Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 / Sviatoslav Richter

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Sviatoslov Richter was a friend of the composer, and he played all of this music in Prokofiev's presence. His performances have since acquired almost cult status among pianists--a reputation they richly deserve. The Fifth Piano Concerto is a pithy, technically difficult work in five short movements, which Richter plays as though he had composed them himself. The Eighth Sonata, by contrast, was composed during the Second World War, and the contrast between simple lyricism and horrifying violence leaves no doubt whatsoever as to what the composer was attempting to describe. These mid-price reissues sound better than ever, and artistically speaking, they are priceless. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 1. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 2. Moderato ben accentuato
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 3. Toccata - Allegro con fuoco (piu presto che la prima volta)
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 4. Larghetto
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In G Major: 5. Vivo
Sonata For Piano No. 8 In B Flat Major: 1. Andante dolce - Allegro moderato - Andante
Sonata For Piano No. 8 In B Flat Major: 2. Andante songando
Sonata For Piano No. 8 In B Flat Major: 3. Vivace - Allegro ben marcato - Andantino - Vivace
Visions fugitives op.22: No. 3, No. 6, No. 9

Amazon.com essential recording

Sviatoslov Richter was a friend of the composer, and he played all of this music in Prokofiev's presence. His performances have since acquired almost cult status among pianists--a reputation they richly deserve. The Fifth Piano Concerto is a pithy, technically difficult work in five short movements, which Richter plays as though he had composed them himself. The Eighth Sonata, by contrast, was composed during the Second World War, and the contrast between simple lyricism and horrifying violence leaves no doubt whatsoever as to what the composer was attempting to describe. These mid-price reissues sound better than ever, and artistically speaking, they are priceless. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 / Sviatoslav Richter.......2006-08-31

excellent recording. prompt service frm amazon

Concerto Not Quite Perfect.......2006-03-11

Don't get me wrong these performances, esp. the ones forom the keyboard have all of the energy, stength and heart that you would expect from Richter. I can not find one fault with his playing here. It is the recording itself that I have an issue with. The recording balance in the concerto is way off. The piano is always (incorrectly) projected as being louder than the orchestra. If you've ever been to a paiano concerto concert, you know that this is simply not true. Therefore, I give it 4 stars.

Prokofiev and Richter's pianistic magic.......2002-11-23

Prokofiev considered his 5th Piano Concerto to be unjustly neglected at the expense of his ever-popular 3rd. On the evidence of this September 1958 recording, he was right! Richter and the Warsaw National Philharmonic are flawless and sparkling with the spirit of Prokofiev, a light, urbane wit seldom heard since Mozart. The 8th Sonata is another spirit entirely, perhaps Prokofiev's most profound and complex work. There are gentle passages following turbulence and darkness that are of the utmost beauty, and Richter's playing is a marvel.

Other than his 2nd Symphony, Prokofiev's modernist impulse is clearest in his works for piano. The 7th and 8th Sonatas especially are masterworks of the early 20th century, and Richter's is THE 8th!

Definitive Eighth.......1999-12-25

I usually have in mind a list of the ten greatest piano recordings of all time. Luckily, having no particular label affiliation, I am compelled to make my choices solely by personal preference, Millenial Collections notwithstanding. The Fifth Concerto is rarely if ever, played. Richter's version is superb. But the Eighth Sonata receives the most excruciatingly beautiful performance. The lyricism, drama, colour are all qualities in this performance that have remained with me for decades. An essential recording for anyone who loves the piano.

Sviatoslav Richter Concert Performances And Broadcasts, 1958-1976

Average customer rating:

A thousand carats album!

Sviatoslav Richter Concert Performances And Broadcasts, 1958-1976

Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006KG3
Release Date: 1993-11-01

Customer Reviews:

A thousand carats album!.......2006-07-31

This fabulous set gives us a fabulous and complete selection from Richter's oeuvre that spans the years 1958-1976; it includes a kaleidoscopic variety of composers, a wide range of musical styles. The famed pianist Glenn Gould once affirmed : "There are musicians who try to bypass the whole question of the performing mechanism, to create the illusion, at any rate, of a direct link between themselves and a particular musical score, helping therefore the listener to achieve a sensation of involvement, not with the performance per se, but rather, with the music itself." And that is absolutely valid in the case of Richer.

