The Works

“I first discovered this Prokofiev prelude when I was about 10 years old—there’s actually a recording of me playing it from when I’m about 11,” Isata Kanneh-Mason tells Apple Music Classical. The brief, shimmering “Harp” Prelude, from Prokofiev’s early set of 10 Pieces for Piano, is a work of gentle impishness, beautifully shaped by Kanneh-Mason’s fluid, expressive playing. “I remember finding this piece very quirky and charming,” Kanneh-Mason says of the Prelude. “And I also felt that the humour that Prokofiev created was unique. That’s what set him apart for me as a composer from a very young age.” The Prelude comes from the British pianist’s upcoming album of Prokofiev that also includes the Piano Concerto No. 3, the composer’s own arrangements of excerpts from two of his ballets, plus another early work of the composer’s, the brief yet fierily passionate Piano Sonata No. 3. The Works features the best of the very latest classical releases. We regularly update this playlist, so if you find a piece of music or a performance you particularly love, don’t forget to add it to your library.