Among the emerging generation of pianists, Francesco Piemontesi has been highly praised as a keyboard poet to set alongside Igor Levit’s intellectual rigour. The Debussy Préludes, which originated as a tribute to Chopin, are made for Piemontesi: he revels in the characterisation and deft colouring of the individual portraits, while always maintaining momentum and flow. There is an odd drawback, however, which is that the piano sound is very confined and almost boxy: La cathédrale engloutie needs more space to breathe, Des pas sur la neige more chilly echoes. But he captures the spiky wit of the Hommage à S Pickwick and the exuberance of Feux d’artifice. Chopin next?
