These works make the perfect César Franck pairing; the dark, sinister mood of the Quintet offering a vivid contrast to the radiance of the Sonata. Both are imbued with Franck’s passionate spirit and thrive under the Schubert Ensemble’s full-blooded approach. By the time William Howard has finished the extravagant flourish leading from the slow introduction to the Quintet’s first Allegro we’re aware that this is to be an account that maximises its intense drama.

There’s a care for accuracy, too – the way the rhythm at the start of the Quintet’s finale is held in such firm control increases the sense of mounting tension. And in the Violin Sonata, Blendis and Howard make use of all Franck’s numerous markings – for dynamics, speed modification and character – to get right inside the music.

I do feel, however, that in the greatest performances of this music there’s an expansiveness, a range of tone and expression, which we don’t experience here. In the Sonata’s first movement, as the violin melody reaches its climax and the piano takes the stage with the second theme, Howard’s playing is quite dispassionate, whereas Jacques Genty, on his recently reissued 1950 recording with Lola Bobescu, uses an expressive rubato to maintain the exalted mood.

Similarly, at the start of the Quintet’s slow movement, the isolated phrases on the violin, echoed by piano, have an unforgettable, eloquent quality, as played in 1927 by André Mangeot and Cortot, that this new version can’t match. However, for truthful interpretations, powerfully projecting the character of each movement, the Schubert Ensemble can be enthusiastically recommended.