Piemontesi’s instinctive good taste means he never indulges in histrionics, and operates on the principle that understatement can carry more emotional power than its converse. This performance of D958 is the best I have ever heard. His D959 exhibits the same virtues…and D960, recorded live and technically immaculate, is glorious.

Piemontesi is an artist who very much puts the music first and the abiding sense of these readings is their naturalness. There’s no lack of imagination either…but while Piemontesi’s playing is always classically classy, I sometimes hungered for more drama.

Here is confirmation that Francesco Piemontesi belongs to a small elite: he is a pianist that other pianists go to hear. He is awesome and speculative in the A major while in the B-flat he achieves greatness without recourse to idiosyncrasy or extremes. Even in a crowded field of celebrated recordings, Piemontesi’s performances are wholly exceptional, enlightening if exhausting at every level. They are crowned by Pentatone’s beautifully natural sound.