Prokofiev for Two

One of the greatest pianists of all time, Martha Argerich always seems to excel when performing with another pianist. Here it’s Sergei Babayan, best known as Daniil Trifonov’s teacher. He has a fine technique and clearly a good ear for transcription, as he’s made all the editions. The bulk of the album is a suite from Prokofiev’s masterpiece, the ballet Romeo and Juliet. It has plenty of character and wit, and his love of the score is everywhere apparent. The scores for Hamlet, Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades and War and Peace are less well known but brought to vivid life by two superb players.