With this new CD, Alexander Melnikov has chosen to delve into three distinct periods of Prokofiev’s career, ranging from the dazzling though seldom-heard No. 4 to the magisterial No. 9.
In between those two, the sonata no. 7 once again evokes the troubled atmosphere characteristic of the three so-called ‘war sonatas’.
Sviatoslav Richter claimed to have learned the piece in a mere four days.
Here is Mr. Melnikov in Prokofiev’s Sonata #2:
