Readers may have come across Makhtin as a member of a trio with Boris Berezovsky and Alexander Kniazev; he’s a fine violinist, whose polished technique and ringing tone are vividly captured on this recording. He’s a sensitive musician, too, giving each movement a strong sense of line so that the music naturally unfolds and expands. He is not above criticism on stylistic grounds – trills are often performed incorrectly, and many cadences where a trill is implied are left unadorned. More seriously, he often negates the enlivening effect of Bach’s bowing indications through his tendency to play the slurs smoothly and evenly (in the 18th century the first note of a slur was stressed, the subsequent ones played more softly). This means that pieces such as the Double of the Partita’s Allemande and the finales of the two sonatas leave a bland impression, despite the clarity and dexterity of the playing. I did also wonder whether Makhtin was playing from an inaccurate edition – the second Sonata’s final movement has some unconvincing editorial slurs and there’s a wrong rhythm in the Partita’s Allemande (tr 5 at 0'30").

Against these shortcomings, however, there are some striking successes – a really lovely account of the Andante in BVW1003, a brilliant performance of the awkward Tempo di borea in BVW1002, and powerful, euphonious performances of the two fugues. And, throughout, we can admire Makhtin’s splendid sound and rhythmic poise, and his ability to make even the most demanding passages appear pleasing and relaxed.