Listening to Edward Dusinberre’s playing on this disc, we can hear the same expertise and thoughtfulness as a Beethoven player that we’ve come to expect from his work with the Takács Quartet. It’s especially rewarding, in the Andante of the Kreutzer Sonata, to hear a violinist who sounds so comfortable and makes such a beautiful sound in the high register. Dusinberre is ably partnered by David Korevaar, whose playing shows an especially keen ear, with perfectly voiced chords and continual awareness of balance and sonority.

In Op 96 Korevaar and Dusinberre successfully steer a middle course between Kremer and Argerich (DG, 1/96) and Oistrakh and Oborin (Philips, A/01), with something of the tranquillity of the latter pair alongside the vivid expressive detail of the former. In this generally spacious account, it was only in the finale’s adagio variation that I felt the approach to be too lingering – with his slow harmonic changes, Beethoven achieves the effect of suspended time without the performers needing to do so much about it.

The Kreutzer Sonata, after a beautifully shaped introduction, gets into its stride with a Presto that’s both vigorous and passionate. I couldn’t help feeling that, compared to the most exciting performances I remember, and despite many imaginative touches, this performance seems too comfortable and familiar. To test my reaction, I turned to Serkin and Busch (Andante/Pearl/Naxos) and, yes, they do give a more powerful idea of the desperate intensity that makes this movement so remarkable. I’d still recommend this disc, however, for its polish and distinction.