At first sight, the Australian violinist Richard Tognetti might seem to be making a strange compromise between modern and Baroque performance. His Guadagnini is set up as a modern instrument but he plays at low pitch, with gut E and A strings, and with a bow of the classical period. He seems entirely comfortable with this mixture of old and new, however, and gives accounts of remarkable freedom and imaginative range, stemming from what is clearly a deep understanding of 18th-century performance style. The set, in fact, offers a closer comparison with the best period-instrument versions than with a modern player such as Julia Fischer who, by the side of Tognetti, sounds smooth and bland, for all her sensitivity and stylistic awareness. Tognetti is continually varying his bow strokes, often playing without vibrato, and introducing persuasive ornamentation, especially for repeated sections in the dance movements. The performances are not uncontroversial: Tognetti, with his 1800 bow, plays some brilliant springing staccato passages which a more “correct” player, such as Rachel Podger, wouldn’t allow. Some may find the rhythmic freedom overdone in places; in the fugal movements his determination that all the polyphony should sound beautiful can lead to a loss of momentum. Beyond these possible criticisms, however, one is aware of an artist whose view of the music is so well founded and so deeply absorbed that he is able to communicate it with an air of complete spontaneity. Even if you’ve several versions in your library, this will give food for thought and enjoyment.