‘Belgian National Orchestra, Kochanovsky & Melnikov’

The first symphonic concert of the Prokofiev Festival begins with the suite from his ballet The Steel Step, a work that depicts Soviet life in a busy railway station and then in a factory. This is followed by the Second Piano Concerto, performed by the Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov. Prokofiev reconstructed this technically demanding four-movement work in 1923 after the first version of 1913 was lost in the flames of the Russian Revolution. A year later, in Paris, Prokofiev began work on his Second Symphony, "a work of steel and iron", the undisputed apex of his Expressionist period.

On presentation of your concert ticket, you can attend the lecture "Prokofiev: Traditionalist innovator or composer in search of an audience?" (in French) at 7 pm.