Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition

(Onyx)

IF the name of Russian pianist Katya Apekisheva is familiar, then that's because she is a former prizewinner at the Leeds and the Scottish International Piano Competitions, to say nothing of her well-known musical partnership with violinist Jack Liebeck. But in her own right Apekisheva is steadily growing in stature. Every bar of her thrilling new recording of Mussorgsky's original version of Pictures At An Exhibition is stamped with fresh thinking, a fresh approach and a highly personal and authoritative vision of the piece. Listen to the opening bars and see instantly what I mean: she takes off like a sprinter, and one who is extremely light of foot. Moreover, her light touch and expressive playing are like splashes of cool water on the face. And her characterisations, in picture after picture, are detailed and revealing. The Great Gate is clearly a bit of a stretch for her left hand, but she brings it off.