Volume 2 of “The Early Recordings” once more shows Michelangeli, among the greatest of all pianists, as an introvert who frequently masked his complex inner life with a curt military precision. Yet if he can bark orders he can also seduce you with sudden shafts of sunlight and affection. The second subject of Chopin’s B flat minor Scherzo is as beguiling and heart-easing as you could wish and if the central section openly flouts Chopin’s wish for continuity, becoming in effect a slow movement, it is made hypnotically personal and intense. Elsewhere, Michelangeli’s explosive but flawlessly controlled force and energy are frightening in their perfection and I doubt whether a more masterly Second Scherzo exists on record. The Berceuse is a marvel of “silvery fire”, the recognisable de-synchronisation of the hands somehow made part and parcel of a unique personality. The B minor Mazurka, for long the pianist’s favourite encore, and the Opus 69 A flat Waltz, too, are marked with an indelible character as well as flashes of perversity light years away from, say Rubinstein’s patrician elegance.

Michelangeli’s agility in the last two movements of Beethoven’s Sonata No 3 has to be heard to be believed, though here and in one of Mozart’s most delectable concertos you will need to look elsewhere – to Kempff, Barenboim and Perahia – for warmth and affection. The Mozart in particular can be chilly and unyielding, dressed, as it were, in stiff brocade. Ward Marston has a hard time making the Milan orchestra sound acceptable but overall does his usual sterling service. An invaluable issue with, hopefully, more to come.