Piano Concerto No. 3 (Prokofiev)

The second theme, considerably more dissonant and ambiguous in tonality, is first taken by the orchestra, then expanded upon by the soloist. This leads into what is perhaps the most recognizable pianistic feat of the first movement: several lines of octaves interspersed with close tones either above or below (in a triplet rhythm), moving up and down the keyboard with the hands usually on top of one another. This is followed by a restatement of the opening clarinet theme, played loudly in the full orchestra, which transitions to a haunting variation of the theme by the solo piano. A quick, scalar passage from the movement's beginning is now taken up by the piano, in what is arguably the most difficult passage in the first movement for its challenges of fingering and phrasing.

This leads into an exact recapitulation of the piano's entrance, which now leads into a brilliant coda involving various figurations of the octave-triplet idea, as well as runs on the piano consisting entirely of ascending parallel triads and glissandi. The second theme is restated in the high register of the piano, first as blocked chords, then as frenetic sixteenth-note arpeggios. Several non-melodic scales allow the music to wind down to a quiet throb in the orchestra on a dissonant chord, C-A♭-D. The orchestra then resumes the pulsating low Cs; the piano makes a shortened restatement of the scalar passage that led to the recapitulation, which is now used to end the movement, with a dissonant harmony followed sarcastically by barely tonal open C octaves.

II. Tema con variazioni

The middle movement (in E minor) is a

• The central idea is stated by the orchestra in a gavotte.
• The first variation is a broad, slow restatement by the piano, beginning with a long trill followed by a glissando-like run up the keyboard.
• The second variation is presented by the orchestra at a galloping pace, with the piano providing excitement with long runs up and down the keyboard.
• The third variation is a heavily syncopated deconstruction of the main theme.
• The fourth variation is a dialogue between the piano and orchestra.
• The fifth variation is an "Allegro" for piano and orchestra.
• Coda. The orchestra plays the main theme in its original form and tempo (one-half that of the preceding variation), with the piano providing double-time obbligato accompaniment.
• A short andante ending hinting at an E-major ending gives the piano the last word with a low-octave E-G chord (ambiguous between E minor or C Major)^{[citation needed]}

III. Allegro, ma non troppo

The third movement, which Prokofiev himself called an "argument"^[3] between soloist and orchestra, begins with an A-minor statement of the main theme in bassoons and pizzicato strings, interrupted by the piano's assertive entrance with a conflicting theme. Interplay between the piano and orchestra builds up steam, with a brief quickening of tempo (foreshadowing the lengthy Coda) before arriving at a slow, lyrical secondary theme (C♯ major/minor) in woodwinds. The piano offers a rather sarcastic reply, and the slow theme develops, through another Rachmaninoff-esque restatement and another ethereal exploration (the soloist running up and down the keyboard softly over gently dissonant muted woodwinds), into a united climax with piano and strings in unison, then fading into the Coda.

This is the most virtuosic section of the concerto, with an allegro restatement of the main theme, again in

External links

• The Prokofiev Page
• Piano Concerto No. 3: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Piano Concerto No. 3: Prokofiev Performance 1932 (video; 24:34) on
  YouTube
• Piano Concerto No. 3: Yuja Wang Performance 2010 (video; 32:56) on
  YouTube