VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY , one of the world's outstanding pianists, left Russia for the West in 1963 aged 26. By then he had already established an international reputation, having won the Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition in Brussels when only 18. Since then his life has centred completely around his music, which is 'always a joy' to him; he recently began to conduct, and now has almost as great a reputation as a conductor as he has as a pianist. Here he talks not only about his life and work today, but also about his extraordinary time as a musician in the Soviet Union.