For many Beethoven purists, Richer may result quite propulsive and even unaware. But that is just an illusion. It's a question of temperament. Richter uses to explore directly without reflexive pauses the soul of Beethoven. In fact, you may feel Richter plays as a huge mirror that reflects the multiple facets of any composer as a whole. In this superb compilation Beethoven occupies two and a quarter CD' s . His Variations & Fugue for piano Op. 35 are even much more emotive and volcanic respect the famous performance given in Carnegie Hall of 1965. (I just have this recording and have compared them one each other.). The Sonata Op. 10 is extraordinary. The Sonata Op. 4 is an excellent performance that denotes the multiplicity of vision (listen to Benedetti Michelangeli and Schnabel, for instance). The Sonata 32 is memorable although it's far to reach the unbeatable version of Paul Badura Skoda ` s version of 1973.

Believe or not the impressive performance of Richter around Pictures at exhibition is not so far respect to the well known and best acclaimed version of Sofia. You may realize this recital in Budapest was made just a week after Sofia' s performance and the most notable feature is how different is. If it's true the overall texture is visibly lighter and less dark respect Sophie, in certain passages I find it wildest, aggressive and even volcanic. The Catacombs and the Great Gate of Kiev are to my mind, much reposed analytical and colder but better performed. In my case, I have another additional Pictures of Richter and I use to compare between themselves.

Tchaikovsky pieces are quite sensitive and beautifully phrased. Scriabin' s Ninth Sonata has always been a personal trademark of this formidable pianist, although I rather his mesmerizing Warsaw live version of 1972. Prokoviev' s Fourth Sonata has constituted for Richter another treasured battle horse in most of his recitals. He possesses that required intensity, black humor and bitter cynicism that nestles along the score, because of the fact nobody like him knew about the nature of the monster and the oppressive atmosphere in those years. In sum, this is a very remarkable musical document for treasure and enjoy it over and over.

Highly recommended for those Richter' s hard fans and even you don' t.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful introduction to a 20th century romantic
Beautiful and enjoyable
The Maazel is the reason I bought it!

Panorama: Sergey Prokofiev
Serge Prokofiev , Claudio Abbado , Lorin Maazel , Mstislav Rostropovich , Elena Obraztsova , Berliner Philharmoniker , Chamber Orchestra of Europe , Chicago Symphony Orchestra , Cleveland Orchestra , London Symphony Orchestra , Martha Argerich , Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter , and Shlomo Mintz
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Panorama: Jean Sibelius
Panorama: Franz Schubert
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5, etc.
Panorama: Hector Berlioz
Panorama: Joseph Haydn

ASIN: B00004W3IW
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Tracks:

Classic Symphony: Allegro - Chamber Orchestra Of Europe
Classic Symphony: Larghetto - Chamber Orchestra Of Europe
Classic Symphony: Gavotta. Non troppo allegro - Chamber Orchestra Of Europe
Classic Symphony: Finale. Molto vivace - Chamber Orchestra Of Europe
Violin Concerto No. 1: Andantino - Andante assai - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Violin Concerto No. 1: Scherzo - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Violin Concerto No. 1: Moderato - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Folk Dance - Allegro giocoso - National Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Scene. Allegretto - National Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Madrigal. Andante tenero - Andante assai - National Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Menuet. Assai moderato - National Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Masks - Andante marciale - National Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Romeo And Juliet - National Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Death Of Tybalt - National Symphony Orchestra
Romeo And Juliet: Suites No. 1 And 2: Romeo At Juliet's Grave - National Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Nevsky: The Field Of The Dead - London Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

Piano Concertos No. 3: Andante - Allegro - Martha Argerich
Piano Concertos No. 3: Thema. Andantino - Martha Argerich
Piano Concertos No. 3: Allegro ma non troppo - Martha Argerich
Visions Fugitives: Allegretto - Sviatoslav Richter
Visions Fugitives: Con eleganza - Sviatoslav Richter
Visions Fugitives: Allegretto tranquillo - Sviatoslav Richter
Symphony No. 5: Andante - Cleveland Orchestra
Symphony No. 5: Allegro marcato - Cleveland Orchestra
Symphony No. 5: Adagio - Cleveland Orchestra
Symphony No. 5: Allegro giocoso - Cleveland Orchestra

