Lili Boulanger
D’un soir triste
Claude Debussy
La mer
Sergey Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major
Maurice Ravel
La valse
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Lahav Shani
piano/conductor
Reviewed by:
Reviewed: 23 August, 2024
Venue: Royal Albert Hall
Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto isn’t just a surefire showpiece that paints a vivid picture of its creator’s acerbic spirit, it’s also a treacherously difficult work conceived for Prokofiev’s own extraordinary pianistic prowess. Bringing his Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra to the Proms, Lahav Shani goes all-in: playing the concerto while directing it at the same time. This feat of musical derring-do is apt for a concert packed with game-changing masterpieces from the first decades of the 20th century, including Debussy’s symphonic seascape La mer. It culminates in the waltz to end all waltzes: Ravel’s compelling, nightmarish piece of orchestral theatre, La valse.
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