How does one parse music that flows in an endless stream of notes with nary a pause for a breath? This is the challenge facing violinists in Bach’s B minor Partita and Stravinsky’s Duo Concertant. The presence of an intricately textured piano part in the Stravinsky leaves the fiddler no choice but to adhere closely to the rhythmic scheme, but Bach’s unaccompanied line offers greater freedom.

Leonidas Kavakos takes a similar approach to both works, maintaining as tight a rhythmic grip in Bach’s music as in Stravinsky’s, yet one never feels he is merely metronomic. Indeed, in the Courante’s Double he wrests the torrent of notes into long, shapely phrases, erecting a structure of impressive breadth and integrity. Equally stunning is the lucidity of the counterpoint in the fugue of the G minor Sonata; each line emerges sharply etched, and Kavakos takes unusual care in balancing the voices (rarely have I heard such delicate double stopping).

His light touch suits the balletic portions of Stravinsky’s Duo very nicely, too. The gigue dances with uncommon grace, for example, aided by Péter Nagy’s effervescent pianism. It’s the closing Dithyrambe that makes the most powerful effect, however: the exquisite tenderness of the playing gives the music a sense of timeless, poignant beauty. The Suite Italienne is not so profound, certainly, but provides a delightful respite in the midst of an otherwise very serious programme – and the performance here is exceptional for its unruffled poise and delicious detail. Not to be missed.