Amazon.com

From the outset of his career, Claudio Abbado has always been an exemplary Prokofievian, and his marvelously poised, quick-witted account of the Classical Symphony with the stunning Chamber Orchestra of Europe makes an exhilarating curtain-raiser here. He also tenders the most sympathetic support imaginable to Shlomo Mintz and Martha Argerich in the First Violin Concerto and Third Piano Concerto, respectively (the latter a justly renowned venture dating from 1967). Pungent characterization is the order of the day in Rostropovich's unflatteringly engineered Romeo and Juliet selection with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C. (we get the whole of the First Suite and "Romeo at Juliet's Grave" from the Second--you'll search in vain, by the way, for "Montagues and Capulets," surely the most popular number of all). In the case of the epic Fifth Symphony, DG has unexpectedly plundered the Decca vaults to grant a silver-disc debut to Lorin Maazel's weightily intense 1978 recording with the Cleveland Orchestra--too ruthlessly efficient to be entirely convincing, but superbly played and recorded. A useful Prokofiev twofer. --Andrew Achenbach

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful introduction to a 20th century romantic.......2004-08-08

Prokofiev was one of the most difficult of all composers for me to come to, understand and enjoy. I read much about him, learning that he was a 20th century romantic and not a modernist, as some conductors approach him. You hear much of that romance in this set, which is a marvelous introduction to this multidimensional composer.

Claudio Abbado is not universally loved but was good enough in Europe to get the Berlin Philharmonic job after Herbert von Karajan died. His musical pedigree includes a generous portion of Prokofiev. He is well represented on this set, first with an upbeat version of the "Classical" Symphony No. 1, then as accompanist to Shlomo Mintz in the Violin Concerto No. 1 -- a very dreamy modern concerto -- and leading the Chicago Sympphony in the closing solo from "Alexander Nevsky" score.

I don't have much respect for Abbado's destractors and would say they are all off-base in his Prokofiev, especially the selections included in this CD. If you enjoy his work here, consider getting his CD of the full "Alexander Nevsky" which is mated with a dynamic "Scythian Suite" and a good reading of Prokofiev's most popular selection, the "Lt. Kije Suite".

Abbado isn't the only reason to buy this set. It contains the young Martha Argerich's famous version of the spiky Piano Concerto No. 3 (again abetted by Abbado), some very romantic selections from "Romeo and Juliet" led by Rostropovich, a few piano pieces by Sviatoslav Richter and a largely unknown version of the Symphony No. 5 led by Lorin Maazel.

I looked in every book I own and on every database I could find for a critical review of the Maazel-Cleveland Orchestra redering of the 5th Symphony, which is Prokofiev's best in that genre.

I couldn't find a review and was forced to make up my mind on this sans outside influence. I don't exactly know how I feel about it, although I liked it more than other versions I'd heard. It seems to be an interesting symphony with a wonderful second movement, one that lends credence to arguments that Prokofiev was more European than Russian. It is certainly a much better performance than the dreadful version conducted by Levine, which I also owned.

All told, this collection is exactly what it proposes: a Prokofiev Panorama. Everything on it is adequate to good, some great, and most in sparkling digital sound. It gives a 5 by 5 impression of Prokofiev as a romantic Russian influenced by European musical ideas. It casts aside any notion that he was a Soviet composer in league with Khachaturian and clearly differentiates him from his period countryman, Shostakovich. It is a good place to begin a more detailed examination of this 20th century composer.

Beautiful and enjoyable.......2002-03-22

After hearing Prokofiev's "Classical Symphony" in a concert, I decided I had to buy a recording. This is the best one I've heard. All the pieces on this CD are beautifully played, and the performers put a playful air in them when necessary (especially in the Classical Symphony). Shlomo Mintz is absolutely wonderful in the Violin Concerto, as is Martha Argerich in Piano Concerto No. 3. The suite from Romeo and Juliet is superb as well, lyrical and playful. This is a CD I recommend for everybody, even for people who don't usually like classical music.

