Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 4 & 6

"Prokofiev is probably the only major composer since Beethoven to leave a substantial collection of sonatas for the the piano. These are the three of the more accessible ones. The sixth is by far my favorite of Prokofiev's nine, and Bronfman's performance is spectacular. He has chops to spare, as is obvious from his gleeful romp through the deliriously fast fourth movement. I loved the one-movement first sonata so much I decided to learn it. It is a truly manic piece, without a second of respite, and Bronfman's masterful performance leaves me breathless. It is Prokofiev's opus 1, and is written in a late romantic style reminiscent of Skriabin or Rachmaninov more than the mature Prokofiev. Prokofiev never lost his romantic lyric gift though. Check out the third movement of the sixth sonata if you don't believe me."
(amazon.com)