Along with Scriabin and Rachmaninov, Béla Bartók and Sergei Prokofiev stand out among the great pianist-composers of the 20th century. While the former two largely extended the Romantic tradition inherited from Chopin and Liszt, Bartók and Prokofiev took different paths. Their musical languages diverge profoundly, but both approach the keyboard through the lens of rhythm: percussive, at times machine-like, motoric, for the Russian; more complex and unyielding for the Hungarian. Their respective third piano concertos are emblematic of this new clarity and structural transparency.