Musica Petropolitana is an ensemble of six Russians, together with two German oboists (one of whom is also the maker of their instruments), and very fresh, lively performances they give of some of the Italian composers who made St Petersburg such a rich musical centre in the time of Catherine the Great. As Anna Porfiryeva’s excellent insert-notes put it, ‘Wide-ranging contacts within Europe, a knowledge of foreign languages, the cosmopolitan character of St Petersburg and the freedom to practise different religions led quite naturally to the dissemination of musical genres and styles from many different countries.’ However, the greatest interest resides in the two contributions by native Russians (or strictly, Ukrainians). This was the stage in the development of the country’s musical culture when, together with imports of Italian composers (as with French cooks and English grooms), there were exports of talented young Russian composers to Italy to learn the trade. Maxim Berezovsky was lucky enough to study with Padre Martini (and must have been briefly a fellow-pupil of Mozart). His Violin Sonata is an excellently wrought piece, bright and tuneful, performed here with rather too much vigour from the continuo but very enjoyable none the less. It has no Russian element, and there is little to detect in Ivan Khandoshkin’s Variations on Russian Folk-tunes, which are accommodated to Western musical manners. However, there is plenty to admire in the energy of his virtuosity, which is said to have set all listeners dancing.'