Martha Argerich Festival

»I don’t want to hide behind a mask. I want to always be myself.« Prokofiev was regarded in his Soviet homeland as an »enfant terrible« and he often caused a scandal. It was said that he was »infected by western ideas« – that was the view of the strict cultural censors. He promised them he would compose more pleasing music. But it’s worth listening closely: although they may feature wonderful melodies, his works always have an aura of ambiguity and an enigmatic humour. Referring to this, his son once said that his father composed completely »normal« music, and then »prokofievised« it. After two Prokofiev sonatas, the concert closes with a piano trio: Tchaikovsky’s Opus 50, which he dedicated to »a great artist«, namely the pianist Nikolai Rubinstein.