Do you like Rachmaninoff? If so, whom do you like in the preludes and other such pieces? You could do far worse than Dmitri Alexeev, the Russian pianist born in 1947. He made a famous two-CD set in the 1980s, for Virgin Classics. I have evangelized about it for years.

And he appeared in recital at Bargemusic on Wednesday night. There was not a note of Rachmaninoff on the program. Instead, Mr. Alexeev played Beethoven and Chopin.

And he did not show himself to best effect. He is a much better pianist than he suggested on this occasion. It cannot be otherwise.

The first half of the program consisted of two Beethoven sonatas, both in C minor: an early one, Op. 10, No. 1; and the very last of all Beethoven sonatas — Op. 111. It was clear from the first measures that something was wrong. I hesitate to say it, about so experienced a musician, but Mr. Alexeev seemed nervous. He was unsteady, unsure, and very tight. He did a lot of banging, and he did a lot of missing — missing of notes. This was incredible from a pianist who has spent his life with the most difficult of music. And Op. 10, No. 1 is played by any number of 12-year-olds.

To the middle movement, Adagio molto, Mr. Alexeev gave a decent shape, but his embroidery — his pianistic filigree — was very clumsy. On the whole, he played this movement mechanically.

He muffed the beginning of the final movement — Prestissimo — and proceeded tight thereafter. Also very, very aggressive. This music can bear some of that, but it also needs charm and grace. One felt that Mr. Alexeev, an undoubtedly fine musician, had something to say about this sonata — but, somehow, on this night, he lacked the technical means to say it.

And Op. 111? This is one of the most unusual, most visionary, and most transcendent of all piano pieces. It is quasi-sacred.

Mr. Alexeev shaped the opening effectively — he was wrestling with the music, conveying Beethoven’s sense of struggle. I dare say the pianist’s tightness, his technical difficulties, helped him here. So did his aggressiveness. You could tell that Mr. Alexeev had the measure of the piece (which is saying something). Yet, as the first movement continued, he proved altogether too tight, too tense.

As for the Arietta, which closes the sonata, it had some of its dignity and spirituality. Yet Mr. Alexeev’s persistent aggressiveness was a real puzzle. To be generous, this was manful playing; to be less generous, this was outright pounding. You longed for a lyrically played line. I doubt that Serkin, at his tightest, would have punched so.

I will say this for Op. 111, however — and even for Op. 10, No. 1: The whole was greater than the sum of the parts. That is, Mr. Alexeev made a better impression overall than in the particulars.

Some people think it wrong to play anything after Op. 111 — it should be a final word. Others, obviously, disagree. Earlier this season, at the Metropolitan Museum, Ivo Pogorelich *began* his recital with Op. 111. But that was the least of the eccentricities that evening.

Mr. Alexeev’s second half was all-Chopin — and he began with the Barcarolle. As you would expect me to say, this was perfectly appropriate for a recital on a barge. The Barcarolle is lulling, rolling, and rocking, and so is the barge. And Mr. Alexeev played this piece quite well — with sensitivity and flair. It was his best playing of the evening.

He continued with a relative rarity: the Rondeau in C minor, which is Chopin’s Op. 1. And Mr. Alexeev nicely brought out its Old World character. Still, the harshness he committed was totally unnecessary.

Then we had two nocturnes — competently rendered — and the last item on the program: the Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53. I’m afraid that this famous, beloved piece was largely a poundfest.

The small audience wanted encores, and I thought maybe – maybe — they would get some American jazz. Really? Yes. Almost 25 years ago, Mr. Alexeev collaborated with the soprano Barbara Hendricks on an album of spirituals. That album is so old, it is called “Negro Spirituals.” And Mr. Alexeev’s accompaniments are jazz accompaniments — you have to hear it to believe it. And they are superb.

But Mr. Alexeev played more Chopin, ending with the E-minor waltz. This too, I’m afraid, was a poundfest, or bangfest. And I will say once more: Mr. Alexeev did not represent himself properly or fairly on Wednesday night. He is a better pianist.