Maurizio Pollini has yet to attain the expertise of conductor/pianists such as Edwin Fischer, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Mikhail Pletnev, Piotr Anderszewski and Stefan Vladar. The orchestral exposition to the first movement of K491 exemplifies a loose hold on rhythmic structure; and a lack of attention to transparency within the string texture places the brass and timpani, in particular, at a disadvantage. A mushy upper bass isn’t helpful either. But Pollini the pianist – too forward in both concertos – retains his formidable control of the instrument as he shows his artistry in the voicing of chords, balance between hands and a singing line in the slow movements. The sparer orchestration of K414 and DG’s cleaner recording make this performance a better proposition.

Imogen Cooper is upfront too, but not dominatingly so; and the critically important wind parts, though short on ideal lucidity, are not overwhelmed either. The Northern Sinfonia pays only a small price because she also understands her role in terms of expressive interplay and dynamic nuance. Try the finale of K491 to experience how the movement emerges bigger than the sum of its eight variations because she addresses these details. Joseph Kerman would consider Cooper “a soloist who has the double instincts of a chamber music player and a virtuoso”; and Bradley Creswick a conductor having “the instinctive ear for a sound-ideal which is no longer current, but has to be recreated in a new, imaginative guise”.

From second violins antiphonally seated and a beat that is precise but flexible, to holding the various strands of the ensemble in equilibrium, Creswick is punctiliously attentive to the needs of the music. He doesn’t, for instance, disturb the symmetry of K503 with a grandiose first movement. Instead, by opting for an un-aggrandised yet assertive Allegro maestoso, he avoids diminishing a finale of different character but equal status, while the central Andante emerges as a hauntingly beautiful piece. These interpretations are profoundly felt, excellently played and, apart from muffled timpani, truthfully reproduced. As her moving performance of the Fantasia also illustrates, Imogen Cooper’s return to recordings is gratifyingly vindicated.