At a slower tempo than usual, the first movement of Op 59 No 2 takes on an elegiac tone. In contrast to the fast-paced, dramatic piece we generally hear, the more lyrical episodes are lent an unusual intensity and conviction. Full, rounded tone is a Borodin hallmark, and there are places – the start of the coda is one – where a more tenuous sound would have better conveyed an air of mystery and solemnity.

But if one has doubts as to whether Beethoven would have approved the character of this Allegro, he would surely have applauded the heartfelt playing of the Adagio, con molto di sentimento (just as he demands in the score). The third movement brings another un-hurried tempo; the major-key section with the Russian melody holds back even further, as though the players can’t forget the Coronation Scene in Boris Godunov (based on the same tune). The finale, however, exudes a feeling of earthy vitality.

The Harp Quartet shows similar virtues – wonderful, opulent tone for the big, sonorous passages in the first movement, deeply expressive playing in the Adagio, and a splendid account of the finale, in which the players have no inhibitions about slowing down for the more cantabile variations. Again, I wished that some of the quieter passages in the first two movement had sounded more remote and mysterious, and the trio section of the Scherzo is surely too heavy and slow – it seems clear the composer intended this Prestissimo to be twice as fast as the Scherzo. But though I’d quarrel with some aspects of these interpretations, there’s no doubt as to the quality of the sound, or the strong character and commitment of the performances.