The booklet with Andras Schiff's splendid new Schubert double-set is a solid read.
An engrossing background essay by Misha Donat is preceded by a shorter piece, titled "Confessions of a Convert."
This has Schiff himself describing the "metamorphosis of the Saul to Paul kind" that led to his using an 1820 fortepiano.
How beautifully this man catches the spirit of the composer, talking of the dark forces and unfathomable depth of his music, volcanic eruptions and "the quiet and quietest moments when Schubert - like nobody else - touches our hearts."
The period instrument catches all of this with a subtle, responsive voice that could make a traditional concert grand seem brutal.
The intimacy of small-scale Schubert is revealed in a melancholy C minor Allegro and another minor-key Hungarian tune that cries out for the participation of a gypsy band.
The six Moments Musicaux are treasures. The well-known third in F minor is crisply piquant while the opening C major piece is a fest of Alpine colours, yodels and all. You are drawn into the very heart of the sound, through the muffled obbligato of the instrument's mechanism.
The Four Impromptus of D 935 are amongst Schubert's most popular piano works. Here, a B flat major set of variations is an impeccably modulated journey through to the cascading ripples of the Finale.
The first of two sonatas, in G major, dates from 1827, the year before Schubert's death.
Schiff conveys the Molto moderato cantabile of the first movement to the letter, with graceful billows of song.
The Andante sings with subtle phrasing and understated rubato, followed by a Minuet that secretly yearns to be an innocent country dance.
The B flat major Sonata was finished a few months before Schubert died. The scale is monumental (38 minutes in all) but its emotions are tender and personal.
Gruff low trills in the first movement become whispered rustlings, the Andante an Elegy, the Finale an impulsive and spirited dance.
Best of all, the environment conscious will appreciate the plastic-free eco-packaging - another reason for Schubert to beam down from heaven.
Verdict: "The inner beauties of Schubert's music are unlocked on an instrument of his times"
