Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition / Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
Ivo Pogorelich is determined to leave his personal imprint on every note  he plays. Here, however, his ideas are less unconventional than they are way off  base. The pianist takes 42 minutes to get throughPictures at an  Exhibition, compared to the standard half hour, and adds five extra minutes  to most performances of the Ravel. This is because Pogorelich's frequent  lingerings and expansions of phrase are rarely counterbalanced with a steady,  referential pulse. Subsequently, the music swoons into disconnected phrases and  dies on the vine. Seek out Sviatoslav Richter's more stylish--yet every bit as  individualistic--Mussorgsky, or Artur Rubinstein's dashing, emotionally healthy  Ravel. Keyboard fanciers, however, will understandably wish to savor  Pogorelich's remarkable pianism.--Jed Distler