Anyone who has heard a classical Viennese fortepiano live will know that it’s not an especially strong instrument; recordings, however, can create a quite different impression. So it is here, a powerful fortepiano sound enhancing the impact of performances notable for their energy and rhythmic drive. The effect is particularly striking in the passionate outer movements of Op 23 and the first Presto of the Kreutzer. An uncompromising impression, it could be argued, is entirely appropriate for the young Beethoven, yet there is a downside in the lack of any really soft playing, at least from the piano. Listen to the theme and first variation of Op 47’s Andante and you’ll be struck by the excessively forceful effect in music that should charm through its tenderness and grace.

Part of the problem may be a lack of subtlety of touch in Ian Watson’s playing. Certainly the performance of the Kreutzer by Kristian Bezuidenhout and Viktoria Mullova impresses, not only through its superior balance but in the fine distinctions Bezuidenhout makes between different dynamic levels and types of staccato. Furthermore, while many of Watson’s loud chords have a crashing, explosive sound that’s not entirely pleasant, Bezuidenhout’s more careful balancing of sonority (and his awareness that pianists of Beethoven’s time would habitually spread chords) ensures that forcefulness never turns to crudity.

It seems a shame not to respond with more enthusiasm to playing with many good qualities – not least Susanna Ogata’s ability to sound expressive with minimal vibrato, and the duo’s clear enjoyment of the witty exchanges in the middle movement of Op 23. But the issues of sound and balance predominate.