Martin Helmchen, born in 1982, is the young pianist who won the Clara Haskil Prize in 2001, and who has proved outstandingly successful gathering chamber groups around him, as here in this varied programme in which he is the central pivot. Recorded in Berlin in excellent sound, this version of the much-recorded Trout Quintet earns its place, when it is imaginatively coupled with the sublime Notturno for piano trio and the Variations for flute and piano on the song “Trockne Blumen” from Die schöne Müllerin.

The clarity of separation between the instruments in the Trout is owed in part to the recording but also to the performers themselves, a well attuned group. Helmchen ensures that the opening of the variation movement quoting the song, “Die Forelle”, is far gentler than usual, obeying the score, and the climax brings wonderfully bouncy playing, leading to a jaunty account of the finale.

Alois Posch plays the variations on “Trockne Blumen” on a wooden Baroque flute, adding to the delicacy and agility of the playing. Yet in some ways the most striking performance of all comes in the Notturno, tenderly affectionate in its flowing adagio. Though the pianissimos are extreme, every note can be clearly heard. A distinctive disc celebrating the emerging mastery of Martin Helmchen.