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piano was by far Prokofiev's favorite instrument. He was a formidable pianist in
his own right, premiering most of his works in concert halls around the world.
Fortunately, many of the greatest pianists of the 20th century were drawn to
Prokofiev's compositions as well. Two Russian pianists who knew Prokofiev
and premiered his later piano sonatas stand tallest in the pantheon of
great interpreters of Prokofiev's piano works -- Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter.
As with the great conductors of today who specialize in Prokofiev's works,
there are a number of young pianists who rival the greats of
yesterday. Several pianists have recently completed recording the
entire Prokofiev piano cycle including Boris Berman (on Chandos),
Frederic Chiu
(on Harmonia Mundi), and Oleg
Marshev (on Danacord). Also not to be missed is Barbara
Nissman, who was the first to record the complete piano sonatas to commemorate
Prokoifev's 100th birthday in 1991 -- her sonata cycle remains one of the towering
achievements of the last twenty years for Prokofiev lovers.
[Click on a name to see the artist's recordings in our database.]
