In his relatively short life of 31 years Schubert composed an impressive catalogue of works, and for this Celebrity Recital Paul Lewis presented a wide range of his piano music.

Opening with Twelve Waltzes D145, each of brief duration yet encompassing character of great variety, Lewis set a formidable standard of performance.

The Four Impromptus, D899 (op 90) have a larger degree of familiarity. No 1’s fortissimo chord releases a theme infused with song-like qualities even though it is march-orientated.

No 2, in moto perpetuo, gains from in-built tensions and No 3’s memorable melody and rolling triplets were delightful. No less so No 4 in which Lewis’ spirited performance turned the cascading arpeggios into a work of volant enchantment.

Perhaps its unique position in Schubert’s oeuvre makes the short Hungarian Melody in B minor D.817 less familiar; the point of cessation going unacknowledged by artist and audience alike!

The massive applause was reserved for Lewis’s deeply engaging account of the Sonata in G major D.894 in which his sensitivities were stretched between serenity and searing textures punctuated with spacious chords and electrifying tensions. Yet as always in Schubert, the melodies carried the score with treasured transparency.

As encore, Lewis left us with the lovely Allegretto in C minor D915.