Gugnin rivets us in orchestral-sounding climaxes…and the metaphysical twilight zones in between…Gugnin finds surprising poetry in the music...[The Limpid Stream] requires only poetic sensibility, but the rest of this programme shows a ferocious new talent who can also accomplish the introspection. Masterly.

Gugnin’s performance of the opus 34 Preludes is as witty, perceptive, dreamy, incisive, poetic, and electrifying as any on records. The ease with which he negotiates the most challenging of the preludes...is matched by a refined musicality that’s even more striking. [Sonata No. 2] If his sensitivity to the endlessly shifting moods of the piece makes it seem more coherent and satisfying than usual, then by the end it remains unclear whether the music itself or Gugnin’s performance is the more impressive.

Gugnin possesses an extraordinarily versatile and agile technique, which serves an often inspired musical imagination…The Preludes, Op 34, are the heart of the recording. These are the pieces in which Shostakovich’s pianistic imagination ranges most freely; their mercurial flights of fancy seem tailor-made to Gugnin’s gifts.

Whether the demands are cryptic in 24 Preludes, ferocious in the First Sonata... or in the powerful and expressive Second Sonata, everything is met with unfaltering assurance, vividness and command.

A simply stunning recital of this wonderful repertoire.

It's a galvanising chemistry.