Prokofiev's brilliant third sonata, composed in 1917, premiered by the composer a year later, originated as a student composition which was radically revised to achieve the driving energy unity of its published form. Boris Berman notes this work's effective romantic climax, pianistic writing and detailed motivic development, are achieved without the sarcastic or ironic tone of so many early works of Prokofiev - including the second sonata - indeed such expressive means are simply not part of the sonata's vocabulary.
An equally brilliant and expressive single movement work, Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy opens this concert, a soulful, surging journey at the heart of the romantic movement. The multi-layered poise of Fauré's late piano compositions and the poetry of two Rachmaninov preludes set Prokofiev's third sonata in a contemporary context - and demonstrate its originality.
more about David Christophersen
Oslo-born David Christophersen, Artistic Director of the Cambridge Concert Artists series at West Road Concert Hall, has performed throughout the UK, including the Woburn Abbey Festival, Bristol's St. George's, Edinburgh's Reid Hall, Oxford's Holywell Music Room, London's St John's Smith Square and broadcast for BBC Radio 3. Recent projects have included premiering new solo and chamber music by Jeremy Thurlow, Maria Ptaszynska and Robin Holloway; performances with Marie-Noelle Kendall of Robin Holloway's monumental two-piano classic 'Gilded Goldbergs' and a tour with Prokofiev's War Sonatas, described by the Scotsman as 'exactly right'.