Alexandre Tharaud has clearly lived a long time with this iconic set of keyboard variations; his love of the music and total engagement with it is apparent in every bar. Rather than moulding the variations to fit slavishly together with tempo and mood, Tharaud focuses on the individual character of each, playing it as it speaks to him—and the effect is wonderfully convincing. Completists will delight in the fact that Tharaud includes every repeat; others can simply relish a superb performance of one of the towering creations for the keyboard.