A pianist of prodigious technique, a musician of unpredictable temperament: such is the dichotomy of Ronald Brautigam. And it isn’t simply a question of interpretation, as in the first movement of K450. If you are used to a yielding approach exemplified by András Schiff and Sándor Végh, or a mildly stricter view from Malcolm Bilson and John Eliot Gardiner, the tense drive of Brautigam with the co-operation of Michael Alexander Willens could be disconcerting.

But it is justified as another light shed on this movement. Reach the Andante, however, and a sudden about-face of prosaic, indifferent playing with no graduated shading of tone is hard to take – the more so as Willens provides a contrastingly sensitive partnership. The final Allegro is no better, an example of mere note-spinning, and one spun too fast for the rhythm of compound time to speak.

Inconsistency recurs. In a kaleidoscopic change of attitude, Brautigam springs the surprise of a powerful, dramatic opening Allegro assai to K451, his playing expressively histrionic but far from hard-edged; and Willens is superbly responsive to the pomp and grandeur inherent in the orchestration, resplendently recorded too. Just as abruptly, Brautigam then switches to a matter-of-fact, somewhat brusque Andante, yet recovers to a degree in the finale. Not enough though; and his often cavalier view of K382 is a puzzle as well. If this is all too much, look to the comparisons below: no jolting rides, just unswervingly excellent performances.