Grigory Sokolov is one of the most reticent artists in today’s classical music scene. Neither does he allow music labels or magazines to package his image with dazzling, stylish optics, nor does he make eloquent pronouncements regarding his views and insights in interviews. The few live recordings that exist of Sokolov’s recitals on CD are rare gems; moreover, he is highly critical of the “cosmetic sterility” of studio recording sessions, as he puts it. He enters the stage unpretentiously, makes a modest bow, and sits down at the piano. What audiences then witness is a musical revelation. By virtue of his detailed, profound interpretations, Sokolov casts a spell on the auditorium. No outward mannerisms: the music itself always remains the center of focus. A few years ago, Sokolov decided to exclusively go on playing solo recitals; the fact that he only reveals his intelligent, sensitively chosen programmes shortly before the concert is hardly an inconvenience, since each of Sokolov’s appearances is a “gift”, as the Frankfurter Neue Presse once wrote. That will surely be the case once again on the occasion of Sokolov’s 25th performance at the Ruhr Piano Festival.