It was with the music of Chopin that Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin first took the international spotlight as a prodigy. Since that "Legendary" 1984 Moscow Concert, the prodigy's metamorphosis into a fully developed artist bursting with astounding ideas and expressive urgency can be seen through the lens of his various other Chopin recordings. While some have found Kissin's more recent ventures into the composer's music--such as his account of the Ballades, the latest release before this disc--too self-conscious, he's largely in phenomenal form here, both technically and expressively. Kissin's program brings together some of Chopin's most daunting challenges; as usual with this pianist, expect to discover some hitherto vaguely lurking connections made fresh and clear, whether among the 24 epigrammatic, jeweled Préludes or within the scale of the towering Sonata No. 2, here performed with unmistakably personal yet compelling intensity. Some of Kissin's choices, such as drawing out the funeral march (more than two minutes longer than in Pollini's interpretation) might at first sound downright weird, but the full impact--especially in the arresting first movement--can have an almost oracular persuasiveness. This is also true in the way Kissin manages the extrovert vs. introvert Chopin, in his brandishing of contrasts, climaxes, and in the fascinating rhythmic subtlety that comes to the fore in a number of the Préludes. --Thomas May