Things didn’t begin too promisingly: I spent the first track pondering the genius of Liszt’s transcriptions. Which was unfortunate, given this was a disc of Thalberg. But while the Fantasy on Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots is hardly a masterpiece, there’s no question that Mark Viner, whose first volume (10/15) dazzled Jeremy Nicholas, completely believes in it. As Viner points out in his notes – which are extensive, fascinating and very well researched – this must have been written in a tearing hurry as it appeared just six weeks after the opera’s premiere. And how much more convincing he is than Michael Ponti, who, from the opening chorale, is a man in a hurry, making little of the dramatic moments and with a far less varied colour palette than Viner.

The remaining fantasy and two grands caprices are all first recordings. If you’ve never encountered Halévy’s opera Charles VI then fret not – Thalberg’s Grand caprice offers a whistle-stop tour of the action, with Viner as an imaginative guide, even if he can’t always hide the foursquareness of some of the writing. The closing track, the Grande caprice on the March from Berlioz’s Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, is given with verve and an easy virtuosity that brings great clarity to its textures. The Fantasy on Auber’s La Muette de Portici, on the other hand, is a more interesting proposition and Viner sets the bar high, interpretatively speaking. Though this is based on the Act 3 Tarantella, Thalberg cleverly creates a haloed bel canto melody simply by slowing the tempo down, and Viner duly relishes its beauty.

The remaining two pieces offer something quite different, being taken from Thalberg’s L’art du chant appliqué au piano, which the composer intended as a study for cantabile playing. Strikingly, they borrow from the opera house but Thalberg is true to the originals. ‘Casta diva’ is wonderfully unhackneyed in Viner’s hands. Victoria Power, who has recorded the complete set of 24 for Polymnia, is more studied in effect. And Viner turns ‘Bella adorata’, from Mercadante’s Il giuramento, into a piece of great wistfulness, his fine range of colour and dynamics turning it into a veritable tone poem (aided by the natural-sounding recording).

Viner turns 30 this year and has already proved a friend to Chaminade and Alkan, as well as an enduring champion of Thalberg.