[.ca] 5 Pno Ctos

From Amazon.com:
During the 1970s, Vladimir Ashkenazy recorded virtually the entire standard piano repertoire, largely successfully. Then he turned to conducting, at which he's steadily become more successful. Although his initial efforts on the podium were not greeted with universal acclaim, you've got to respect the fact that he moved onto something new rather than attempting to revisit the same music again and risk not doing it nearly as well. Among his complete editions was this set of Prokofiev piano concertos, and they are among the best things that he did. At two discs for the price of one, it's a fine way to acquire all of these exciting works. --David Hurwitz

Not just #3:
All I wish to say is that I bought this recording only because the NPR guide recommended it for the third concerto. I have thoroughly enjoyed all five. The concerto for the left hand is a gem. That is all I wish to say.

Fingers, fingers...:
Well, may be I can give one more star for his technique...After all he did learn all the 5 concertos. But what is the point? I have to admit that his first recording of complete Chopin etudes, when he recorded all of them on one breath, is amazing. But lately I feel like he's lost passion for music. Only technique, only fingers and NO heart whatsoever. Oh well...But if you want to remember the performance, listen to Vladimir Krainev! Trust me on this one!!! I know what I am talking about. Sometimes quantity does not make the quality better.

Ashkenazy's Albatross:
After purchasing this CD set I was to say the least dismayed! Askenazy's performance is routine at best, and Previn is amazingly luke warm conducting the LSO! Decca/London's remastering is one of the worst I have heard for a 1975 recording! The strings are shrill, like fingernails on a chalk board, and the whole set has a weird bassy kind of imbalance! The best Prokofiev set to buy are the two CD's containing all five concertos on NAXOS, with Kun Woo Paik, and Antoni Wit conducting the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra! Superb performances, and some of NAXOS best digital recording!

Ashkenazy does it again:
I bought this as an after thought (it was listed under the "Customers who bought this also bought . . ." section) while buying Prokofiev's "Classical" symphony (which I also highly recommend). I laid it aside for awhile and forgot about it for several weeks after it arrived, but I left it in my CD changer. One day, as I sat doing my homework, one of my other CD's ended and I was greeted by a powerful pulsing chord on the strings, which immediately caused me to sit up and take notice. This was my introduction to Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto. All five are incredible works, although the First and Second, in my opinion, carry the most weight. They are light hearted and fun, in full modern style, the one exception being the Second, which is intense beyond belief and makes you wonder how it fits with all the others. The Fourth and Fifth are especially quirky (the Fourth is written only for the left hand), but a pleasure to listen too. All in all I couldn't believe what a deal I'd gotten, getting all five of these magnificent works in one set. Ashkenazy does a fabulous job bringing out the feeling and power behind these works, and, when appropriate, the playfulness. Don't miss out!

19th century Prokofiev:
This 2 CD set was a favorite of mine since 1990, however after listening to the Guiterrez and Berman recording on the Chandos label, I am going to retire this recording. The best concertos recorded here are the 1ST and 3RD. They are more lyrical and romantic sounding than the versions on the Chandos set, and so they are fun to listen to as an alternate interpretation. Ashkenazy's lyrical style and Previn's slower tempo does not work at all for the remaining concerti however (2,4,5). In fact, I did not care for concertos 2,4 & 5 (and thought it was the music I didn't care for.) until I heard the Chandos recording.

• Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Flat Major, Op. 10: 1. Allegro brioso
• Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Flat Major, Op. 10: 2. Andante assai-
• Piano Concerto No. 1 In D Flat Major, Op. 10: 3. Allegro scherzando
• Piano Concerto No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 53: 1. Vivace
• Piano Concerto No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 53: 2. Andante
• Piano Concerto No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 53: 3. Moderato
• Piano Concerto No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 53: 4. Vivace
• Piaon Concerto No. 5 In G Major, Op. 55: 1. Allegro con brio
• Piaon Concerto No. 5 In G Major, Op. 55: 2. Moderato ben accentuato
• Piaon Concerto No. 5 In G Major, Op. 55: 3. Toccata: Allegro con fuoco
• Piaon Concerto No. 5 In G Major, Op. 55: 4. Larghetto
• Piaon Concerto No. 5 In G Major, Op. 55: 5. Vivo
• Piano Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 16: 1. Andantino
• Piano Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 16: 2. Scherzo: Vivace
• Piano Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 16: 3. Intermezzo: Allegro moderato
• Piano Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 16: 4. Allegro tempestoso
• Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Major, Op. 26: 1. Andante -- Allegro
• Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Major, Op. 26: 2. Terna con variazioni
• 3. Allegro, ma non troppo