Rodolphe Kreutzer’s fame rests on having a remarkable Beethoven sonata dedicated to him, and on his elegant Etudes, well known to every violinist. His numerous operas and 19 violin concertos have been largely forgotten. Does this disc unearth any buried treasure? The Ninth Concerto is a fairly mundane work, after the manner of Viotti and with Viotti’s very simple harmony, but lacking his melodic gift. Concerto No 13 is another matter, with its rich orchestration, more varied textures and organic structure. However, I don’t feel Kreutzer is entirely well served here by his interpreters.

Saskia Lethiec brings a bold style and fine, full tone to her task but doesn’t produce the variety of sound needed to make the music truly expressive, or the lightness of touch demanded by No 13’s witty finale. The recorded sound, with excessive bass resonance, takes away some of the effect of the orchestral contribution, and the playing lacks that decisive shaping needed to bring Kreutzer’s ideas fully to life. For example, the acres of repeated-quaver accompaniment in No 9’s first movement are performed with virtually unvaried bow strokes and no demonstration of how changes in dynamic and note-length could indicate points of tension and relaxation.

The two shorter items consist mainly of patterned variations showing a variety of violinistic techniques, with occasional more poetic moments. Here, too, the performances are competent, but not quite imaginative enough. On this showing, Kreutzer’s later concertos are well worth investigating, but performers will need to recreate convincingly the style as well as the substance.