This is Prokofiev with a difference, thoughtful and provocative, but all in a good way. Mustonen’s horror of the sustain pedal and his “Glenn Gould on steroids” detaché articulation make his instrument sound almost like a fortepiano–that is until the big moments require some concert grand pounding. This, combined with careful attention to dynamics, close cooperation with the orchestra, and distinctive phrasing, really makes you listen with new ears.
In the Third Concerto’s finale, for example, the second subject consists of lots of scales, both for piano and orchestra. Mustonen transforms these into much more than finger exercises; he makes music out of them. So many other passages that usually come across as mere virtuoso fireworks turn out to have thematic or expressive significance because Mustonen makes us pay attention to them, and not just in the Third Concerto. The Fourth, for left hand, so often sounds like aimless noodling, but not here. Its slow movement impresses as positively profound, while in the framing outer movements Mustomen imbues those gawky melodies with a dry wit that’s quite special.
Hannu Lintu also deserves a great deal of credit for accompaniments that seem as well planned and characterfully projected as the solos. The thickly scored First Concerto and the outer movements of the Third are particularly distinctive in this respect. Some listeners may find Mustonen’s brittle tone off-putting; it’s a matter of taste, but it sure works in Prokofiev. I look forward to the completion of this cycle–the Second in particular could be amazing.
