Boris Giltburg continues his survey of Rachmaninov with the complete Preludes, launching the disc with a refreshingly straight account of the C sharp minor Prelude. His sensitivity is abundantly demonstrated and he’s always careful to avoid climaxes becoming overbearing or, heaven forbid, percussive. The G flat major Prelude that ends Op 23 is a good example of his songfulness, while the fifth of the Op 32 set has a lovely airborne quality, better conveying its flickering delicacy than Lugansky, who is a shade slower. In a similar vein, the eighth Prelude of Op 23 is another highlight.

Giltburg’s preoccupation with clarity of texture means that the tumultuous climax of Op 32 No 8 in A minor never becomes overbearing, and this makes fine contrast with the airy writing, which he dispatches with ease. This is followed by a wonderfully rich reading of the A major Prelude, while the siciliano rhythm of No 10 has a solemn tread, though Lympany finds a stronger drive through the middle section.

Where I have slight reservations about the playing is in some of the more outspoken preludes. The second of Op 23, for instance, softens where I want it to drive forwards, with Giltburg slightly underplaying its waterfalls of sound. And the luscious melody that emerges at 1'00" is a touch timid compared to Lympany’s reading. The gruff march of No 5, too, has more potency in the hands of Lugansky, though the inner section is done with great sensitivity, Giltburg revealing the duetting lines quite beautifully. And of the Op 32 Preludes, No 6 doesn’t create the driving terror to be found in Lympany, brilliantly ireful, or Lugansky, truly demonic.

The driving drama of the C major Prelude that opens Op 32 also has more poetry than in many accounts. Lympany whips up a wondrous storm, while her contrasting filigree is finely spun. Choice will come down to personal taste, as it will in the G sharp minor, which is pearlescent in Giltburg’s hands but without the glistening virtuosity that Lympany brings to it. The closing Prelude of Op 32 sums up Giltburg’s approach – opening with a quietude that harks back to the early C sharp minor Prelude, while the turmoil that follows is presented with an absolute command of texture and clarity but without the storminess some bring to it, though its closing chords have a glorious richness.