Prokofiev's 7th (Piano) Sonata

[j lee]

I went over to the local university a month ago or so to grab the score of the Precipitato (it's fast, angry, and in 7/8) after hearing somebody perform it in a documentary (it was either Gould or Argerich, one of the two).

Here's Gould on youtube -- really clean, not a lot of mud with the pedal and the rhythm is kind of outrageously metronomic.

And here's somebody who did the whole bouncing-ball follow the score thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0RwrxCwREI

As the summer is coming to an end (yeah, it's time to flip the book of lead sheets into the "autumn" section because you can never be cheesy enough!) I figure I should try to get inside this piece a little bit.

So, my question for classical music fans is: do you people ever try to break some of the rhythms of any given piece down into LH/RH, sort of like beating time like people do when digging a jazz performance? Cause this one breaks down in kind of an alarmingly regular way, almost like an exercise a drummer might do.

Anybody know anything about Prokofiev or this piece in particular? It's pretty neat, in kind of a Joplin "Magnetic Rag" metal kind of way, but I have a hard time saying why it's so mesmerizing.

Cheers!

[Д.Д.]

Can't answer your questions, but can post my favorite performances of the 7th:

Alexey Sultanov: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENKrPRKCOAg

Maurizio Pollini (can't find a good-sounding full version, here is Precipitato only): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rfle8wSwJM

[j lee]

Can't answer your questions, but can post my favorite performances of the 7th:

Alexey Sultanov: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENKrPRKCOAg

Maurizio Pollini (can't find a good-sounding full version, here is Precipitato only): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rfle8wSwJM

Thanks, homes. I think the Pollini is familiar -- if that isn't brisk and effusive, I don't know what is

Sultanov is a new one for me -- I'd have gone with a different haircut, myself, but that's certainly that fiery emotive style of playing it's hard to argue with. Authoritative. What's his deal, anyway? The name sounds vaguely familiar, but first time hearing him.

I always thought it was Rachmaninov who had the famously huge fingers, but getting into the more densely-textured parts, it seems Prokofiev must have had some Fats Waller in his genes as well. That's quite a stretch in RH for some of that: you expect it in LH in (to stick with the Russians/Soviets) Scriabin and everybody, but it's always kind of weird to splay too much in RH. Even when you can just let the thumb cover a few notes.

Since this a jazz forum, I was checking out the "official" transcription of Booker's "Put Out the Light" sometime a few weeks ago. Not sure the transcription is exactly for sure what JB played, but that was a neat surprise to see the stuff all spelled out in ways I wouldn't have automatically gone with. Nice tune, though -- as I get older, I kind of admire some of the simpler, matter-of-fact things a bit more.

[Chuck Nessa]

Pollini? I don't think so.

[j lee]

Pollini? I don't think so.

Inorite?!

[Chuck Nessa]

Pollini? I don't think so.

Inorite?!

ok??

[j lee]

Pollini? I don't think so.

Inorite?!

ok??

kk!

Hey, Sultanov's performance of the second movement is very...moving.

Good tip on that one.

[Д.Д.]

Sultanov was excellent, it's such a shame he died so young.

[MomsMobley]

Sokolov

Raekiallio