In the booklet Roman Mints writes of a pre first sonata of Schnittke that he decided not to record because it is ‘not very successful’. It’s hard not to regret this omission, since otherwise all the works on these new discs (with the possible exception of the two-minute Polka) have previously been recorded. There would clearly have been more than enough room for such a piece, as there would have been for Schnittke’s A Paganini for violin solo and the Prelude in memoriam Dmitry Shostakovich in the version for violin and tape.

On the other hand, an almost unique selling point is the arrangement of the Suite in Olden Style for viola d’amore, harpsichord and percussion, made under Schnittke’s supervision by violist Igor Boguslavsky (I dimly remember a previous version on the Consonance label but that never actually came my way). There’s a high risk of gimmickry here, but in fact the sound world Boguslavsky creates feels entirely Schnittkean and I found myself listening to this cheeky faux naïf concoction with fresh ears.

Throughout the three sonatas, Mints and Katya Apekisheva are passionate and dedicated guides to Schnittke’s expressive landscapes as they evolve from late-Shostakovian grimaces to polystylistic melanges of neo-Baroque stylisation and Polish-school aleatory. For my money these new accounts are as rewarding as – and perhaps even a touch more communicative than – those of Joanna Kurkowicz and Sergey Schepkin on Bridge. Even so, for the bleak-on-bleak Sonata No 3, a typically painful yet inscrutable product of Schnittke’s last period, I do find Daniel Hope and Simon Mulligan a touch more exploratory still: more tonally varied and more in touch with the music’s dark soul. A qualified recommendation then, for what is undoubtedly a well-recorded and scrupulously prepared pair of discs.