Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1; Theme and Variations; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 and Suggestion diabolique; Balakirev: Islamey.

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1; Theme and Variations; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 and Suggestion diabolique; Balakirev: Islamey. Andrei Gavrilov, piano; Riccardo Muti and the Philharmonia Orchestra; Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra. EMI 7243 5 86881-1.

I guess there's an advantage to getting older. It seems like just yesterday that young Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov recorded these items, and you had to pay full price to get them on separate vinyl discs. Now Gavrilov is twenty-five years older, and you can buy both recordings on a single budget-priced CD. Time does pay its dividends.

The album leads off with the Tchaikovsky, probably because of the two piano concertos included it's the better known and the bigger draw, but it's really the Prokofiev that rewards the listener the most. The Tchaikovsky is certainly big and energetic, as it should be, with a somewhat overly dramatic opening, a sweetly hushed second movement, and thrillingly dynamic conclusion. But EMI's 1979 sound places the piano a bit close, and the overall balance is rather midrange heavy. Although the result may not be entirely realistic, it's OK.

The Prokofiev, on the other hand, is brilliant throughout, Gavrilov in the first movement zipping all over the map, astounding audiences today as much as when the piece was first confounding listeners in the early part of the twentieth century. Then Gavrilov moves gracefully into the rhapsodic second movement and back again to the turbulent and triumphant finale. The recording, made in 1977, is better balanced than the Tchaikovsky, the piano is better integrated into the whole, and the bass is fuller. The various solo pieces coupled to the concertos are exceptionally well played, too (and it's a wonder the pianist had any fingers left after the Balakirev), making this cheapie disc an instant best-buy.