The Maazel is the reason I bought it!.......2001-02-28

The rest of the issue is fabulous, but the Maazel recording of the fifth symphony is simply definitive. Wonderful playing and a sympathy for romanticism in the conducting brings out every last bit of pathos in the third and fourth movements. And that's what you want, right? Pathos? I mean, we're listening to a Soviet composer. So - over the expressive Rostrapovich, the impressively technical Szell, and the expository Tilson-Thomas - this is the one to have. The one that blends all these attributes together, revealing Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony as one of the finest in the genre. Buy it now.

Rachmaninov: Concerto For Piano And Orchestra/Prokofiev: Concerto For Piano And Orchestra

Average customer rating:

Best Rach 2. period.
A classic performance!!!
THE version to buy. This has 2 legendary performances
5 star Prokofiev -- the Rachminov deserves 10!
Superb Rachmaninov

Rachmaninov: Concerto For Piano And Orchestra/Prokofiev: Concerto For Piano And Orchestra

Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23

ASIN: B000001G5S
Release Date: 1985-02-01

Tracks:

Concerto for pno and orch No.2 in c, Op.18: Moderato
Concerto for pno and orch No.2 in c, Op.18: Adagio sostenuto
Concerto for pno and orch No.2 in c, Op.18: Allegro scherzando
Concerto for pno and orch No.5 in G, Op.55: Allegro con brio
Concerto for pno and orch No.5 in G, Op.55: Moderato ben accentuato
Concerto for pno and orch No.5 in G, Op.55: Toccata - Allegro con fuoco
Concerto for pno and orch No.5 in G, Op.55: Larghetto
Concerto for pno and orch No.5 in G, Op.55: Vivo

Customer Reviews:

Best Rach 2. period........2005-11-19

It is hard to even articulate what a high level of playing Richter displays here. His brings out the mystery inherent in slow chordal passages in the first movement. He knows how to play a man's fortissimo when the climax calls for it. You dont even have to listen too far in! Just listen to the first 20 seconds of the first movement - it is haunting. It is amazing that even when he is accompanying the orchestras themes you constantly hear the piano emerging. Richter's take is more intense than sentimental. After listening to this you realize how much of a joke Van Cliburn's version is in comparison. Cliburn despite playing romantically is light years behind Richter's sophistication. In fact Ashkenazy's rendition is also much better than Cliburn.
The orchestra here is also good though I like the lush sounds of Previn's orchestra with Ashkenazy better.
This is just the best. Period end of story.

A classic performance!!!.......2004-11-07

Rachmaninov's 2nd was the first piano concerto that I knew. My mother had an old vinyl and she used to play it a lot. On my 15th birthday my parents gave me a tape of this concerto (the Ashkenazy/Previn version) and then it quickly became my favourite tape along with my "Jaws" soundtrack!...Oh well, I was only 15!!!

20 years ago when CDs started to become available I bought this recording, it was the second CD that I bought. I was looking for the Ashkenazy/Previn version but ended up buying this one instead. At that time I had no idea that I had just bought perhaps one of the most distinguished and recommended versions of Rach's 2!

I've been listening to this CD for 20 years already and I must confess that it's appeal hasn't diminished a bit in all these years. Quite the contrary, the more I listen it the more I like it! I remember that back then it was hard for me to understand and enjoy this CD's coupling (Prokofiev's 5th), but now it too has become one of my favourite concertos!

During this last 20 years I've bought some other versions of Rachmaninov's concertos (especially of Rach's 2, 3 and 4) and also of Prokofiev's. As far as Rach's second concerto is concerned, I have the Wild/Horenstein version and have just bought the Ashkenazy/Previn version that I originally wanted. I've read positive reviews of all of these recordings, however I must say that Richter's version is quite impressive indeed and it's still my favourite as far as the piano playing in itself is concerned! Earl Wild's version is quite nice and Ashkenazy's has a better overall sound and I feel that the orchestra (under Previn) supports him better, but Richter's is simply far more exciting!

If none of the other versions rival Richter's passionate playing of Rach's 2 that holds especially true of his version of Prokofiev's 5th! Compare it to any other version and it simply has no equal!

