Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 / Overture on Hebrew Themes

Sergey Prokofiev (Composer), Zubin Mehta (Conductor), Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Juilliard String Quartet (Orchestra), Yefim Bronfman (Performer), Joel Krosnick (Performer), Giora Feidman (Performer), Samuel Rhodes (Performer), Joel Smirnoff (Performer), Robert Mann (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Yefim Bronfman, Joel Krosnick, Giora Feidman, Samuel Rhodes, Joel Smirnoff, et al.
• Orchestra: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Juilliard String Quartet
• Conductor: Zubin Mehta
• Composer: Sergey Prokofiev
• Audio CD (October 4, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Classical
• ASIN: B0000029KY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazon reviewer makes bold statement..., December 9, 2005

By 

M. A. Downs "ramme" (minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 / Overture on Hebrew Themes (Audio CD)

....and is dead on; while Prokofiev's 2nd concerto lacks the sophistication and compositional genius of the 3rd it is superior for two reasons: 1) it is more idiomatic 2) it is more personal. The audience was utterly baffled at the premiere, the world shocked, why? just listen! who else writes like this? Not only is this a prime example of Prokofiev's iconoclastic style - a romp through a truly gothic sound world -- but it is also one of his most personal, a romantic concerto written by an anti-romantic in response to a friends letter that stated, "I've written to tell you the latest news: I've shot myself. The reasons are unimportant." It lacks sophistication because it is barbaric, raw and utterly tempestuous.

Bromfman is not a risk taker (Pogorelich), a method actor (Richter), nor a character actor (Rubenstein); Bromfman basically plays what's on the page like Ashkenazy albeit in this case with the requisite gravitas. It's unfortunate the demand for this concerto has not fueled more interpretation; for the time being this really is the only worthwhile recording.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Prokofiev Recording Available, August 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 / Overture on Hebrew Themes (Audio CD)

Yefim Bronfman & Zubin Mehta have joined forces to produce one of the best recordings of any Prokofiev work. In particular, the 2nd Piano Concerto is as fine a recording as you are ever likely to hear, of anything. Clear, clean, superbly performed and immaculately recorded, it is virtually flawless. Mr. Bronfman's cadenzas are nothing short of spectacular, and the piano as recorded is as clear as if you were playing it yourself. One of the great all-time discs, this is certainly the definitive version of these pieces, majestically paced and emotionally and technically perfect. Highly recommended.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacks emotional depth, February 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 / Overture on Hebrew Themes (Audio CD)

This recording disappoints me. Bronfman seems to work his way through Prokofiev's second piano concerto focused only on the difficult notes. The recording lacks the intensity and emotion the piece is capable of. The Prokofiev piano concerto #2 is one of my favorite pieces of music, but I honestly recomend a better recording. Michael Beroff has a recording out of the piece that is by far, one of the best recordings I've ever heard. If you want to hear the emotion involved in Prokofiev's best concerto, listen to Beroff.