The transcriptions of Chopin's studies by Leopold Godowsky used to be frowned on by purists as examples of overkill, if not actually bad taste. Almost impossible to play, they are essentially complex variations, not on themes, but on entire pieces. For most pianists, Chopin's originals are quite hard enough anyway, but Godowsky's intricate versions endow them with fantastically ornate decorations and harmonic enrichments. An already immensely demanding piece like the Revolutionary Study is arranged, with almost as many notes to articulate as the original, for left-hand alone. Godowsky's re-composition even extends to combining two pieces at once, as he did with the so-called Black Key and Butterfly studies. However flamboyant the results, they are never less than entertaining.

In his recital in the South Bank's international piano series, the Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky played 11 of Godowsky's arrangements, including the ones mentioned above, each preceded by Chopin's original. The sheer transcendental virtuosity on display was in itself amazing. What made it astonishing was the refined musicality and tonal sensitivity Berezovsky allied to his jaw-dropping pianism. Items that might register merely as supreme feats of keyboard acrobatics achieved true poetic resonance and expressivity.

He edged himself into the recital with something easier - five delicate miniatures by Anatol Lyadov, a composer best known for failing to deliver the commission that was transferred to Stravinsky and became The Firebird.

Berezovsky's subtle teasing-out of textures showed that these also had their origins in Chopin's sound-world, and he defined precisely the unique character of each piece. So he did too in the far meatier and more varied Preludes Op. 32 by Rachmaninov, complex emotional statements demanding not only commanding pianism but also authoritative interpretation. Once again Berezovsky had the measure of them, revealing his musicianship to be as remarkable as his technical skills.