How hard it is to over-praise the vitality and distinction of this princely pianist, and never more so than in his native music. His second recording of the Grieg Concerto was made after a necessary moratorium allowing him time to refresh his sense of its romantic glory. The tranquillamente close to the central Adagio is more poised and poetic than ever, before a finale played with all the salty brio you could wish for. And to cap it all, Jansons and the Berlin Philharmonic do Andsnes proud.

The selection of Lyric Pieces played on Grieg’s piano are complemented by Andsnes’s first recording of the Ballade, one of the composer’s rare excursions into an epic grandeur and overt virtuosity. A baleful masterpiece in variation form, its brief moments of happiness are abruptly extinguished, a reflection of Grieg’s frequently tormented state of mind. Again, Andsnes makes it difficult to imagine a more commanding or eloquent performance. His authority and finesse are total. Finely recorded, this disc is the best possible introduction to Grieg’s range and character in his piano music.