Few of Daniel Barenboim’s infrequent past recorded encounters with Chopin hint at the depth, maturity, insight and tonal luster that distinguish this Warsaw recital’s finest moments. Those who know Barenboim’s broad, epic and seriously cohesive EMI account of the F Minor Fantasie will discover new layers of intensity here in the pianist’s minute rhythmic inflections of the opening march theme and purposeful rubatos.

The D flat Nocturne, too, emerges in a new three-dimensional light by way of Barenboim’s textural layering of the right-hand melody against the rolling left-hand accompaniment. There’s a far greater sense of continuity and linear sweep to the Chopin B flat minor Sonata’s first two movements than in Barenboim’s comparatively choppy, pounded-out EMI effort, and more mobility in the Funeral March, which benefits from a slightly faster yet still measured tempo. He shapes the Presto Finale quietly, deliberately and steadily, allowing the rise and fall of the phrases to speak with minimum accentuation.

The waltzes are pointed up with gorgeously varied articulations and well-contoured bass-lines that thankfully draw more attention to the composer than the pianist. Although Barenboim makes heavy weather of the A flat Polonaise’s notorious central left-hand octaves and lacks the suppleness to project the outer sections’ confident swagger as Rubinstein and Horowitz did in their respective primes, his Barcarolle ebbs and flows to more fluent effect than before, featuring patient unravelling of the sublime coda’s densely populated inner voices.

The formerly sober and straightlaced Berceuse has also had a flexible and poetic makeover. Aside from distracting foot- stomping, the engineering’s resonant ambience communicates a palpable sense of occasion and flatters Barenboim’s huge, colourful sonority.