The strings are acidic, the solo cello sounds like an alto sax, the piano is frequently clunky-toned, the Moscow coughers are out in force and Cliburn has his fair share of fluffs and fudges – but none of this matters. There is a palpable sense of occasion, one in which all concerned sense they are witnessing history in the making as Cliburn gives the performances of his life. No wonder the audience erupts after the first movement of the Tchaikovsky. The allegro vivace assai section of the slow movement is taken at a daring pace, while the final pages are as thrilling as any on disc.

The second item on the programme was the Rondo by Kabalevsky, a pièce imposé written especially for the occasion. On this disc, Testament places it as the final work after the Rachmaninov. It’s hardly a masterpiece but Cliburn dignifies it by treating it like one. And then Rach Three. The later RCA live recording reduced me to tears when I first heard it all those years ago. Despite the sonic imperfections and some scarily uncoordinated moments, this one punches a hardly less emotional impact. The first-movement cadenza (Cliburn plays the bigger of the two) will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck; the finale’s peroration will sweep you away. Whatever that magical, indefinable gift is, Cliburn had it in 1958, his annus mirabilis.