Dimitris Sgouros: Live at the Philharmonie im Gasteig

As a child prodigy, the Greek pianist Dmitris Sgouros was one of the last artists to receive the personal endorsement of the great Arthur Rubinstein, and some even saw him as Rubinstein’s natural successor. Certainly, a dazzling, fearless virtuosity is at the heart of this spectacular recital from Munich, given in 1988 when Sgouros was still in his late teens. Liszt’s Rigoletto paraphrase, Balakirev’s Islamey and Schulz-Evler’s glittering fantasy on The Blue Danube are all touchstones of pianism at its most brilliant, but Chopin’s Third Sonata and miniatures by Falla, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff reveal the musical intelligence behind Sgouros’s magnificent technique.