2 & 5 Archive

PROKOFIEV: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 – Vadym Kholodenko p./ Fort Worth Sym./ Miguel Harth-Bedoya – Harmonia mundi

by Audiophile Audition | Mar 10, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

PROKOFIEV: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 – Vadym Kholodenko p./ Fort Worth Sym./ Miguel Harth-Bedoya – Harmonia mundi multichannel SACD HMU-807631, 57:03 (2/5/16) **** (performance) **1/2 (recording): A dynamic performance of two Prokofiev concertos with disappointing recorded sound. Winner of the gold medal in the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Vadym Kholodenko has impressed audiences around the world and particularly in Texas where he serves as Artist in Partnership with the Fort Worth Symphony.  This SACD presents Kholodenko with Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in a pair of piano concertos by Sergey Prokofiev that clearly showcase Kholodenko’s skills.  This SACD is the first in a projected Prokofiev cycle. The disc contains the Second Piano Concerto (1913) and Prokofiev’s Fifth Piano Concerto written almost 20 years later. The Second is well known, the Fifth less so. The performances are precise and dynamic. I’ve only heard a few performances of the Fort Worth Symphony, but they perform ably here. These are both challenging compositions, but they did not defeat the orchestra or the soloist. The recording is not a bad one, but not a standout either. Admittedly, how something is recorded is a matter of taste, but […]