Grigory Sokolov is among the most important Russian pianists to have emerged from the latter half of the 20th century. Like other iconic Russian keyboard giants, he was prohibited from appearing in the West under the Soviet system, but when he finally debuted in western Europe and the United States, his career took a meteoric upswing, with Sokolov suddenly in heavy demand in the world's major concert halls. Another aspect of Sokolov's career that has added to his charismatic though eccentric persona has been his general avoidance of the recording studio. Most of his recordings are drawn from live concerts, and they attest to his virtuosity and interpretive genius in unusual but generally conservative fare.