Pianist Bezhod Abduraimov was known, until this Alpha release, as a mighty virtuoso specializing in concerto repertory. That background is audible in this set of familiar piano works; Abduraimov is muscular rather than poetic, but he sets himself a nifty technical challenge and then solves it. Debussy's Children's Corner, Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition are all sets of miniatures, even if the Pictures at an Exhibition are of larger dimensions than the pieces in the other two sets. Abduraimov faces the task of differentiating the pieces and avoiding having the whole thing come out as a shapeless mask of small moments, and his solutions are fresh and intelligent. He breaks up the Chopin Preludes into sets, beginning some pieces almost attacca and taking substantial pauses at the end of others, such as the C minor Prelude, Op. 28, No. 20 (which has other little, perhaps questionable, surprises along the way). The Debussy Children's Corner is artless and innocent, truly childlike, and it draws the listener effectively into the recital. Abduraimov is perhaps at his best in Pictures at an Exhibition, where he supplies the requisite power but leaves room for the pictures to emerge in the listener's mind. Supported by fine Teldex Studio sound from Alpha, Abduraimov makes an impression that promises much for future performances of familiar Romantic repertory.