This is a classic recording that deserves to be in everyone's collection!!!

THE version to buy. This has 2 legendary performances.......2004-04-24

The Rachmaninov & the Prokofiev.

5 star Prokofiev -- the Rachminov deserves 10!.......2003-04-24

I won't begin to praise the Rachmaninov. Words fail me. For the Prokofiev, even if you have a highly regarded complete set of the concertos, you really need this recording. Richter was completely in tune with Prokofiev's music. I often think he would have composed it himself, but Sergei got there first!

This is caviar.

Superb Rachmaninov.......2002-07-21

I've only heard the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 in C on this CD, but if the rest of the selections are as good as that one, it is a primo CD. The pianist and the orchestra are in complete agreement and complement each other fantastically. Mr. Richter's fingering and touch has a lightness that is quite overwhelming. This is not a CD for background music; it commands your attention.

Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Bartók: Piano Concertos

Average customer rating:

Terrific Tchaikovsky and Bonuses

Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Bartók: Piano Concertos

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002SCX
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Tracks:

Pno Con No.1 in b flat, Op.23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso-Allegro con spirito - Emil Gilels
Pno Con No.1 in b flat, Op.23: II. Andantino semplice-Prestissimo-Tempo I - Emil Gilels
Pno Con No.1 in b flat, Op.23: III. Allegro con fuoco - Emil Gilels
Pno Con No.2 in G, Op.44: I. Allegro brillante - Emil Gilels
Pno Con No.2 in G, Op.44: II. ANdante non troppo - Emil Gilels
Pno Con No.2 in G, Op.44: III. Allegro con fuoco - Emil Gilels

Tracks:

Pno Con No.3 in E flat, Op.75: 1. Allegro brillante - Emil Gilels
Pno Con No.5 in g, Op.55: I. Allegro con brio - Sviatoslav Richter
Pno Con No.5 in g, Op.55: II. Moderato ben accentuato - Sviatoslav Richter
Pno Con No.5 in g, Op.55: III. Toccata (Allegro con fuoco) - Sviatoslav Richter
Pno Con No.5 in g, Op.55: IV. Larghetto - Sviatoslav Richter
Pno Con No.5 in g, Op.55: V. Vivo - Sviatoslav Richter
Pno Con No.2, Sz83#: I. Allegro - Sviatoslav Richter S
Pno Con No.2, Sz83#: II. Adagio - Sviatoslav Richter
Pno Con No.2, Sz83#: III. Allegro molto - Sviatoslav Richter

Customer Reviews:

Terrific Tchaikovsky and Bonuses.......2004-07-16

This 2CD set from EMI's "Double Forte" series is an excellent way to get five outstanding piano concertos for the price of one full-priced disc (get it in the Marketplace, Amazon's price is inflated). The main attraction here is the three Tchaikovsky Concertos, as performed by legendary pianist Emil Gilels with Lorin Maazel and the New Philharmonia Orchestra in 1972 recordings. (As an aside, I've always wondered if EMI had intended George Szell to record these works with Gilels. When Szell left Epic/Columbia for EMI in the late 1960s, his new studio made a point of partnering the conductor with the master soloists under their contract. Unfortunately, Szell's death in 1970 left us with only a Beethoven Piano Concerto Cycle with Gilels, the Brahms Double Concerto with Rostropovich and Oistrakh, and Brahms Violin Concerto with Oistrakh alone -- see my review of the latter.) This is my third, and probably least favorite Gilels account of the Tchaikovsky 1st -- I personally find the 1955 rendition with Reiner on RCA Living Stereo and the early 1980 digital with Mehta on Sony Essential Classics more enjoyable. This doesn't bother me in the slightest though, one because the performance is still very good, and two because my whole reason for buying this title was to have accounts of all three Tchaikvosky PCs by an acclaimed pianist. And while the 2nd and the one-movement 3rd aren't the greatest works in the canon, they are played excellently by Gilels and Maazel. The added treat on CD2 is the great Sviatoslav Richter joining Maazel for Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 5 (1970 with the London Symphony Orchestra) and Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 2 (1972 with Orchestre de Paris). All five offerings make this a terrific set at any price.