Prokofiev Plays His Piano Concerto No. 3 (1932) NEW EDITION

Описание: Serge Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op.26

1. Andante – Allegro (00:07)
2. Tema con variazioni (08:29)
3. Allegro, ma non troppo (16:10)

Serge Prokofiev, pianist
Pierro Coppola, conductor
The London Symphony Orchestra

Recorded on June 27/28, 1932
Abbey Road Studio 1, London

Although Serge Prokofiev was one of the most distinguished composer-pianists of his time, he is best remembered for his work as a composer.

The fact is that he actually seemed to resent the idea of pursuing a career as a pianist, which kept him away from composing. His pianistic reputation in the West was even further reduced by the ill-fortune that the Great Depression and his own efforts in Opera composition had at a critical time in his career. This cost him the kind of fame as a pianist that others like Rachmaninov enjoyed.

In spite of these factors, Prokofiev's abilities as a pianist were exceptionally good. Had he actually sought a concert career, he certainly could have achieved it. The present recording is the only large-scale studio effort that he ever made on the instrument, and it is well-worth hearing.

The Third Piano Concerto is one of his greatest masterpieces, and remains one of the 20th Century's most important works in the form. It is fortunate that Prokofiev left us this performance, which is also a testament to his great talent as a pianist.

It has often been commented that his recorded performance is the fastest to be found anywhere. This is a fairly typical practice for composers with their own music. One reason may be that the score is the "Composer's Own" statement, and the approaches they take in performance tend to be conservative.

It's interesting to listen to this early mixing by EMI. The concept of mixing dates back to the first decade of the 20th century and acoustic recordings. Then it was tubes and valves. Electrical changed all that. The early carbon and condenser microphones were nearly impossible to mix because they tended to interfere with other acoustically. By 1930 the advent of ribbon microphones brought mixing back into the studio. Their sonic quality rivalled condensers, but they were also "polite" and worked very well together in the mix. This is one of the earliest examples of how these microphones were used.

Digital restoration (2009): Dr. John Duffy
Full Fidelity restoration (2026): Paul Howard - The Yucaipa Studio

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