If I had only one word to describe the German pianist Alexander Lonquich, it would be “thoughtful.” If I could add another, it would be “quirky.”The combination made for an unusual recital on Wednesday evening at the 92nd Street Y.

Mr. Lonquich’s choice of material immediately demonstrated his cerebral nature. Two contemplative works by Mozart, the Adagio in B minor, K. 540, and the Rondo in A minor, K. 511, made it clear that we were in for a night of interpretation rather than realization. Seemingly to reinforce the point, Mr. Lonquich sustained the opening two notes of the Adagio far beyond the length of time that Mozart would have been able to muster – assuming that he would have wished to do so – with his primitive fortepiano.

Mr. Lonquich sits rather oddly at the keyboard, at an angle that leaves him staring at the back wall a good portion of the time. His abundant use of rubato left these Mozart works without much of a rhythmic center. These performances were interesting, but they were about as relevant to Mozart as the stylings of Keith Jarrett are to Bach.

Still, these pieces were absolute paragons of stylistic rectitude compared to Mr. Lonquich’s version of C.P.E. Bach’s Sonata in C major from 1775. Here the use of stutter steps, outright pauses, syncopation, and rhythmic inversion reminded me more of Anton Webern’s “Variations for Piano” than anything ever composed by a son of Bach. Again, however, this was challenging and thought-provoking musicmaking. It reminded me a bit of Glenn Gould without the humming.

I was initially attracted to this recital because it was to have featured the New York premiere of the “Klavierstuck No. 5” of the contemporary German composer Wolfgang Rihm. Unfortunately, this was canceled at the last minute. Mr. Lonquich replaced it with an excellent rendition of “Feux d’Artifice,” the 12th prelude from Debussy’s Book 2. This turned out to be the best playing of the night for two reasons. First, it was not overpedaled. Second, it was, as a current television commercial states, “unfooled around with.”

Last in the first half was one of Robert Schumann’s seldom-heard “Novelletten.” These piano narratives were actually named for the English soprano Clara Novello – it is only a fortuitous coincidence that they relate linguistically to the word “novel” – but there is no question that they speak to the heart of the relationship between the Romantic movement and the French roman.They are exciting little stories, written in a style more Eusebius than Florestan, filled with swashbuckling excitement. Except that in Mr. Lonquich’s technically capable hands, they became but a distillate of that romance. All was ascetic rather than opulent, dispassionate rather than emotive. I did not realize it at the time, but this was a harbinger of things to come.

I went out at intermission to get some air; like Lot’s wife, I would have been better off to just keep on walking. The second half of the program was all Chopin, and I absolutely hated it. Even the great Maurizio Pollini falls into this trap with Chopin sometimes, but Mr. Lonquich seemed determined to rid this exceptionally exciting music of all peaks and valleys.This was technically impressive typewriting, but little else.

The Nocturne in B major, Op. 9, No. 3, was so clearly enunciated that I was willing to accept its total lack of poetry. But to offer the great B minor Sonata in this way was simply beyond the pale.

The justly famous cascading opening was simply stated in a quotidian manner, and the main subject of the Allegro maestoso, which is repeated twice, was each time uttered with the same dynamics as well as sense of desiccation. Considering how Mr. Lonquich slathered rubato on Mozart, it was bizarre that he employed none in Chopin.

Others will no doubt find this innovative and hip; for me, it was just deadly. There is a Finnish pianist named Olli Mustonen who plays like this, and perhaps he and Mr. Lonquich are pioneers of a new European school. But what is lost in this showy self-effacement is the music itself.

Mr. Lonquich will be staying in town for the weekend and I will be reporting in Monday’s New York Sun about his concert with the Tokyo String Quartet. It will be interesting to see whether he can play well with others.