'Going all over the place, yet going nowhere.’ No, that’s not an obscure Bob Dylan lyric but rather my reaction to David Deveau wending his way through the opening Allegro of Schubert’s A major Sonata (No 20), minus its exposition repeat. His reluctance to commit to a firm basic tempo fails to provide an anchoring frame of reference for his expressive speed-ups and slow-downs. Because he underplays dynamic builds at climaxes, the movement’s quiet closing gives more the impression of depletion than decompression. Deveau taps into the Andantino’s lyrical poignancy, yet parks the anguished central climax in neutral. By contrast, Krystian Zimerman’s wailing fortissimos pin you to the wall, without spinning out of control (DG, 10/17). The Scherzo is light and supple enough, yet the quick arpeggiated chords and repeated notes lack Alfred Brendel’s playful and angular bite (Philips, 4/73). The Rondo is better in that Deveau keeps thematic material and melodic filigree in balance, albeit without Maurizio Pollini’s deft transitions (DG, 4/88).

The B flat Sonata’s Molto moderato (without the repeat) straddles between the exposition’s directness and simplicity and fussy point-making that undermines the development section’s flow. In the Scherzo, Deveau telegraphs the accented bass notes’ syncopated surprise by slightly elongating the notes before them. The well-played Rondo falls slightly short of the dramatic contrast and forward momentum distinguishing pianists as divergent as Perahia, Richter, Lupu and Fleisher. However, Deveau creates a hypnotic and sustained atmosphere in the slow movement by maintaining a steady grip on the left-hand ostinato, over which he spins out flexible and gorgeously shaded cantabiles. So here’s the question: is one magical movement worth the price of an otherwise underwhelming Schubert release?