24/96 Alpha Classics download. Pianist Behzod Abduraimov performs a suite of 10 pieces from Sergei Prokofiev's ballet
Romeo and Juliet, Maurice Ravel's dark
Gaspard de la nuit, and Dilorom Saidaminova's
The Walls of Ancient Bukhara (an homage of sorts to Modest Mussorgsky's
Pictures at an Exhibition).
Abduraimov is a major competition winner, but strikes me as a bit brisk where he shouldn't be in
Romeo and lacking in brooding atmosphere in
Gaspard. The notes are right, but if you're looking for the spirit of either piece, this release ain't it. Which is too bad, because the recording team nailed the sonics.