don't think any pianist would classify it as "not difficult."

[IloveAlexisBledel689]

best performance ever! I really would like to hear the 1st movement, the one I'm learning :)

[Anders039]

Good luck with that one. The cadenza looks really hard, but I'm sure you'll learn a lot from it. And the whole concerto is underplayed IMO.

[IloveAlexisBledel689]

what do you mean??

[Anders039]

What I wrote, of course.

[IloveAlexisBledel689]

underplayed IMO ??

[Anders039]

In

My

Opinion

[IloveAlexisBledel689]

OK lol, I could try to play the 4 movements but it would take me a while ;)

[Saphir8]

somehow i think, this could also work as film soundtrack.. for example for pirates of the caribbean..

[crowdmaker]

Noooo! I hope they NEVER do that to the Prok 2...

It is drammatic, but there's more to it than that. One day Prokofiev got a letter from a pianist friend. "Sergei, some news for you! I've shot myself." Days later he was found in the woods. Prokofiev dedicated this concerto to him.

Even without the story, this sort of music is a bit darker and nuanced than Disney fare.

[Saphir8]

woow.. that's tough.. i had some other thoughts about this concerto.. hmm :-/

[rulleverulle]

So you have read his diary? ;) I really do not think that friend has shot himself in the woods for Prokofiev's second piano concerto... His friend was bored with life or something like that. This piano concerto was completed after his friends dead.

[crowdmaker]

I never said that his friend shot himself for the sake of Prokofiev's piano concerto, and it seems a bit hard to read that into what I wrote. I simply said his friend shot himself, and that Prokofiev dedicated the PC No. 2 to him.

And no, I've never read his diary, but Richter retold this story in his documentary "The Enigma". I also think I read about this somewhere else, I can't remember where.

[rulleverulle]

Ohh well, I'm sorry. Problem is that I am not a native English speaker and therefore it is sometimes hard to read what it says in a fast written message. I have read parts of his diary in a sort of "Best of Prokofiev's diary" by a Dutch author. It was about his conservatory years, his Italian journey, his Holland journey and the Russian Revolution. Very interesting!

[PJmusicFan]

Hey this piece sounds like fun! It was really exciting at the end!

[Anders039]

I agree. What an intense climax. Crushing!

[georgecziffra]

My favorite movement of my favorite piano concerto

[dido93]

Ottimo lavoro. Spero che tu metta tante altre cose su YouTube. Grazie.

[Anders039]

Fantastic work of art.

[dentistefou]

bravo pour cette initiative, others movments should be welcome ;)

[timmyab]

Excellent idea and a lot of work too I expect.

[aesthetic1950]

This is just great to be able to read the music along with a clear interpretation.

[cattleman6420012000]

I love Vladimir Ashkenazy's recording of this work.He made his American debut with this work in 1958 with the late Leonard Bernstein.

[IloveAlexisBledel689]

such a good idea!!! can you post the other movements? that would be so nice.

[rmannion]

I'll certainly try, time permitting! Note that I'd have to split up some of the movements, as there's a 10-minute limit on video length.

[4444matthew4444]

you should test out some Hindemith also..that would be wonderful...like his third piano sonata especially the fugue from that.