on this showing he is significantly more attuned to Beethoven than Chopin, his self-proclaimed favourite composer...we seldom hear these works played with such unmannered restraint: the slow movements are not milked for emotion, while the fury of the fast ones is held in check by an admirable refusal to play to the gallery. The playing throughout is refreshingly disciplined and clean.

In the Pathetique's first-movement introduction, Yundi's pronounced dynamic contrasts and stable pulse marked by the tiniest expressive adjustments compel serious listening...Yundi polishes the motivic components in the first movement of the Appassionata with impressive surface finish, yet somehow fails to link them into a cohesive narrative.

The warmth of the colouring, the recording too, certainly makes this Beethoven recital — Yundi’s first — different from the norm. Even when the music indicates something granitic, our pianist still stands on velvet. Drama and impetuosity abound in the first movement of the Pathétique