The sixth comes closest to capturing the controlled frenzy of the pianists 1960 carnegie hall reading, but the philips version must take priority for cleaner finger work and professional. Sviatoslav richter also liked and played prokofiev s 8th piano sonata to the extent that he was initially a tiny bit disappointed with the piano sonata no. Its good to have sviatoslav richter s peerless interpretations of the three prokofiev war sonatas gathered in one place, if only because of the pianists personal association with the composer. Andante dolce allegro moderato andante andante dolce come prima allegro 8.
On 20 june 1939 prokofiev s close friend and professional associate, the. He gave out in a statement at the time that he intended it as a hymn to free and happy man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit. Obviously richter, horowitz, i even believe pletnev had good interpretations of this war sonata. Although richter introduced the 7th sonata in 1943, it was vladimir horowitz who gave the american premiere and, in 1945, may have been the first to record it available on prokofiev. If the sonata 7 is your principle interest, then you may in fact be interested in pursuing other richter performances with somewhat better recordings.
Horowitz also premeried the 6th and 8th sonatas in. Sviatoslav richter piano, nina dorliac soprano, svviatoslav richter piano, mstislav rostropovich cello, symphony orchestra ussr, radio symphony orchestra ussr, state symphony orchestra ussr, moscow youth symphony orchestra, moscow philharmonic orchestra, philadelphia orchestra eugene. World war ii was still raging during the symphonys gestation, and prokofiev composed it in the soviet union. Where richter is restless and uneasy in accord with prokofievs allegro inquieto tempo marking in the first movement of the piano sonata no.
Where richter is restless and uneasy in accord with prokofiev s allegro inquieto tempo marking in the first movement of the piano sonata no. Prokofiev war sonatas boris giltburg orchid classics. It was first performed in 1943 in moscow by sviatoslav richter. Precipitato sviatoslav richer live recording, london, 7. Find composition details, parts movement information and albums that contain performances of piano sonata no.
Sviatoslav began piano lessons at the age of seven and with a natural. Sergei prokofiev could not have existed in the 19th century. The sonata was first performed on 18 january 1943 in moscow by sviatoslav richter. Finished in 1942, the sonata number 7 in bflat major op. Sviatoslav richter plays rakhmaninov and prokofiev. Richters playing of this amazing work at once a homage to the. Between the fourth sonata, completed in 1917, and the group of war sonatas nos. Download sviatoslav richter pianist of the century dg 9cds torrent or any other torrent from audio flac direct download via magnet link. What is the best recording of prokofievs piano sonata no. Filmed in 1965, this is a closeup encounter with richter s virtuosity. Although richter met prokofiev on a number of occasions he said himself that i had more. The first movement, marked allegro inquieto, opens with a dark, menacing theme whose militaristic vehemence seizes the expressive reins at times with insistent bass chords that hammer out a crushing rhythm. In 1939 prokofiev s close friend and professional associate, vsevolod meyerhold, was arrested by stalins secret police just before he was due to rehearse prokofiev s new. The sonata was dedicated to sviatoslav richter, a member of the union of soviet composers, and by whom it was first performed on 21 april 1951 in moscow movements.
Problably my favourite performance of prokofiev s 7th sonata 3rd mov. Prokofiev decided that he wanted richter to play his new piano sonata no. That quality is to the fore in the richter dedicated ninth sonata of 1951, where melnikov negotiates its lowering. Two volumes in, alexander melnikovs commanding survey of prokofiev s piano sonatas is already proving itself essential.
It is the most popular of the three and, at about 16 or 17 minutes, the shortest as well. Fourteen years had passed since prokofiev wrote the first version of his symphony no. Serge prokofiev sviatoslav richter warsaw philharmonic orchestra witold rowicki. This is the middle panel in prokofiev s grand trilogy of works called war sonatas. Sviatoslav richter plays rakhmaninov and prokofiev classical music album play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical music site on the web. The precipitato finale is a toccata, which boldly affirms the key of the sonata through a more diatonic harmonic language than found in the first. Prokofiev s reading of romain rollands book on beethoven strongly influenced his sixth, seventh and eighth sonatas, works that he wrote simultaneously. Les collines danacapri prokofiev sonata for piano number 8, opus. Sviatoslav richter, mussorgsky, prokofiev pictures at. Sergei prokofiev archives vancouver recital society. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Opera and concert recordings reveal prokofievs variety the. It works, especially in the hard and intricate piano sonata no.
Though, in all fairness, it should be noted that poliini and horowitz have deservedly legendary recordings of this same sonata. Alexander scriabin, nikolay myaskovsky, sergei prokofiev. This work is likely not in the public domain in the us due to first publication with the required notice after 1924. Despite its huge proportions and presenting some serious technical challenges to the performer, piano sonata no. Suffice it to say, liszts piano sonata was not welcomed into the canon with.
Prokofiev piano sonata n7 richter london 1970 youtube. No doubt the tone would have been fuller these days, but when i was offered that in boris bermans recent complete issue of the prokofiev sonatas i found that i. I believe this piece needs to play with absolute vigor, excitement, and a little bit. Reviewing the first instalment for limelight, warwick arnold observed that the essence of prokofiev s genius is distilled in his piano writing. The cd a cdr is transferred at a rather low level, and is not playable on some of my equipment. Sergey sergeyevich prokofiev composer 18911953 play streams in full or download mp3.