Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is a showpiece for a virtuoso of the keyboard, one with enough guts to tackle its challenges, and enough confidence to laugh at its difficult twists. Yefim Bronfman displayed more than guts and confidence, he showed some serious chutzpah. He impressed us last year in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and renewed our awe Thursday night at Davies Symphony Hall with as solid a performance. He even got an extra brownie point for tongue-in-cheek creativity. (The program notes for this concert include a nice eulogy to Slava Rostropovich, who was last conducting the SF Symphony during the Shostakovich run that included Bronfman’s performance).

A finely modulated musicality pervaded his interpretation whenever Prokofiev gave him the opportunity, but the concerto is mostly a showpiece to display a dazzling technique, and Bronfman was up to the task, hands flying up and down the keyboard in neck-breakingly fast scales or in giant block chords.

Bronfman even brought a touch of, shall we say, creativity to the proceedings, by missing the last note of the first movement, a fortissimo ending which he landed slightly off, only to rebound one octave lower on an improvised, yet perfectly fitting ending. The whole thing happened so smoothly, so naturally, and Bronfman was so impassive, that we even doubt it ever happened. So pleased was the audience, it broke convention to applaud in-between movements. Yet MTT could not stop chuckling at his virtuoso for such clever resourcefulness and had to extend the break a little bit so he could regain his composure.

Yefim Bronfman, picture by Deborah Feingold

But you need resourcefulness to play such concerto, and you have to give Bronfman credit for invention. We’ll send you to Joshua Kosman’s preview of the Prokofiev series, which weighs in on the influence of Prokofiev the piano performer on Prokofiev the composer. It is a must read.

MTT chose a rather bombastic, emphatic atmosphere throughout the evening, which emphasized the energy and vigor of the pieces more than the humourous quirks. All three pieces seemed cut from the same cloth, even though they belong to different periods in Prokofiev’s career. Inspired by Bronfman’s showmanship, the orchestra clearly reveled in the brash interpretive tack. Still, undercurrents of delicate grace would appear here and there.

In the Suite for the Love of Three Oranges, a martial march would dissolve into an airy melody. MTT would top this transition by having a layer of soflty shimmering string uncovered when a vehement explosion of brass and percussions would dissipate in Romeo and Juliet, as if coming out of nowhere. A gymnopedie-like movement in the Three Oranges would offer a melancholy respite into the surrounding climaxes of loudness. Still, MTT and the orchestra seemed to savor each opportunity to break loose with glee.

This concert repeats tomorrow at the Flint Center at 2 p.m., and it is worth driving down to Cupertino for it. That’s how much we liked it. Tonight, the Prokofiev festival continues with another piano concerto, the second, and another soloist, Vladimir Feltsman, plus the American overture and the Third Symphony. We forgot to mention it in our preview, but all the concerts are preceded by a chamber music recital one hour before curtain. Tonight’s 8 p.m. concert is preceded by a solo performance by Feltsman playing Tchaikovsky and some excerpts from Romeo and Juliet at 7 p.m. This is a freebie for those who will attend the concert, which is pretty neat.