Amazon.comIgor Zhukov's best known recordings in the West are of virtuosic Russian piano Concertos. On this disc, he demonstrates a considerably wider range of abilities. His Waldszenen may not be as poetic as Sviatoslav Richter's, but it's quite beautiful. And he has the modesty to play the little Prokofiev pieces without trying to inflate them. The early Tchaikovsky pieces are also lovely, and Zhukov's own Bach arrangement treats the original with great respect. This is an intriguing introduction to a lesser-known Russian pianist, who is also known, in Russia, as a conductor and recording engineer. --Leslie Gerber