Piano Concerto No. 3

Although it was not composed in the New World, it was indeed in America (more precisely in Chicago) in 1921 that Sergei Prokofiev premiered his Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major. A transcendent pianist, the composer here delivers a work commensurate with his immense abilities, of which the recording he made in London in 1932 offers eloquent testimony. 

Marked Allegro, the first movement begins with a slow introduction (Andante), carried by a melody played by the clarinet and then developed by the orchestra. The tempo then quickens, with the strings initiating a rising motion that leads to the piano’s surprising entrance. The piano becomes brilliant and virtuosic in an exuberant dialogue with the orchestra. A second idea, stated by the orchestra and commented on by the soloist, establishes a sarcastic mood through its dissonances and rhythm. But the tempo accelerates once again as the soloist engages in perilous passages. This section leads to the return of the introductory theme, now taken up by the full orchestra, before the piano ornaments it magnificently. The themes from the faster section are then restated, though considerably transformed, before a dizzying coda brings the movement to a spirited close. 

A rare occurrence in a concerto, the central movement consists of a theme and five variations. Stated by the orchestra alone, the theme’s dance-like character recalls a gavotte*. The piano comments on it in the first variation, accompanied by different harmonies. Energetic, the second variation features the theme played by the trumpet, while the piano plays swift scales and broken octaves. With great rhythmic vigor, the third variation, marked by shifted accents, sets soloist and orchestra in opposition. A dialogue emerges between the two in the fourth variation, the true summit of the movement, imbued with a dreamlike character. The final variation takes the form of a Russian dance in which the piano displays impressive virtuosity. The movement concludes with the return of the theme in the orchestra, accompanied by the piano. 

Prokofiev described the final movement of his concerto as “a quarrel between the piano and the orchestra.” The theme, with the character of a somewhat rustic dance, is first stated by the bassoons and strings, which the piano interrupts. It is then developed by the soloist in a percussive style, interspersed with brief and dazzling flourishes. A second idea is then introduced by the orchestra with a lyricism reminiscent of Sergei Rachmaninoff, another great Russian pianist whose temperament was very different from Prokofiev’s. The piano responds in a mocking and enigmatic manner before launching into a grandiose amplification of the lyrical theme. The return of the main theme gradually transforms the quarrel into a struggle, in a display of high-flying pianistic virtuosity that drives soloist and orchestra frenetically toward a thunderous C major chord.