If there is one pianist for whom Bach’s Goldberg Variations might have been written, it is András Schiff. With its intricate canons and contrapuntal virtuosity, this near-miraculous composition demands the precision of which he is master.

The first of his two traversals last night, celebrating 30 years of recitals at the Wigmore Hall and given on one of two new Steinways selected for the hall by Schiff himself, demonstrated those virtues in abundance.

There was simple lyricism, drama, tragedy, humour, artfully alternated so that interest never flagged. Schiff’s ability to balance the contrapuntal voices naturally is unrivalled, while his command of the subtleties of articulation and the intellectual calibre of the entire undertaking are beyond criticism. And yet, given such high expectations, it was possible to feel some disappointment.

Were some of the movements inclined to be mechanical rather than playful? Was too much of the drama unnecessarily aggressive? Was the glorious chromaticism of the Adagio 25th variation adequately subjective?

But one quickly forgave Schiff when a burst of oppressive, almost Beethovenian force gave way to a clarified texture of unforced tenderness. The sustaining pedal, incidentally, was eschewed throughout. There are many ways of playing the penultimate quodlibet. Schiff chose a peasant-like rough humour — but then came the closing reprise of the opening aria, its delicate ornamentation dispatched with consummate spontaneity and unaffected elegance.