Andrea Bacchetti is a pianist possessed of poise and elegance, attributes mirrored by the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto and conductor Carlo Goldstein. These are performances that can’t be faulted in terms of taste; yet they don’t ignite the music, to raise it to the sublime as the greatest readings can. There are times when the players sound a touch deliberate in tempo and nuance, lacking a degree of carefree joy in the finales of K414 and 415, with good taste perhaps taking precedence over character. Comparison of even a few bars of Bacchetti’s and Kocsis’s readings of the opening Allegro of K413 underlines the difference between a fine and an outstanding interpretation. Kocsis’s playing has an infectious combination of barely contained energy and considerable intricacy, alongside which the Italian’s interpretation comes across as rather generalised.

The Uchida and Perahia cycles remain classic, though some will find the latter’s classical restraint preferable to Uchida’s tender – and at times hyper-reactive – sensitivity. The slow movement of K414 is particularly poignant in Perahia’s hands, though I’m also very taken with Edna Stern’s wonderfully responsive reading of this work, balancing seriosity with playfulness and always finding tempi that seem entirely apt. Bacchetti here sets out a grander agenda that isn’t always matched by the playing itself: if you’re looking for that kind of approach, Myra Hess is a good bet.

The recording places the piano within a natural perspective but ultimately this new release doesn’t alter the status quo.