Having won the renowned International Tchaikovsky Competition at age 16, Grigory Sokolov is a true colossus of the piano and heir to the great Russian piano tradition exemplified by the likes of Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter. Sokolov possesses a huge repertoire from the Baroque period to the 20th century, yet very little of it has been recorded, including nothing between 1995 and 2015. His few recordings, however, display a phenomenal technique and an extraordinarily expressive range. This 2016 album of live performances features a deeply considered performance of Beethoven’s mighty ”Hammerklavier” Sonata, alongside an exquisitely shaped Schubert Impromptus and a selection of pieces by Rameau originally intended for the harpsichord, to which Sokolov brings a scintillating freshness.