CD2/2008
Prague Symphony Orchestra
Zdeněk Košler
Václav Smetáček
Peter Katin, piano
The Royal Festival Hall, London
The Albert Hall, Nottingham
Recordings: 1967 & 1968
| This CD contains the only commercial recording of Peter Katin playing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no 3; see below for a reminiscence by Peter Katin about this performance |
International Record Review
“…a sparkling performance of the Third Piano Concerto by Prokofiev … [Peter Katin’s playing] combines agility, poetry and character most impressively, as well as bristling with rhythmic life.”
“…the recorded sound is splendid – natural and full…”
—International Record Review, April 2009
Norman Lebrecht
“The sound is outstanding and the playing very fine.”
—Norman Lebrecht, private correspondence, 10th January 2010
Fanfare
“There’s a surprising richness to the full orchestral blend, Terry’s two-microphone technique triumphing at least in part over the notoriously dry acoustics of the Royal Festival Hall.”
“The pianist is assured, athletic, and technically immaculate … Highly energized and flawlessly performed, this [Prokofiev] is an interesting reading that deserves the enthusiastic applause it receives.”
—Barry Brenesal, Fanfare 33:5, May/June 2010
MusicWeb International
“[Peter Katin is] a splendid exponent, whose legerdemain is matched by an acute structural sense, and whose tonal qualities are laudable. The ensemble between pianist and orchestra is pretty solid. The piano’s treble sonorities against the high winds are a notably successful feature of a recording that in no small degree manages to bring some warmth to the hall’s acoustic.”
—Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International, May 2010
| Track listing | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Walton: Scapino Overture | 8' 19" |
| Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto no 3 in C major, op 26 | 28' 37" | |
| 2 | I Andante – Allegro* | 9' 14" |
| 3 | II Tema con variazione† | 9' 15" |
| 4 | III Allegro ma non troppo | 10' 10" |
| Zdeněk Košler • Peter Katin, piano • The Royal Festival Hall, London, 8th February 1967 | ||
| 5 | Miloslav Kabeláč: Reflections, op 49 | 15' 13" |
| Václav Smetáček • The Royal Festival Hall, London, 6th March 1968 | ||
| 6 | Maurice Ravel: Rhapsodie Espagnole | 16' 27" |
| 7 | Encore: Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dance no 15, op 72 | 3' 05" |
| Zdeněk Košler • The Albert Hall, Nottingham, 13th February 1967 | ||
| Total time: | 71' 43" | |
*Sample extract (control with the Sound Sample tab at the top of the page)
†This track may be heard on the Sampler CD
Peter Katin recalls playing Prokofiev
On hearing the Orchestral Concert CDs recording of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no 3, a little over forty years after the recording was made, Peter Katin gave his reaction to the performance and recalled how difficult he had found the work to play.
Thanks to Czech Music Direct for permitting the inclusion of this audio sample.