Prokofiev plays Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3 ii. (1932)

Part III http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPHOTvCRp2Q
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C, Op. 26
2. Tema con variazioni
Sergei Prokofiev, piano
London Symphony Orchestra
Piero Coppola

Category:

Music

Tags:

• historic
• Piano
• Concerto
• #3
• sergei
• prokofiev

[weedermann]

@pianofan24 If you had been an admirer of Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev while each lived, while each was introducing and playing their OWN music, you'd see all of this differently. ALL of the more modern performances would then seem too slow, perhaps too full of "unneeded nuance" or whatever all of you like to pontificate about.

[weedermann]

@fritstube Likely when Prokofiev was playing HIS OWN concerto, there were none by "what [you] know by others". Prokofiev conceived the music, wrote and practiced it before it went public. Whether all of you listeners prefer it or not, THIS is how HIS music is intended to be played.

[cheradinine8]

@fritstube It is played basically the same as other pianists do only much much faster. I note people posting that other pianists play it faster than he does. I doubt that is possible because at 24+ minutes for the whole concerto, this is lightning fast, and I have never heard the 2nd movement played in 7'37" before. The Pianist of Steel was notorious for punching out his own works at top speed, and bullying conductors into taking very fast tempi...Always mistakes too but very exciting

[cheradinine8]

At 7'37"this is also much faster then would be done today... In fact he only takes a little over 24 minutes to play the whole concerto, at warp speed... This is very interesting and listening to some of his playing of the super-fast 4th. variation he seems on the verge of stumbling, but does not... He sat rigidly at the keyboard with almost no movement, except for a slight rocking, and was nicknamed The Pianist of Steel because of it...Would have been some experience to see him play...

[fritstube]

The passage at 2:29 is played totaly different from what we know by others! it is as if Prokofiev is telling us: no, ..you should play it like this!

[SCarlatti17]

Wnderful hear Prokofiev play his own. A real treasure. Thanks for posting.

[jhamilton421]

The orchestra fails to synchronize with the unique tempo changes, and there are mistakes, but a couple of passages revealed their beauty as I hadn't heard before, even after decades of listening to this piece, especially the extraordinary Byron Janus recording referred to below. I've never really gotten that from Rachmaninoff playing his own.

[pianofan24]

This is so interesting! I would've never imagined that he'd play it like this.. it's so different that anything I've heard... can't get over that part. I've always loved Prokofiev as a pianist (whatever I've heard on YT that is) and he's one of the few composers I like playing their own pieces. (I know I'm going to get slammed for this, but I don't like Rach's own recordings of his work, at least not as much as other pianists performances of those)

[jafigueroa41]

Muchas gracias por compartir ésta maravilla.

[chinaboy1991]

@NGS712 or his drinking songs ;) Very German drinking songs.