‘time and again [they] demonstrate that a more intimate approach works wonders in capturing the essence of these exquisitely melodious and immaculately structured scores…By the time he composed the C major Sonata, K403, Mozart was interspersing major and minor modes with infinitely more subtlety, and here the exquisite finesse of this cherishable team put them in a class apart.

Performers and engineers alike have made sure that the one instrument doesn’t swamp or outshine the other, and that neither is unduly spotlit. It all sounds and feels utterly natural...The whole enterprise is near-impossible to fault. Six sonatas left now to complete the cycle, a set that will surely become the modern reference recording.

There is a warmth of empathy and intelligence of interpretation that goes beyond likes or dislikes of vibrato in this case however, and I still find myself drawn in and almost hypnotised by this set. Ibragimova and Tiberghien are more neutral but second to none in terms of subtlety of colour and touch. For this I commend them heartily.

If I sometimes wanted Ibragimova to play out more, that’s because I like her playing so much... it’s striking how the childhood pieces aren’t put out of countenance by the later ones. Aged seven, Mozart is already inventive, confident and playful.