Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 7 & 9 (Alexander Melnikov)

Information

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

• (01) Piano Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29
• (04) Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83
• (07) Piano Sonata No. 9 in C major, Op. 103

Alexander Melnikov, piano
Date: 2019
Label: harmonia mundi
http://www.harmoniamundi.com/#!/albums/2550

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Review

The second instalment of Melnikov’s Prokofiev sonatas covers a kaleidoscope of temperaments. From the sombre and brooding Fourth through the viscerally uncompromising Seventh to the shyly restrained and hesitant Ninth, he displays a highly individual concept of Prokofiev’s evolution. For all its vacillations, something in Melnikov’s choice of colours conveys an overall feeling of austerity and looming danger that is not quite like anyone else’s vision. Surrounded in this way by menacing gloom, the brief courageous outbursts in the Ninth Sonata and the intimate episodes of daydreaming in the second movement of the Fourth are extraordinarily moving. Few pianists have come this close to Richter in making such a strong case for both comparatively neglected works. Some of Richter’s poetry has been replaced by eeriness, as in the hallucinogenic opening theme of the Fourth Sonata’s first movement, which becomes spookier with each return. Here and in the enigmatic Ninth, Melnikov achieves a perfect balance between spontaneity, sensitivity to sudden mood changes, and controlled architectural thinking. The impression of translucence in the finale of the Ninth, despite the complex contrapuntal texture, is also a marvel. There is something infinitely touching in the discretion of this sonata, especially its subdued ending – like an actor who vanishes without returning to take a bow – and Melnikov is a master at portraying it.

The more familiar exhibitionist Prokofiev comes on stage in the Seventh Sonata, the more so for being enveloped between two of his most reticent works. But even amid the freewheeling onrush, Melnikov has a corner of his foot on the brake, not so as to detract from the energy but to ensure that it accumulates over the long term. This is far from the demonic exhilaration of Pollini’s account, in particular his frenzied finale. But I prefer Melnikov’s comparatively restrained solution to Boris Giltburg’s determination to match Pollini’s tempo (even beating it by a few seconds), which comes at the expense of turning the movement into a supercar demonstration.

-- Michelle Assay, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2019/dec/Prokofiev_piano_v2_HMM902203.html
https://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Piano-Sonatas-Alexander-Melnikov/dp/B07W3RR9FH

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Sergei Prokofiev (23 April, 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous genres, he was one of the major composers of the 20th century. Prokofiev wrote seven completed operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony-concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas, many of which are widely known and heard. He also enjoyed personal and artistic support from a new generation of Russian performers, notably Sviatoslav Richter and Mstislav Rostropovich.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Prokofiev

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Alexander Melnikov (born 1973) is a Russian pianist. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory under Lev Naumov. Melnikov developed an interest in historically-informed performance practice at an early age, and performs regularly with period ensembles. As a soloist, Melnikov has performed with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Melnikov's discography on Harmonia Mundi features works by Weber, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Dvorak, Rachmaninov, Hindemith, Scriabin, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Melnikov_(pianist)

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