Vassily Primakov’s rapidly expanding discography now extends to a Schubert recital where he opts for the most part for selections rather than complete sets of the Impromptus and Dances. And if such enterprise makes you long for the missing items from D935 and many more of Schubert’s delectable Waltzes and Ländler (he wrote 400 in all) you can marvel at playing of a most distinctive poetry and ardour. Primakov’s way with dances formed into suites by himself and his one-time teacher Vera Gornostaeva will charm the birds out of the trees. And yet there is never a hint of artifice or contrivance but rather an open-hearted delight in some of Schubert’s most endearing works; music composed in those rare moments when he felt free from worldly care.

Elsewhere Primakov never lets you forget that Schubert was music’s supreme lyrical genius, and if his performance of six of the eight Impromptus is less classic and impeccable than from, say, Lupu or Perahia, his spontaneity and character make for a winning alternative. The F minor Impromptu from D935 unwinds with true “heavenly length”, and if the central ben marcato of the E flat Impromptu from D899 is rhythmically wayward and the A flat Impromptu less than ideally poised, this is palpably the playing of a young pianist in love with Schubert. Well recorded, this is a disc to treasure.