Prokofiev composed
his First Piano Concerto while still
in his early twenties as a vehicle for
his own impressive abilities at the
keyboard. Youthful, exuberant and full
of flash, the opening motive strikes
the listener with somewhat of a hammer
blow, and does not relent for the entire
fifteen minutes of the piece. Sadly
underrepresented on the concert platform,
this is a work of tremendous spark and
enthusiasm and deserves more credit
than the usual cursory dismissal as
an immature showpiece.
Nikolai Lugansky never
fails to impress and this live performance
from the BBC Proms concerts of 2003
is no exception. The young Lugansky
rips up the keyboard as if he were a
reincarnation of the twenty-one year
old composer that first presented this
piece to the world. No stranger to lyricism
either, Lugansky is able to create a
fine cantabile when called upon.
Sadly, the sonics of
this live recording leave a bit to be
desired. The sound is boxy and distant
and to these ears, recorded at too low
a level to have any real presence. I
found myself cranking up the volume
far more often than is my custom to
get the desired effect of being bowled
over with sound. If you are a Lugansky
fan (and I certainly am) then this is
a performance for your collection, but
for great sound, there are certainly
better choices.
The Fifth Symphony,
debuted in 1945 when bombs were still
raining down on Russia, is perhaps the
last of Prokofiev’s true masterworks.
It was shortly after the first performance
that the composer slipped in his apartment,
striking his head, leaving him unconscious
for nearly two days. His recovery was
never really complete and the effects
of the concussion affected his work
for the rest of his life. He was, for
example, never to conduct a symphony
orchestra again after the accident.
At a time when composers
had to be ultra careful not to offend
the Stalinist regime with excesses,
Prokofiev takes a hint from Shostakovich.
In the Fifth Symphony he writes a work
that suits all the demands of the apparatchik
but at the same time comes off as strikingly
original.
Opening with more sweeping
gestures than the traditional allegro,
Prokofiev achieves his dramatic intent
through harmony and orchestration rather
than stirring rhythmic devices. The
scherzo, with its macabre melodic and
harmonic shifts is colorful in its clever
orchestration. The haunting adagio,
whose melody is played over the pulsing
accompaniment so favored by the composer,
leads to a jolly finale, the main theme
of which hints at the opening melody
of the first movement.
The National Youth
Orchestra of Great Britain acquit themselves
rather well with this difficult score.
If there be complaints, they lie in
the tendency of the brass to over-blow
a bit, and in general, intonation, particularly
in the winds could be more spot-on.
However, for an orchestra of youngsters,
not yet seasoned in such complicated
repertoire, this is indeed a worthy
performance. Yan Pascal Tortelier coaxes
an excellent balance from his sections,
lyrical moments are beautifully spun
out and there is a fine rhythmic precision
throughout.
To summarize, this
disc is a document of what must have
been a very impressive live concert,
and if you were there, you might want
the memento. Although the performances
are on the whole fine, I am not certain
that they live up to an international
standard. A hedged recommendation, then,
for this performance.
Kevin Sutton
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain/Yan
Pascal Tortelier 