Paul Lewis (piano), BBCSO/ Jiri Belohlavek Harmonia Mundi HMC 902053.55 (3 CDs) ***

English pianist Paul Lewis follows his widely praised recordings of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas with a set of the complete piano concertos for Harmonia Mundi. The set is a bit rougher than you might have expected. Jiri Belohlavek and the BBC Symphony Orchestra seem to be anything but tight in their partnership, offering playing that sometimes sounds spongy rather than pointed, and is apt to substitute a kind of raw gutsiness for focused energy. Lewis doesn’t always sound as comfortable as he did in the sonatas. The recorded tone is a lot edgier, the detailing of rubato is often freer, but a lot less convincing. It’s almost as if Lewis somehow lost his equilibrium in upscaling his playing to present a viable foil to the orchestra. It’s in the slow movements that the familiar Lewis is found at his best. See url.ie/55ay