NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Alexander Gadjiev / Gergely Madaras

When Sergei Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto was first performed in September 1913, with the composer at the piano, the audience was furious: "To hell with futuristic music. Cats on the roof make better music." Prokofiev bowed as if being applauded – and played an encore. Over a century later, what today's ears consider a rather "moderate" concerto, which begins with an almost romantic theme and features the most difficult solo cadenza of all ti...