Dang Thai Son nearly shot to fame in 1980 by winning the 10th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, the first time an Asian pianist had won an international competition. His triumph, you may remember, was upstaged by the elimination of Ivo Pogorelich in the third round, causing jury member Martha Argerich to walk out, creating a media storm. Who the long-term winner was is a moot point; but Son, who will celebrate his 60th birthday in July, must be the least famous of all Chopin gold medallists.

This new recording – one of few examples of his art on disc – is a curious affair. Though commendable, it is not one that inflames the senses and makes you long for more. The most successful section of the disc is a rare live performance of Paderewski’s Piano Concerto from 2015 under the baton of the ubiquitous Vladimir Ashkenazy. It is a fine performance, with tempos much in line with Jesús María Sanromá’s premiere recording of 1939 (Son takes a more relaxed view of the Romanza) and, more surprisingly, the benchmark of Earl Wild (1970 with Arthur Fiedler). Surprisingly, because Wild is spine-tinglingly good – even without the little extras he throws in to heat things up further in the finale – as opposed to Son, who gets through it with great flair and no mishaps.

The concerto is preceded by studio recordings (May 2017) of eight solo items. Here, I’m afraid, I was disappointed. Son’s playing is so introspective that it seems impolite to intrude on such private reverie. The first 20 minutes, all in much the same mood and tempo, are somewhat enervating. Take, for instance, the ineffably lovely Nocturne from the Op 16 Morceaux. Son’s mannered playing insists on telling you how ineffably lovely it is, every bar weighted with significance. Jonathan Plowright (Warner Classics, 11/17), Stephen Hough (Nimbus or Erato) and the composer himself (1922) are among those who let the music speak for itself.