Of Shai Wosner’s 13 or so CDs, if my calculations are correct, four are solo recordings, and three of those are built around Schubert. He has devoted entire recitals to the Viennese master and plays the four-hand works on tour with his regular keyboard partner, Orion Weiss. Wosner’s latest Onyx release includes two of the final trio of sonatas (the C minor, D958, and the B flat, D960; he recorded the A major Sonata, D959, in 2014 – 1/15) plus two other sonatas from 1825 and 1826: the A minor, D845, and the G major, D894.

First it must be said that Wosner certainly has a way with Schubert’s scherzos. All four of them here (though Schubert labels the third movements of both the G major and C minor Sonatas ‘Menuetto’) are light, beautifully articulated and fleet as the wind. They are filled with that almost indescribable echt-Austrian folk naïvété on which so much of their charm relies. At the same time, they are straightforward, avoiding the excesses that Brendel takes Schnabel to task for. Savour, for instance, the exquisite ppp lilt in the Trio of the G major Sonata’s Menuetto.

In fact, it may be that the G major Sonata, in its freshness and originality, is the highlight of the entire recording. Few pianists are able to pull off the largely static opening of the first movement: an abundance of quiet caution seems to paralyse them. But in Wosner’s delicate reading, with its perfectly calculated rhythmic impulse, it’s as though we imbibe the same crisp alpine air that permeates the great D major Sonata, D850. Most refreshing, perhaps, is the complete absence of any hint of cloying sentimentality. Similar nuanced simplicity allows Wosner to negotiate between the polar opposite characters of the Andante.

Evocation of immense space is a factor in the success of this B flat Sonata as well, space being the operative here in lieu of monumentality. The opening movement’s noble theme flows with heart-gripping earnestness, unmarred by the less than convincing dry, abrupt termination of the bass trill. Clipped staccatos likewise pose only minor distractions to the persuasiveness of the movement’s unfolding discourse. Great depth and unaffected poignancy characterise the Andante sostenuto, with beautifully voiced harmonic support. The finale provides ample catharsis, employing only the subtlest of means.

Though it seems ungracious to voice reservations in the face of such strong, original conceptions beautifully realised, I have lingering doubts about the two minor-key sonatas. Despite the poised and expressive slow movements of both works, the outer movements seem to present realms of heroism in the face of tragedy, rage at fate and qualities of sheer desperation that Wosner is yet reluctant to fully inhabit. Nevertheless, taken as a whole, this release can only underscore Wosner’s fully justified reputation as one of the more remarkable Schubert pianists of our day.