Valerie Tryon’s generous ‘Liszt Odyssey’ mirrors both her genial nature and her dedication to the idea of music as a civilising art. After a 60-year-long career, her technique remains effortless, her poise unfaltering, her equanimity in the face of every daunting moment remarkable. Pianists could weep with envy in the face of such unsullied quality. Tryon’s way with the central Canzona from the Venezia e Napoli

Tarantella is expressive and scintillating, unfolding with an uncanny sense of detail, before leaving this sun-drenched tribute to Naples in a burst of virtuoso glory.Elsewhere, there are occasional reminders that such sovereign ease should not always be so apparent. Does she sufficiently relish Liszt’s complex, multi-faceted genius in Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este? Is her performance truly evocative of Liszt’s religious symbolism or of that magical garden where fountains replace flowers? Is the opening of Funérailles too business-like for its sombre and menacing tread?

Still, if you can easily point to more spine-tingling performances, you will rarely hear more reliable ones. Valerie Tryon plays as naturally as a bird flies or a fish swims. The Canadian recording is admirable and it is good to hear that the APR has further discs (of Chopin and Mendelssohn) in the pipeline.