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Cover: Sergei Prokofiev – Piano Concertos Nos 1, 3 & 4

Sergei Prokofiev

Piano Concertos Nos 1, 3 & 4

Olli Mustonen, piano
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor

ODE 1244-2 · CD · September 2016

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Track listing

10 tracks · 69:10

Listen to samples on selected tracks.

Sergei Prokofiev

  1. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26 28:53
  2. 1 I Andante. Allegro 9:49
  3. 2 II Tema con variazioni 8:59
  4. 3 III Allegro, ma non troppo 10:05
  5. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10 16:32
  6. 4 I Allegro brioso 7:39
  7. 5 II Andante assai 4:13
  8. 6 III Allegro scherzando 4:40
  9. Piano Concerto No. 4 (for the left hand) in B flat major, Op. 53 23:45
  10. 7 I Vivace 4:55
  11. 8 II Andante 8:53
  12. 9 III Moderato 8:10
  13. 10 IV Vivace 1:47

About this recording

Ondine is proud to present the first disc of Sergei Prokofiev’s (1891–1953) piano concertos with pianist Olli Mustonen and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu.

Prokofiev’s Piano Concertos are among 20th century masterpieces. The composer himself was a skilled pianist and the works are marked with technical brilliance. The young composer made himself a major coup at the premiere of his youthful 1st Piano Concerto in 1914 and confirmed his reputation as an enfant terrible. It took several years for Prokofiev to complete his 3rd Piano Concerto – the most popular of his Piano Concertos. The work received its world premiere in Chicago in 1921 and soon the work turned into a major success also in Europe. Prokofiev’s 4th Piano Concerto (for the left hand) is slightly more austere in style and has remained in the shadow of the two other concertos included in this disc. He wrote the 4th concerto in 1931 for Paul Wittgenstein, but the work remained unperformed until 1956.

Pianist Olli Mustonen has worked with most of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and The Royal Concertgebouw, partnering conductors such as Ashkenazy, Barenboim, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Harnoncourt, Masur and Nagano. As a recitalist, he plays in all the significant musical capitals, including Mariinsky Theatre St Petersburg, Wigmore Hall, Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Symphony Center Chicago, New York Zankel Hall and Sydney Opera House. His many albums for Ondine include Respighi’s Concerto in modo Misolidio with Sakari Oramo and the Finnish Radio Symphony and a critically acclaimed disc of Scriabin’s solo piano music.

The recent recordings by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Hannu Lintu on Ondine have been a fruitful collaboration gathering excellent reviews in the international press.

Features

Sleeve notes in English and Finnish.

The artists

Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), and its mission is to produce and promote Finnish musical culture.

Full biography

Hannu Lintu

Hannu Lintu is one of Finland's most sought-after conductors and is rapidly creating a major international career. He has been Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra 2009-2013, and also Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. Before assuming the new role of Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 2013 to 2021, he was the orchestra's Chief Guest Conductor in 2012. Hannu Lintu was previously Chief Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular guest conductor with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in Finland and was Artistic Director of the orchestra's Summer Sounds festival in 2005. In November 2022, the Gulbenkian Orchestra announced the appointment of Lintu as its next chief conductor.

Full biography

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ODE 1251-5 · SACD / CD · May 2014

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