Valerie Tryon’s second disc for Somm once more distils her very recognisable virtues. Whether in Rachmaninov, Richard Strauss or Dohnányi, her articulation remains clear and precise, her approach lyrical and expressive rather than overtly brilliant. Her performances may be less vital than in the heady days when she tossed off such virtuoso teasers as Balakirev’s Islamey and Liszt’s Feux follets with nonchalant ease but her relative reserve pays rich musical dividends. Nothing impedes the musical line or a fine balance of sense and sensibility; others may be more robust but they can be less sensitive to an underlying musical fervour.

It is in this sense that Tryon creates her own distinctive musical ambience. In the first-movement cadenza of the Rachmaninov there is a sense of relaxed arm weight. Nothing is forced or pulled out of musical perspective; and if you are left with a novel sense of elegy rather than exuberance (though extensively revised, Rachmaninov’s Op 1 was an early inspiration) this can work to the music’s advantage, notably in the finale’s central section, given with a special sense of lyric grace. Again, you may find Tryon unduly modest in the Strauss Burleske, missing, say, Argerich’s flashing fingers and ferocious pace; but Tryon is never less than fluent and musicianly, and in the once-popular Dohnányi Nursery Song Variations she comes into her own. Perky and vivacious throughout, she is scintillating in the final pages. The Royal Philharmonic under Jac van Steen are very much at one with their soloist, Somm’s balance and sound are impressive, and I very much hope this will not be the last of Valerie Tryon’s recordings.