Schubert’s last sonatas stand alongside Beethoven’s final works for solo piano as some of the greatest music for the instrument ever written. Number 21, the very last, inhabits a world of mystery and revelation – introspective and lonely. Schumann’s ‘Scenes from Childhood’ is, wistful, nostalgic and vulnerable, and is accompanied by a selection from Debussy’s charming Children’s Corner Suite;  mesmerising music that’s immediately likeable.

For the kids or the grown ups?

We’re not sure if Scenes from Childhood was meant for children or adults. The composer himself described them as being the reminiscences of an older person, but also didn’t deny that “several children’s heads were in his mind when composing them”. Fellow composer Franz Liszt was a fan, saying “As far as the Scenes from Childhood are concerned, I owe them one of the liveliest pleasures of my life.” Maybe the truth is, like the very best of children’s toys or films, both adults and children can take equal pleasure in them.