Search - Dmitriev :: Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Vol. 2

Extraordinarly neat Prokofiev--but where's the claws?

Dace Gisclard | Houston, TX | 08/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THESE REMARKS ALSO APPLY TO VOLUMES 1 AND 3 OF THIS SERIES, which offer a complete recording of Prokofiev's piano sonatas.



Not a hair is out of place in these technically clean performances by young Russian pianist Peter Dmitriev. For some, this neatness alone may commend his series, but for me, that's just the trouble with it. Dmitriev's approach to this music is elegant and lyrical, which works well in the slow movements and the rather Schubertian Nos.8 and 9 (the best performances here). The sound is good, tempi are moderate, textures are transparent, and he gets all the right notes--but where are the demons in Nos.2-5? Where are the shock tactics that Prokofiev employed with deliberate intent in order to "epatez les bourgeois", later only slightly mollified in the obsessive rhythms and wartime angst of Nos.6 and 7? Yes, this music has its lyricism, but it has a good deal more of aggression and frayed nerves, which Dmitriev downplays. Let it be admitted that the pianist does turn in a fairly wild account of the Toccata--I'd have liked to have heard more of this kind of playing in Nos.2-7.



COLLECTORS' INFO: Dmitriev plays No.5 only in its revised version--there would have been plenty of space to include the original version on Vol.I. Chiu's set doesn't include it either. Nissman, Berman and Sandor play both versions. Nissman and Berman both include the sketch for Sonata No.10.



MY RECOMMENDATIONS: among complete series, Barbara Nissman's is a good bet. Her performances have the diablerie de-emphasized by Dmitriev, but also give Prokofiev's lyrical side full rein. Berman and Chiu also know when to loose the demons, although Chiu's sound is a little bright. One might care to supplement these with Richter in Nos.6-8. There exist Richter live performances of Nos.2 and 9, but the sound is terrible. Try to find his studio recording of No.9 (available, when I was a kid, on Monitor LP's). I usually detest Weissenberg, but his stiletto-fingered No.3 is a very wild ride indeed--manic!--not to be missed! Avoid Sandor--not particularly exciting playing, and bad sound.



I can't say I didn't find Dmitriev's Prokofiev interesting on its own terms--"underplaying" can be an intriguing intellectual experiment, but that doesn't guarantee the results will be fully effective. For the full adrenalin charge and bigger contrasts, I'll turn to the other pianists mentioned above--I wouldn't want this to be my only recording of this music. If one prefers "Prokofiev without tears", then Dmitriev presents the "enfant terrible" with his mane combed and talons clipped. To an extent, neatness counts (and this is VERY neat Prokofiev), but in this music, it's not the whole picture nor an end in itself--the imps should be there, too!"

Impressive

Canzone | California | 05/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you prefer the sledge-hammer, pound-it-to-death pianism of Weissenberg or Berman, then these performances probably won't satisfy you. But there's more than one way to play this music, and Dmitriev's approach allows one to actually hear all the notes that the composer wrote. And the price is right, too. (Richter's recording of the 8th sonata (with the 5th concerto) is a classic and shouldn't be missed)."