This is a fine traversal of Stravinsky’s output for violin and piano from two of Portugal’s most distinguished chamber musicians. It is particularly welcome because it eschews fireworks for their own sake. Virtuosity is there, certainly, but what I particularly value here is a sense of intimacy, of mellowness of sound, which is the more surprising since it was recorded in the Cartuxa church in Caxias (just outside Lisbon), hardly an intimate space.

There is a sense of unhurriedness about these performances that makes one consider them in a different light. Even in the more ostentatiously vivacious movements, such as the Tarantella or the Scherzo of the Suite italienne, there is a concentration on the depth of the sound rather than an interest only in musical sparks flying, and the fine balance between violin and piano also contributes greatly to this. It is necessary nonetheless to point out a few technical highlights, such as Bruno Monteiro’s gorgeous harmonics in the Sinfonia and the light, flowing touch in the Scherzo from the Divertimento based on The Fairy’s Kiss or, on the part of João Paulo Santos, the deftness of the cimbalom-like repeated notes in the ‘Cantilène’ and the chuntering barrel-organ imitation in the ‘Eglogue I’ from the Duo concertant.

Following a beautifully shaded account of the Three Pieces from The Firebird (in particular the sparkling Scherzo), we end with the ‘Danse russe’ from Petrushka, which screws the inexorable fairy-tale tension up to the maximum, almost as though resuming the entire scenario in one piece. A very fine recording.