Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit - Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6

These recordings date from 1981-83, when the Croatian pianist Ivo Pogorelich was in his early twenties. They provoked a strong reaction on first release, as much for the extreme individuality of the interpretations as Pogorelich’s technically scintillating playing. More than most pianists Pogorelich makes the “Scherzo” of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 an unsettling experience, and his dashing fingerwork liberates a myriad of textures in the swirling finale. In Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit “Ondine” is woven with extreme delicacy, while the central “Le Gibet” has a haunting sense of stillness. The steel-edged rhythms in the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6 announce a performance of imposing stature, and the finale is both brilliantly detailed and rawly exciting. Other approaches to this music are possible, but the virtuosity and élan of Pogorelich’s playing are irresistible.