Zimerman takes us into a place of deep introspection, finding vast universes within. The recorded sound, by Rainer Maillard, is beautifully judged, combining gentleness with absolute clarity…This piano sings sweetly, allows Zimerman to do for all the emotional outbursts without breaking through into our louder modern age.

Zimerman, quite simply, sounds like no one else. That’s partly down to the instrument, having inserted into his Steinway a keyboard he has made himself... Every element of these two sonatas has been thought out, considered; in the hands of a lesser artist the results could have been pernickety but instead they tend towards the transcendent...This is a marvellously life‑enhancing release. Go and hear it for yourself.

Zimerman’s technical command is prodigious and unfaltering, yet exclusively at the service of his searing vision. No time for caressing warmth or confidentiality, but the naked essence of Schubert without fuss or indirection, and always with a sense of ‘time’s winged chariot hurrying near’. So, while I would never be without long cherished recordings by Kempff, Curzon, Lupu and Uchida, these fiercely uncompromising readings stand out like a beacon of blazing light.

The second movement of D959, a kind of melancholy Valse triste, sounds otherworldly and hauntingly mesmerising in Zimerman's hands. His voicing of chords is exquisite, and by bringing out the accents and other dynamic markings, he highlights some of the more unexpected harmonies, making it sound eerily modern in places...The way he shapes a phrase is a joy to listen to, and he knows exactly how to pace the longer movements.

His virtuoso technique makes light of the technical demands of both the A major (D959) and B-flat major (D960) works, yet it is the tonal colouring and shading, his assured control of dynamics and ability to integrate the sudden lurches from dramatic despair to unbound joy, that make these performances so satisfying.

Characteristically, the performances have been prepared with immense care...while the attention that Zimerman pays to the minutest detail of the phrasing never becomes an end in itself...There are certainly more strikingly individual recordings of both sonatas to be found, good and less good, but few that are so consistently thoughtful and musical, and so technically impeccable too.

Zimerman invites the listeners to a magical world of sounds and expressions by presenting all of the rich details in these greatest Schubert sonatas. As if wishing to tell us the most important story of his life, he has devoted immense study to discovering the depths of this music. The performances are incredibly nuanced and well-prepared, but on the other hand very spontaneous, thus underlining Zimerman’s exceptional artistry.