Unlike the lifelong artistic journey of some other pianists, that of Maurizio Pollini has remained remarkably consistent. Winning the 1960 International Chopin Competition, the young virtuoso’s approach right from the start was one of clarity, served by a technique of formidable strength and accuracy. Pollini made two recordings of Chopin for EMI, then took an extended break. In 1971 he signed with DG where he has remained to this day.

Every one of his early LPs was an event, due to his phenomenal concentration and technical assurance: His Prokofiev Seventh Sonata and Stravinsky’s Three Pieces from Petrouchka, and his Chopin Études, remain gramophone classics. From then until the ultimate release in this box from 2014, he has not so much mellowed as matured. He continues to seek out a work’s structure and clarify its textures; he is revelatory in Schoenberg. The more important the music, the better. Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier (Book 1), Beethoven’s and Schubert’s late Piano Sonatas all receive this treatment. The slow movement of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto (especially in the earlier performance under Karl Böhm) is neither personal introspection nor a lyrical serenade; it is a hymn.

With Pollini you get none of the wry humour underpinning Alfred Brendel’s intellectualism, nor the detailed capriciousness of Martha Argerich. There is no improvisatory feel to Pollini’s playing. Where others revel in light and shade, he prefers light and more light. This results in very individual Debussy, predictably more successful in the severe Études than the picturesque Preludes.

Chopin is his home territory. While the young Pollini knew that Chopin’s Études and Polonaises revealed his strengths, he waited until 2005 before he set down the Nocturnes. While bereft of half-lights, these pieces glow with a reverend tenderness. DG’s superb sound quality is the other constant in what really is a highly recommendable set.