Evgeny Kissin, Vladimir Ashkenazy - Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 2 & 3 (2009)

For Evgeny Kissin, recording Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto must be déjà vu all over again, to quote noted American philosopher Yogi Berra, because every time the Russian pianist switches labels, he records the piece again. In 1985, he recorded it for RCA with Andrei Chistyakov and the Moscow Philharmonic, and in 1994, he recorded it for Deutsche Grammophon with Claudio Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2008 he recorded it for EMI with Vladimir Ashkenazy leading the Philharmonia Orchestra. Unfortunately for the listener, Kissin's performances are also a bit of déjà vu. Nothing much has changed in his playing -- he's still an exceptional virtuoso with a brilliant tone, and nothing much has changed in his interpretations -- he's still more interested in the work's poetry than in its drama, and thus the central theme and variations is still the heart of his performances. What has changed is Kissin's commitment to the work. In his first recording of the piece, Kissin sounded like he had something to prove, and in his second, he sounded like he was having fun. Here, however, he sounds more like he's going through the motions. Every note is perfectly placed, every line ideally phrased, every sonority superlatively balanced, and every tempo expertly chosen, but nothing sounds like it means much more than another canter around the track for Prokofiev's warhorse. The addition of the composer's Second Concerto, while new to Kissin's discography, is no more fresh or appealing in performance or interpretation, and Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia as accompanists do not improve on Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker. For listeners who have either of Kissin's two earlier performances of the Third, there is not much need to try this one, unless they have to hear his reading of the Second Concerto.