On paper it seems an unlikely pairing. On disc, however, it is something of a triumph, a recording that is far more than a mere souvenir d’occasion. Intriguingly, it is difficult to detect purely aurally which is the world-famous pianist and which the world-famous conductor. From his familiar sometimes over-insistent tone, I guess it is Kissin who takes the primo part in the F minor Fantasie (he plays to the back of the hall, not to the microphone) but elsewhere it is impossible to tell them apart, so well do they blend dynamics, phrasing and ensemble. This is even more remarkable given that the music, written for four hands at one piano, is played on two (beautifully balanced) Hamburg Steinways – less of a squeeze on the piano stool but trickier to co-ordinate.

The Fantasie is the least successful item. Its dramatic elements are energetically characterised but its introspective, questioning discourse goes by the board, leaving the emotions untouched. With their understatement and faster tempo, Richter and Britten (Decca, 8/00) make the eyes burn whenever Schubert’s sublime opening theme returns. Lebensstürme (‘Storms of Life’), written a month after the Fantasie, is given a terrific whirlwind of a performance and completes the first short disc (34’05”).

The second half features the Grand Duo (40’49”), a symphony for piano in all but name (several, including Joachim, have orchestrated the work). Here Kissin and Levine come into their own with a fiercely argued, compelling account some way removed from the intimacy of a Schubertiad, and the best reason for buying this release. They close with two fast and furious crowd-pleasers bringing as much pleasure to the audience as they so obviously do to the players.