Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat

Op. 10. Prokofiev composed this piano concerto during his student days. He wanted to win the Anton Rubinstein prize at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, and thought that, if he played a concerto he wrote, the judges wouldn't notice many mistakes.

Even though he had won the prize, the public reacted negativly toward the work, saying that it was ugly, muddy, and of all things, MODERN. (Mind you, this is coming from a similar audience to Rachmaninov's 3rd concerto, which was more melodious and romantic. In fact, from the opening chords, they might have been expecting something lush, triumphal, and beautiful, like Tchaikovsky's first. Instead, they got Liszt on steroids.)

Prokofiev considered this his first mature work. Though not as emotional as the second, and not as complex as the third, this concerto is still a delightful piece of music.

Played by: Vladimir Ashkenazy with Andre Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra