This is the latest volume of Seabourne’s widely acclaimed large-scale piano series. Its starting point was the Passiontide paintings of Caravaggio, though it is not a religious work. This is possibly the darkest of the Steps series thus far; the sixteen “preludes” exploring a wide emotional range from melancholy to rage. It could almost be said to be the composer’s Die Winterreise… The pianist, Alessandro Viale, is well known in his home city of Rome as one of the leading exponents of contemporary music, playing widely as soloist and chamber musician. He possesses a formidable technique, yet combines this with great sensitivity for colour and phrasing.