In a market not short of good accounts of Shostakovich’s string quartets, the idea of placing them alongside other representative Soviet quartets offers interesting added value. It would not be stretching a point very far, for example, to propose that the folk- and suite-like elements of Shostakovich’s Second Quartet owe something to Prokofiev’s Second, composed a couple of years earlier. On the other hand, Prokofiev’s positive mindset and Shostakovich’s existential angst are thrown into relief by the juxtaposition, which is precisely the point of making it.

I wondered if the fact that I enjoyed the Prokofiev and Shostakovich’s Third Quartet more than I did the others was down to my finally having tuned in to the Pacifica Quartet’s style. Their playing is always clean and well focused – tonally, technically and interpretatively. But it works best, I feel, when the musical character itself is clear-cut, as it is more or less throughout those two pieces on the second CD. Going back to Shostakovich’s First Quartet, I found, as on first listening, a certain reluctance to probe beneath the surface, showing up in less variety of tonal shading and rhythmic nuance than more seasoned ensembles deploy. As a prime example, the first movement feels like a sensitive and musicianly read-through, but one that never questions the way forward; and though the scherzo third movement is undoubtedly stable and full of finesse, those qualities should surely be the means to other, subtler ends.

At the other end of the dramatic spectrum, there is more defiance and stoicism to be found in the outer movements of the Second and Fourth Quartets, and in the inner ones of No 3. The ethnic undertones in the finale of No 4 are so understated in the early stages as to be all but absent, though the final page certainly ebbs away most effectively.

In short, if you are looking for excellent modern recording and clean playing, plus the bonus of relevant extra repertoire, or if you are allergic to overstatement in Shostakovich, then there is certainly much to enjoy and admire with the Pacificas. But if a distinctive interpretative angle is your priority, I would advise looking elsewhere.