Hough’s individualities of phrasing and subtleties of pedalling are all contained within a relatively Classical sense of order. He brings splendour to the greater grandiosity of the Emperor concerto, but never seems tempted to inflate it into a prototypical Rachmaninov as some of his eminent predecessors have. Lintu steers a judicious course between Romantic indulgence and ‘authentic’ briskness in his choice of tempos and draws crisp, bright textures from what sounds like relatively modest orchestral forces.

It is a tribute to the quality of Stephen Hough’s musicianship that the new cycle’s most memorable performance should be that of Beethoven’s Janus-like Third Piano Concerto, the one – on record at least – that has often proved the most elusive.

Steven Hough makes the most companionable guide to this cycle, his instinctive good taste saving him from histrionics, his equally instinctive intuition allowing him to unlock moments of unexpected beauty.

A splendid new set of these inexhaustible works.

Hough uses a Viennese Bösendorfer rather than a period instrument, but it permits a period-style brilliance and clarity of articulation rarely heard in these works. With Lintu and the Finnish orchestra’s complementary accomplishments, he sets tempi that always sound right, and invests every phrase with a freshness and panache that takes the breath away.

The sparks struck between [the orchestra's] crisp responsiveness and Hough’s immaculate blend of imagination and control are considerable. Magisterial one moment, wry the next, Hough is a whole orchestra in himself, and not a note is wasted.