Is there another pianist alive today who can draw as ravishing and broad a range of colors from his instrument as Volodos? As piano-playing goes, his is in a class of its own: exquisitely controlled, every single note placed perfectly, every phrase lovingly shaped. Schubert’s penultimate piano sonata responds to Volodos’ masterly touch by offering up its beauties so effortlessly—the technical difficulties hardly register under this pianist’s fingers and he achieves an eloquence that is simply jaw-dropping. The choice of the three minuets is very clever, as they all seem to be cut from the same cloth. A magnificent release.