Yulianna Avdeeva’s first prize in the 2010 Chopin Competition was not without controversy. Hearing her play Shostakovich last year in Vienna, I did myself wonder whether those who queried her success perhaps had a point, because whatever her undoubted technical finish and musical aptitude, big international careers depend (sometimes excessively, I admit) on sheer size of musical personality and communicative warmth, which are not – or not yet – Avdeeva’s strong points. Probably we will have to wait a little longer before she succeeds in fully defining her musical personality; at the moment there is still a slight residual impression of a player formed by excellent teaching, rather than one who can throw caution to the wind and let the music play through her.

There are many pluses in this. Avdeeva’s Chopin Fantaisie is polished, scrupulously blended in tone and intelligent in its articulation: playing of considerable poise and taste, which certainly never uses the music as the vehicle for an inflated ego. If she takes time in places, it is always in the interests of those musical values, not in order to indulge or impress.

Her Mozart is strongly projected, full-sized hall playing, unimpeachable in its combination of clarity, energy and elegance. For sheer eloquence and wit, however, my thoughts turn in the direction of Christian Blackshaw – fresh in my mind since I recently reviewed the last in his Wigmore Hall series (1/16). With Avdeeva there is the sense of a precious musical object being held just a little too tightly for comfort.

Her declared ambition is to showcase Liszt as ‘a philosophical thinker, a humanist’. One might therefore question whether the Dante Sonata is the best choice for such a project. Even so, there is no denying that she shows how the piece can benefit from careful shaping and phrasing. Anyone hoping for a barnstorming showstopper of a performance had better look elsewhere, but Avdeeva’s technical aplomb is still highly impressive and there are far worse recordings out there by far ‘bigger’ artists.

Recording quality is satisfyingly warm and realistic, and the interview format of the booklet is forgivable for a debut album.