His immaculate performances establishing a rapturous atmosphere with their clear-headed, penetrating interpretations. He makes a welcome return to the Festival with music by two of the composers most dear to him.

Beethoven’s ‘Waldstein’ Sonata is a tour de force of invention and emotion, from the meditative stillness of its slow movement to its triumphant conclusion, while the Piano Sonata in F Opus 54, shows the composer’s humorous side. Chopin’s exquisite waltzes, full of sophistication, are the ideal vehicles for Andsnes’s lucid, supple playing, and the ballades demand the power and commanding technique that are his trademark.