The nocturnal theme of this recital comes more from the short items than the three major works. The sequence of pieces is, however, extremely effective. The Gallic flavour encompasses considerable variety, and it’s a lovely idea to extend the chronology with Richard Dubugnon’s specially composed pieces; his idiom relates back to the era of Ravel and Debussy, and La minute exquise is inspired by a Verlaine poem, whilst Retour à Montfort-l’Amaury, with its sensuous waltz, is concerned with thoughts of Ravel.

All the pieces are beautifully played. Janine Jansen doesn’t force her view of the music on the listener, concentrating here on an elegant, sophisticated style, but there’s always a flicker of something – a little extra pressure, or a note with faster vibrato – that brings each phrase to life. Itamar Golan shows a similarly lively musical intelligence; together they take note of all the mercurial changes of mood in the Debussy Sonata.

With Messiaen’s broader idiom they adopt an authentically intense, rigorous approach, and in all the shorter pieces there’s a balanced attitude that explores the music’s sensuality while taking care to delineate the individual character of each item. The Ravel, too, thrives under this suavely expressive approach. Other performances may underline more strongly the first movement’s sinister undertones, and Juillet and Rogé (Decca, 12/96) give a more direct, physical account of the “Blues” movement. But the finale is tremendous: Jansen’s semiquavers provide an unstoppable momentum, while Golan paints a vivid pageant from the themes recalled from the Sonata’s first two movements.