Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No 6; Suggestion diabolique, CD review Saint-Saëns/Liszt/Horowitz: Danse macabre. Liszt: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude; Mephisto Waltz No1. Behzod Abduraimov (piano) Mark the name. Behzod Abduraimov, born in Uzbekistan and still only in his very early twenties. He is a remarkable young pianist, and it is well worth getting in on the ground floor with this debut disc of Prokofiev, Saint-Saëns and Liszt. Abduraimov first came to public prominence here in 2009, when he won the London International Piano Competition with a dazzling performance of Prokofiev's Third Concerto. A recital he gave last year to mark his signing with Decca confirmed that he was an artist not only of extraordinary technical ability, but also one with a terrific musical personality and sensibility. Those qualities come through clearly on this disc. He begins with the Vladimir Horowitz arrangement of Liszt's transcription of Saint-Saëns's "Danse macabre," a startlingly mature interpretation that not only demonstrates his athletic pianistic prowess, sureness of touch and clarity of detail but is also infused with subtle tonal shadings and a real sense of the music's menacing, demonic power. This spills over into Prokofiev's "Suggestion diabolique," a ferocious miniature and one in which Abduraimov shows his understanding of musical character and his marked gift of communicating it through his playing. Prokofiev's Sixth Sonata very nearly does the same: there is no doubt that Abduraimov has the right intellectual and digital equipment, and the intelligence to seek musical substance beneath the surface of the notes, and in time his approach will broaden and deepen in emotional scope. The two contrasting Liszt pieces at the end - "Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude" and the first Mephisto Waltz - are glowing testimony of a talent that is already compelling and certainly one to watch.