Piero Coppola, London Symphony Orchestra - Prokofiev plays Sergei Prokofiev (2001)

With some trivial exceptions, mostly piano rolls, this disc compiles Prokofiev's complete recordings as a pianist. It's a pity there are so few of them, but we are fortunate to have any. The composer's brilliance in his own popular Third Piano Concerto has never been surpassed, not even by such contemporary virtuosi as Argerich and Toradze. The way he tosses off the showers of rushing chords just before the end of the last movement is a typical illustration of Prokofiev's amazing pianism. Even the sluggish playing of the LSO under the direction of Coppola, a company hack from French EMI, doesn't diminish the value or the thrills of this performance. The selection of piano music, brief as it is, reveals the contrasting facets of Prokofiev's style, and his playing reflects moods from the sarcastic brilliance of Suggestion diabolique to the touching poignance of the slow movement from the Fourth Piano Sonata. Superbly transferred by Mark Obert-Thorn, this listenable and compelling disc is a model of what historical reissues should be in both content and presentation. --Leslie Gerber