You always knew there were a lot of notes in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, ever since you heard the Prokofiev recording. But it's a safe bet you never thought there were as many notes as Kapell plays in his performance of the work with Antal Dorati and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra -- as many notes or as many loud notes. It's not just the primitive 1949 sound that has Kapell's piano riding over the orchestra like a surfer at Laguna Beach; Kapell's just that loud. Is this a good thing? Maybe for the Khachaturian concerto that shares this volume of the Kapell Edition, but not for the Prokofiev. Often described as both athletic and lyrical, Kapell's interpretation sounds more muscle-bound and hard-hearted. While Kapell's performance is extremely impressive in its sheer bravura technique, he misses half the concerto by drawing so much attention to his virtuosity. This approach is fine in the Khachaturian concerto, which, in its outer movements at least, is indeed muscle-bound. But even in Khachaturian's central Andante, Kapell misses the soulful lyricism.
Maybe velocity and volume will do it for you. Maybe it's a mistake to look for lyricism in pieces were there just isn't any lyricism. Or maybe Kapell's performances are truly magnificent in their breathtaking technique. Try it for yourself and decide.
But certainly, if you want to hear breathtaking technique, listen to the last of the three Shostakovich preludes that follow the Khachaturian. In 26 seconds, Kapell plays more notes at a greater velocity than you would have imagined possible. Overall, though, perhaps one of the less-impressive volumes of the Kapell Edition.
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