Alice Sara Ott (piano) Deutsche Grammophon 477 8095 ****

The German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott, born in Munich in 1988, has created quite a stir in her parents’ homelands. For her DG debut she recorded Liszt’s Transcendental Studies in 2008, and that disc appears here for the first time in conjunction with the follow-up, of Chopin’s Waltzes (a third is already out in Japan). Ott whirls through the Liszt with attitude and technique aplenty, but the Chopin is the more impressive achievement.

The pliability of the rubato works much better than in the Liszt. The playing is often flighty and graceful, and shows some moments of wonderful intimacy, as if Ott were breathing soft secrets into your ear. For best results, don't play it too loudly. See url.ie/57as MICHAEL DERVAN