Works for Piano and Orchestra: Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tsafsman

by BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16, is the centerpiece of this 2024 release by pianist Zlata Chochieva and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Chochieva gives the work a clean performance entirely in line with the work's neoclassic origins, but the real interest here lies in the two works that frame it, neither one much played outside the Russian sphere. Rimsky-Korsakov's Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 30, has languished in comparison with the composer's colorful orchestral works, though it is worth a new hearing. Rimsky-Korsakov acknowledged a debt to Liszt in the shape of this work and in its virtuosity. The latter is all the more impressive inasmuch as Rimsky-Korsakov was not really a pianist. However, what is distinctive about it is, as usual with this composer, its orchestration. It is very much an orchestration specialist's concerto, with the piano part growing in an utterly distinctive way out of concertante wind passages. Veteran conductor Karl-Heinz Steffens has a beautiful feel for these junctures, and Chochieva's effortless virtuosity serves her well in the work. Even less familiar is the Suite de Jazz by Alexandre Tsfasman, who is promoted here as a kind of Russian Gershwin. That is pushing it; the jazz here is strictly third-hand, as the presence of a Polka movement ought to suggest. Yet it is a light-hearted, pleasantly melodic work that leaves the listener in a good mood at the end. It fits Chochieva's laid-back style, and one can sample the curiously named "Career" finale for an idea. The interview-style booklet doesn't help much in giving information about this or the other works on the album, a disadvantage with unfamiliar material, but the performers have brought out two works that could enliven any symphonic concert. Naïve's engineering at the Glasgow City Halls brings a real physicality to the piano. This release made classical best-seller lists in the autumn of 2024. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	11/15/2024
Label:	NAIVE
UPC:	3700187684488

Tracks

1. Piano Concerto in C-sharp Minor, Op. 30~Moderato - Allegretto quasi polacca
2. Piano Concerto in C-sharp Minor, Op. 30~Andante mosso
3. Piano Concerto in C-sharp Minor, Op. 30~Allegro
4. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16~I. Andantino - Allegretto
5. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16~II. Scherzo. Vivace
6. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16~III. Intermezzo. Allegro moderato
7. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16~IV. Finale. Allegro tempestoso
8. Jazz Suite~I. Snowflakes. Allegro vivace
9. Jazz Suite~II. Lyrical Waltz
10. Jazz Suite~III. Polka
11. Jazz Suite~IV. Career. Presto

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Zlata Chochieva   Primary Artist,Piano
Karl-Heinz Steffens   Primary Artist,Conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Dave Rowell   Engineer,Mastering,Mixing
Zlata Chochieva   Interviewee
Pierre-Yves Lascar   Editorial Manager
Alasdair McLean   Piano Technician
Andrew Keener   Recording Producer
Sergey Prokofiev   Composer
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov   Composer
Burkhard Scheibe   Photography
Patrick May   Interviewer
Kristina Radiy   Photography,Cover Photo
Juliana Falldin   Photography
Caitlin Pittol-Neville   Assistant Engineer
Elise Belkaid   Artwork
Alexander Tsfasman   Composer
Matthew Swan   Editing