Any pianist who can call on such testimonials as ''The best pianist I have ever heard'' (Artur Rubinstein), ''The piano miracle of the century'' (New York Times) and ''a miracle, created by God'' (Mstislav Rostropovich) must have something going for him. And of course we do have a few EMI recordings from the 1980s as evidence of Dimitris Sgouros's considerable teenage facility. This particular venture dates from 1993 (by which time Sgouros was in his mid-twenties) and was recorded in the Bulgarian Concert Hall by Mega Music Sofia. The sound itself is fairly nondescript, although part of that impression might be due to an orchestra who only fitfully achieve anything like adequate projection. The woodwinds in particular have their off moments (even as early as 1'56'' into the D minor's initial tutti) while the strings seriously lack bite. The opening of the D minor is disappointingly limp and although parts of the B flat witness a momentary 'return to life', anyone who buys these CDs for the sake of the orchestral playing will be sorely disappointed.
As to Sgouros himself, moments of genuine fluidity alternate with laboured execution (try 13'45'' into the D minor's first movement, where the tension suddenly dips) although octave work is crisp (11'00'' into the same movement witnesses a certain injection of spirit), runs are often immaculate and selected passagework sensitively blended into the orchestral texture. There are also moments where Sgouros is at pains to underline significant counter-melodies (17'25'' into the same movement, within the gorgeous second subject); but he can also sound distractingly mannered (for example, in parts of the B flat Concerto's Andante). There are odd instances where the adrenalin count suddenly rises: 7'12'' into the finale of the D minor, for instance, at the point where the piano attacks the second half of the main theme. Again, at 4'06'' into the B flat's finale, there's a parallel rise in intensity. Sgouros's approach ranges from Bachian formality (the upwardly climbing trill passage, 11'31'' into the D minor's Adagio) to genuine passion (the opening of the B flat's Allegro appassionato second movement), but it's all so terribly inconsistent. I sense that, given the time and the right orchestral collaborators, Dimitris Sgouros could deliver the goods, as they say. We're told that he made a successful tour of Germany with Tabakov and the Sofia Philharmonic back in 1992: perhaps their live collaborations were more successful than their recordings.
Not much of a recommendation, I'm afraid, especially considering the extravagant layout and high price.'