Presto Recording of the Week
6th November 2020

Daniil Trifonov (piano)

Stravinsky: Serenade in A for piano
Prokofiev: Sarcasms for Piano, Op. 17
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 8 in B flat major, Op. 84
Prokofiev: Cinderella - Three Pieces for Piano, Op. 95, II. Gavotte
Stravinsky: L’oiseau de Feu. Suite pour piano
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
Stravinsky: Trois mouvements de Petrouchka pour piano
Scriabin: Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op. 20

Daniil Trifonov pays homage to music created during a pivotal period in Russian history

Daniil Trifonov’s new album, Silver Age , recorded with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, recalls a time when Russia’s composers, poets, artists, dramatists and star performers were among the most original anywhere in the world. It illustrates the artistic audacity and brilliance of a turbulent era in the country’s history with works by three of its most pioneering composers.

Daniil Trifonov’s choice of music mirrors the inventive variety of this brief but explosive cultural moment. “ Scriabin ,” he notes, “wished to combine all aesthetic experience in a single, mystical, musical vision; Stravinsky unified the arts through a radical re interpretation of ballet; Prokofiev , meanwhile, embraced cinema as the most complete and modern synthesis of the senses.”

Having paved the way for future artistic achievements, the spirit of Russia’s Silver Age is justly celebrated in these new recordings.

"He brings a Nijinsky-like grace to the transcriptions from Petrushka and The Firebird, and certain passages in the former work are despatched with such Neoclassical poise that there were moments where I’d have sworn he was playing a fortepiano rather than a concert grand. As on his superb recording of Liszt’s Transcendental Études, the clarity of his playing is such that you could take dictation from it if you were so inclined. Never mind silver, the Russian pianist has struck gold with this one." - Katherine Cooper, Presto Classical, 6th November 2020.