Prokofiev for Two

I’ve been enjoying a new release from pianists Martha Argerich and Sergei Babayan entitled Prokofiev for Two, made up of arrangements for two pianos by Babayan. There’s familiar numbers from Romeo and Juliet, but also some real rarities, including incidental music to Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades and Hamlet. I must admit that, to my shame, I hadn’t realised that Prokofiev had written music for these plays; before hearing them, I had to check that these weren’t some Tchaikovsky arrangements thrown in for good measure. Best of all is a waltz from Prokofiev’s opera War and Peace which, rather excitingly, is to be staged by Welsh National Opera in the autumn.

The internets led me then to the next in Doremi’s series of Argerich recital releases, pairing her with violinist Ruggiero Ricci, in a concert given in Leningrad in 1961. I’ve been listening to the second recital (Doremi released a previous one already), the highlight of which a blistering account of the Franck Violin Sonata, much better than some rather relentless solo Bach from Ricci at the recital’s start. There is, for a Soviet music fan, an added thrill in imagining who might have been in the audience that night.

Kuusisto wows; Vengerov steps in

A review and a bit of good news to bring you.  First: I was again bowled over by the refreshingly quirky Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who joined Thomas Adès on Monday for a Britten Sinfonia gig.  He tore through Adès’s Violin Concerto, titled ‘Concentric Paths’, making a far better impression in it than Anthony Marwood did at the Proms, back in 2005.  Then there was an utterly lovely encore.  Read my full review at Classicalsource and listen to the concert (UK readers only) on the BBC iPlayer until next Monday.

Secondly, Intermezzo brings great news for violin fans:  Maxim Vengerov returns, replacing Martha Argerich in a concert with the St Petersburg Phil at the Barbican next month.  He’ll be playing Prokofiev’s 1^st Violin Concerto.  A Wigmore Hall recital follows in April, though both concerts are predictably sold out (it’s worth checking the Barbican website for returns, which are listed as they appear).  Incidentally, I met Vengerov, briefly, this week, and he’s a jolly nice chap.

UPDATE:  If you're happy to pay full whack (£55) then you'll have no problem getting hold of a returned ticket.  More than 15 have appeared since this morning.  The rest of us might have to wait until next time.