Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue was memorably recorded by Brendel’s mentor, Edwin Fischer, although he preferred to play a Busoni arrangement. Here, Brendel uses the original text. Haydn’s Sonata No. 50 in C dates from 1794, during the composer’s first visit to London. One commentator described its first movement as “a marvellous example of his structural mastery, developing a short and rather formal opening theme into a varied but consistently unified piece.”

Mozart’s Fantasia in C minor, K. 396 dates from early in 1782. Originally intended for violin and piano, the autograph is not entirely in his hand, but is all unquestionably genuine Mozart. Brendel, more than any other performer, popularized the second of Schubert’s Klavierstücke, D. 946, which he has played frequently as an encore. Its blend of shyly lyrical outer sections with an ethereal, mysterious middle one has made it one of Schubert’s most beloved works. The three late works of Liszt included in this collection date from 1881 to 1885, when his style grew austere and sometimes tonally ambiguous. Contrast them with the bravura “quasi sonata” inspired by a reading of Dante’s Inferno that was composed almost four decades earlier but not published until 1858 in the second volume of Années de pelerinage (“Years of Pilgrimage”).

The year 1806 saw Beethoven complete some of his greatest works: The “Razumovsky” Quartets; Fourth Piano Concerto and Fourth Symphony; Violin Concerto; and this Sonata, whose Italian nickname means “eager, enthusiastic.” The Bagatelle Für Elise survives only in a copy and was not published until 1867, after which it appeared on the music stand of almost every piano in the world.

Schumann’s eight Fantasy Pieces were composed in May-July 1838 and coincide with his friendship with Robena Laidlaw, an 18-year old Scottish pianist whom he saw frequently during that time. Only the seventh of the set (“Confused Dreams”) predates its companions, having been completed five years earlier.

Mozart’s Sonata in C, K. 330 is the first of a set of four composed in Paris during 1778. The Andante cantabile, with its haunting F minor music, contrasts with outer movements tailored to the Parisian taste for the galant.