This year the pianist Nelson Goerner has been more active than usual on behalf of Chopin. In October he served as a juror for the 17th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Mid-August found him at the Penderecki Centre in Lusawice, Poland, where he recorded this splendid recital built around the Preludes, Op 28. It is a disc that can only solidify Goerner’s reputation as one of the outstanding Chopin exponents of his generation.

One of the most striking aspects of Goerner’s Chopin is his ease of execution. Nothing ever sounds forced or overblown. His extensive experience with 19th-century instruments may certainly be a factor. And it could be that Goerner is ever mindful of contemporary accounts of Chopin’s own playing, with its infinite spectrum of nuance within a rather restricted dynamic range. Whatever the case, in certain heroic or agitated pieces, Goerner’s ability to clarify textures, revealing as he does so a wealth of seldom-heard detail, is virtually without parallel.

The normally swashbuckling Op 44 Polonaise, with its brooding hauteur and cascading octaves, is an excellent case in point. Explosive force is replaced by soaring lyricism, supported by an elegantly proud rhythmic underpinning unmistakable as anything but Polish. The repetitive rhythmic flourishes that prepare the Tempo di mazurka are a model of suggestive restraint.

If there is a downside to Goerner’s self-effacing musicianship, it might be that, in pieces like the Berceuse or the passionate D minor Prelude, understated refinement can work against a compellingly vivid representation. In the Preludes there are many standouts, among them the A minor, G sharp minor and G minor pieces. Listening to the entire set, however, I miss the variety of progression from microcosm to microcosm, each its own unique expressive realm, that makes Dong Hyek Lim’s recent Preludes so compelling.

That said, as Goerner nears the full blossom of his maturity, his interpretations are never less than original, deeply considered and filled with characteristic detail. That they also exhibit rare qualities of wisdom and discernment make him someone to return to, again and again.