It’s always fun to play spot-the-link with recital discs, and with this cornucopia from Danish husband-and-wife ensemble Christina Åstrand and Per Salo it is immediately clear that it’s a group of violin sonatas written at around the same time, under the threat of war. It’s the variety of background (Paris, America, Prague) that provides the contrast, though, and this is beautifully illustrated by the extraordinary moderation of tone in Åstrand’s playing, which ranges from strident and tightly honed to a nebulously woody sound that is a colour so other to the music that it lends it a unique extra depth.

The disc really centres around Bloch’s single-movement second violin sonata (known as the Poème mystique), and this is largely because of Åstrand’s luminous reading of its other-worldly beauty. She makes perfect sense of the musical arch without the crutch of movement breaks, and contrasts the lyrical passages with an overarching sense of resignation that is so typical of Bloch, showing how at home he is in this sort of writing. This is particularly appealing in the performance of music by a composer who never really found or subscribed to a proper ‘school’ of music, and even more so in the violin music, which Bloch wrote from the position of a talented player in his own right. This is Bloch at his most essential and Åstrand and Salo really champion him in this performance. Similarly to Bloch, Janáček can risk becoming a wall of sound but instead, between them, Åstrand and Salo sweeten their tone and treat the melodies and harmonies so gently that it draws you in rather than beating you back, at the same time as keeping any potential for schmaltz well protected.

The only downside, really, is that the accompanying DVD is a little too much more about effect than music. A recital in one’s own home would mean fewer opportunities to scud around the pianist’s fingers or the violinist’s reflection in the piano lid, and although it’s a nice idea it can prove busy to the point of distracting.