Leif-Ove Andsnes (piano)   EMI Classics 6983602 (also 9670052, deluxe edition with book and DVD)***

Dublin was not on the itinerary for Norwegian pianist Leif-Ove Andsnes's Pictures Reframedtour, a multimedia version of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, coupled with Schumann's Kinderszenen, and with video by South African artist Robin Rhode.

Like a number of other pianists, Andsnes sees the pianistic crudeness of Mussorgsky’s writing as a fault, and fixes the music by fleshing much of it out with conventional techniques and patterns. To me, it’s a bit like correcting a regional accent through the imposition of received pronunciation. But Andsnes fully achieves the gloss he was aiming for. The expensive deluxe edition adds a DVD of a live performance with Rhode’s sometimes witty videos, a documentary, and a handsomely produced book. www.emiclassics.com