It’s the non-Handel works and the music not originally for viola da gamba that are particularly interesting on this new release from First Hand Records. The Sonata in G, a tone lower than the original for violin (HWV372), is an enticing arrangement. Choosing a slower tempo than most violinists for the Allegro movements, soloists Ibrahim Aziz and Masumi Yamamoto bring out the cantabile in Handel’s writing. But the effect is somewhat laboured – every phrase is just a bit too thoughtful – sacrificing the inherent playfulness and carefree exuberance of these movements that is essential to the overall balance of the sonata.

The fairly unknown Prélude by Sainte-Colombe le fils, however, is an excellent addition. Aziz makes extraordinary sense of the somewhat strange writing; his playing is full of breath and mystery. Yamamoto’s solo contribution to the disc, Handel’s Suite No 4 in E minor, HWV429, is equally delightful. The harpsichord gleams under Yamamoto’s touch; the Allemande and Sarabande in particular are intoxicating. At the centre of the disc is its pearl. The Prelude in D minor, an arrangement of the opening to the Keyboard Suite No 4 in D minor, is utterly gorgeous. Aziz weaves an improvisatory spell of arpeggiac magic; more of this, please. The sound, engineered and mastered by John Croft, is lovely throughout.