CD REVIEW -
prokofiev
ISATA KANNEH-MASON
PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA - RYAN
BANCROFT
DECCA 487 1857
[75:21]
I have been a fan
of this tremendously talented
pianist for seven years and a
trio of her four albums have been
reviewed here. Born in 1996 (the
eldest of seven siblings in a
famed family) she has been
described as one of today's most
in-demand classical musicians.
For her fifth album she turns her
attention to Ukraine-born Russian
composer Sergei Prokofiev
(1891-1953), who was initially
considered an enfant terrible
musically but, in his maturity,
wrote some memorable melodies.
The centrepiece of
this well-filled disc is his Piano
Concerto No.3 (30'42").
Kanneh-Mason made her BBC Proms
debut in 2023 with this work, and
describes it as "one of my
favourites, completely crazy and
very rhythmic"; and in
another place it is referred to
as a virtuosic firework display.
With the pianist well supported
throughout by the Philharmonia
under Ryan Bancroft – an
American currently serving as
Chief Conductor of the Royal
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
and Principal Conductor of the
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
– it is a pleasurable listen
that has been very highly rated
elsewhere by those familiar with
the Prokofiev piano repertoire,
and identified as a benchmark for
any future recordings.
Equally
pleasurable, and perhaps even
more so for some listeners, are
the solo piano pieces. A number
of these will be familiar and
include the March and Scherzo
from the composer's opera 'The
Love for Three Oranges',
four excerpts each from two
popular ballets: 10 Pieces
from 'Romeo & Juliet'
(No.6 for devotees of
'The Apprentice') and 10 Pieces
from 'Cinderella',
finishing with Troika (Sleigh
Ride), a piano version taken
from the film score suite of 'Lieutenant
Kijé'.
The remaining
nearly 15-minutes of probably
lesser-known Toccata, Prelude
from 10 Pieces for piano
and Piano Sonata No.3
maintain the consistently high
appeal of the playing.
Although obviously
a recommended listen, a pity that
Claire Jackson's booklet notes
are not easy to read, being small
and printed white on a coloured
background. I would also like to
have known the make of the solo
instrument.
©
Peter Burt, April 2026
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