Schwabe's big, brawny tone and evident rapport with Pöntinen certainly pack a punch in the opening movements of the Prokofiev and Shostakovich sonatas in particular, but he's just as compelling when thinning his tone down to the merest thread of sound or stepping into the role of accompanist; Kissin's brooding one-movement Cello Sonata from 2016 showcases his ringing upper register, whilst both artists generate an edge-of-the-seat frisson in the hectic passage-work of Prokofiev's early (and under-recorded) Ballade from 1912.

The emotional directness of the Russian repertoire here is especially well-suited to Schwabe’s lithe, open sound... Schwabe responds to Prokofiev’s very different sound world with an athletically buoyant sound akin to a tenor violin, matched by Roland Pöntinen’s highly articulate negotiation of the tricky piano part.

This well-filled programme of Russian cello sonatas has a great deal going for it... the addition of Prokofiev’s improvisational Ballade and the Adagio, Op. 97b...tip the balance further in favour of this disc when it comes to the programme, let alone the quality of the performances.