But the piece has a profound champion in Alisa Weilerstein, the soloist this week. She is an artist who adroitly channels fierce work with her penetrating, brilliant sound — her performances of works by Kodaly and Shostakovich provide ample proof — and she made a compelling case for the Prokofiev. She dispatched every technical test with astonishing ease and visceral joy, and took obvious pleasure in the music’s often sardonic humor.

Weilerstein is justly proud of the fact that her diverse group of composers includes nine different nationalities, is gender-balanced, and includes both well-established and emerging artists ranging in age from 26 to 84. The result is an invigorating range of styles.