In an interesting note in the booklet, Andrey Gugnin explains that he sees piano transcriptions of orchestral works not as substitutes for the originals, which are now readily available in recordings, but as alternative versions worth hearing. Here we have transcriptions of familiar ballets by Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky which earn their place not only by drawing attention to structural and harmonic elements which might be overlooked but also for providing a vehicle for Gugnin’s amazing virtuosity. These are not the kind of piano versions which would be used at rehearsals of the ballets, but recital pieces in their own right.

The Suite from The Nutcracker is, despite its being given Tchaikovsky’s opus number, not a straight transcription of the orchestral version. Two dances are omitted, as is the concluding Valse des fleurs, but the Tarantella and the Andante maestoso are added in from the complete ballet. This transcription was made by Mikhail Pletnev for the 1978 Tchaikovsky competition, and it has since been taken up by several other pianists. It is strange how, in their piano dress, these pieces sound so like Liszt, not in the barnstorming mood of the Sonata or the Transcendental Studies but in the poetic and evocative mood of the first two books of the Années de Pèlerinage. Of course, some orchestral colours cannot find a piano equivalent, notably the celesta and bass clarinet for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, but it is remarkable how well Pletnev’s piano version in Gugnin’s hands conveys the poetry and charm of the original.

Stravinsky’s Petrushka is unusual among ballets in having a concertante piano part, which represents Petrushka himself. Stravinsky made this version of three movements for Arthur Rubinstein. Stravinsky was a good pianist, but Rubinstein was a virtuoso and Stravinsky made the writing intentionally very challenging. The Russian Dance draws on the piano writing in the original but relies on precise chording and rhythmic vitality to make its effect. At Petrushka’s takes the solo piano line from the original but elaborates it and adds in the other instruments on top. The final Shrovetide Fair does not particularly feature the piano in the original, but Stravinsky manages to convey the complications of it using some very intricate writing. I have always been disappointed that he did not include a version of the original ending, with the ghost of Petrushka threatening the Magician, but just provides an abrupt finish, but there is no doing anything about that now.

The suite from The Sleeping Beauty again does not correspond to Tchaikovsky’s own suite, which has five numbers, but has eleven, drawing freely from the original ballet. The transcription is again by Pletnev and also dates from 1978, but is freer than that of the Nutcracker, with some reorganisation and recomposition and additional lines. I was not quite so struck by this as by the Nutcracker, but some numbers come off very well, notably the Vision, the Silver Fairy – a jolly galumphing piece this one – and the charming Gavotte. The Adagio is an extended lyrical number, and the Finale is a mazurka.

The Firebird Suite is again three pieces from Stravinsky’s ballet, but the transcription was done not by the composer but by Guido Agosti. His version is very faithful to the original, sometimes at the cost of pianistic effectiveness, as in the tremolos accompanying the Finale. However, the Infernal dance of the followers of King Kaschei comes off well and the Berceuse is most poetic.

Andrey Gugnin has a dazzling technique and brings off these challenging works superbly well. I haven’t heard Pletnev’s own versions of his transcriptions, which would have been made many years ago, but I cannot think that Gugnin’s are inferior. As for the Petrushka movements, Rubinstein rarely played them, though there is a live recording by him, but there is a classic version, now also very old, by Pollini. Pianists who play Stravinsky’s piano works often include the Firebird transcription but Gugnin is as good as or better than most of them. If the programme attracts, there is no need to hesitate.