Vadym Kholodenko begins this decidedly unhackneyed programme with what may be the finest recording of Balakirev’s Sonata No 2 since Louis Kentner and Earl Wild. His opening fugue sings out much more than Danny Driver’s, the rhapsodic interludes transpire with controlled gusto, and he matches and sometimes surpasses Wild for combined ferocity and suppleness in the Mazurka. Concerning the Intermezzo, I find Driver’s steadier overall pulse allows for stronger textural distinctions between accompaniment and melody, but Kholodenko’s power and authority in the orchestrally inspired finale ultimately rule; his interlocking chords pack quite an assured punch.

Perhaps Kholodenko’s caring and thoughtful performance of Tchaikovsky’s Six Pieces on a Single Theme will inspire more pianists to take up this underrated composition; listen to how he’s internalised the Impromptu’s syncopated trajectory, or his sharply defined dotted rhythms in the Scherzo.

Although no authentic folk melodies are present in Evgeny Chaplygin’s Little Cyprian Music, the music’s inherent sadness and infectious lilt holds interest – Bartók comes to mind at times. By contrast, the seven pieces making up Alexey Kurbatov’s Lost in Darkness play the field, stylistically speaking. Write a Brahms intermezzo in the style of a Michel Legrand movie theme and you’ll get the first piece. No 2 juxtaposes clotted Schumann chords with high-register Mussorgsky church bells. At first the pungent dissonances of No 6’s slow chords grab my attention, yet I lose interest when they lead into ersatz Rachmaninov. However, the final movement’s jarring dynamic and stylistic juxtapositions are totally convincing, especially when played with Kholodenko’s concentration and commitment. In a world where high-profile competition winners trot out the same old repertoire again and again, this unusual, intelligently conceived and superbly executed and engineered recital is most welcome.