Daniil Trifonov - Silver Age (2020) [CD-Rip]

Pianist Daniil Trifonov puts his stamp on a variety of Russian works in this large collection (two CDs in the physical version), with the music purported to be unified by two ideas: the "Silver Age" mentioned in the title is a concept from Russian poetry, applying to the first two decades of the 20th century and borrowed here for music, and the promotion by Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Scriabin of music's relationship to the other arts. This bulky framework doesn't contribute much to the listener's understanding of the music-making, and the Piano Sonata No. 8 in B flat major, Op. 84, by Prokofiev from the World War II era, doesn't fit the timeframe, but it doesn't matter greatly. Trifonov continues to emerge as a prime interpreter of Russian repertory, one who can fuse sheer virtuoso chops with emotionally incisive readings. Listen to some of the Sarcasms, Op. 17, of Prokofiev; it's hard to imagine a performance at once as crisp and as tough. Or try the famed "Danse russe" from Stravinsky's Petrushka; Trifonov does seem to conceptualize the music as made for the ballet. There are piano concertos by Prokofiev and Scriabin on the program -- both with Trifonov ably accompanied by the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev -- and, once again, the pianist excels in the bumptious Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16, of Prokofiev. One doesn't have to like everything here to feel that this release solidifies Trifonov's reputation as a major new pianistic voice. ~ James Manheim