These are impressive performances from violinist Marco Serino that more than hold their own against other leaders in the field. The Suite in A minor, BWV1008, is an excellent translation of the solo cello work for the violin, finding windswept lightness in its phrases where a cello might instead rely on sonority. His sound gleams, which might have something to do with the gut on his Nicolò Amati violin from 1661, the ‘ex Ole Bull’, that is strung up to A=440Hz – a semitone higher than most Baroque performance practice. Even the Toccata and Fugue stands up to the version from Rachel Podger (Channel Classics, 1/23). Serino’s attack and drama are bold, so while Podger finds more mystery and improvisatory whimsy as if creating ex nihilo, his more obviously sets out the virtuosic stakes.

I greatly admire that Serino has a signature sound (which cannot be said for all period violinists). There is plenty of punch, a fire that quickly moves into the lyrical and sweet. While this palette is locally enticing, after a while it admittedly becomes predictable. I begin to yearn for something other than this binary.

The Partita in D minor, BWV1004, is extremely accomplished. All the movements are fired through with vigour. The Allemanda conveys an exceptional sense of line, and this veneration of the horizontal is an interesting contrast to other period recordings. Occasionally the fiery keels over into the blistering; certainly, at many points in the Chaconne I would prefer a kinder touch and warmth of delivery. The string-crossing section (from 4'08") is particularly impressive, a passage that feels more like a journey than a 32-bar-long stretch, and Serino teases out the bass line with nuance. All in all, there is much to enjoy here and little to complain about. Perhaps that’s undersold praise, but there is a clarity of rhetoric that feels a little at arm’s length.