Long one of Russia’s best-kept musical secrets, Nikolai Kapustin (b1937) has latterly found appreciation for his distinctly classical take on a jazz pianism that eschews improvisation for rhythmic precision and emotional uniformity. Such an ‘anti-jazz’ approach is evident in his relative paucity of music for or with saxophone, but Christoph Enzel has now redressed the balance by arranging two of Kapustin’s most classically conceived pieces for Clair-Obscur.

Unsurprisingly, the results prove wholly idiomatic. A seasoned instrumentalist and arranger, Kapustin can have had little problem writing for the quartet medium in his String Quartet and Piano Quintet (both 1998), though the ease with which this music has translated from strings to saxophones suggests he may have had half an ear on such a possibility from the outset. Of these works, the Quintet evinces greater cohesion and poise while the Quartet exudes greater expressive impetus; in both instances, the finales impress through their respectively groove-based energy and technical dexterity. The Duo (1999) may be slighter in overall dimensions but is no less idiomatic, its central slow movement betraying unexpected emotional candour.

Given the excellence of Clair-Obscur in all aspects of their chosen repertoire, the conviction of these performances is undoubted, with Peter Bruns and Elisaveta Blumina no less responsive in their contribution. A pity neither of two later pieces featuring alto saxophone was included but, with the added enhancements of vivid sound and informative booklet notes, there is no reason not to investigate this resourceful and appealing addition to the Kapustin discography.