Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov enjoyed a meteoric ascent in 1974, when at 18 he became the youngest musician to win the prestigious Tchaikovsky piano competition. That year, he earned a vote of confidence from mentor Sviatoslav Richter, filling in for him at the Salzburg Festival. From the beginning, Gavrilov poured a feverish intensity into his performances, navigating the most serpentine passages with a mixture of lucidity and propulsion, his passion as mercurial as his fitful career. Recordings capture his athletic virtuosity, whether his breathless navigation of Chopin or his furious yet focused treatment of Balakirev.