For many years, Myaskovsky’s Cello Concerto was the only work of his regularly aired in the West. More recently it has begun to look like core repertoire, with even the symphonies tiptoeing into the frame: No 27 is about to return as part of Svetlanov’s continuing series for Olympia. So is the new Chandos disc more than a stopgap?

Alexander Ivashkin is a cellist with a mission to enlarge our knowledge of Soviet culture and he delivers a more extroverted, arguably more idiomatic interpretation of the Concerto than, say, Truls Mørk. Nevertheless, this is music that ideally requires a refined sensibility from all participants and it is idle to pretend that Polyansky’s rough and ready band can hold a candle to the CBSO. In fact, both orchestra and soloist suffer from intonation problems, while the abrupt lurch (from 3'43") towards what is an unusually upbeat presentation of the idyllic second subject betrays a lack of adequate rehearsal.

Which is not to say that the Chandos performance contains no fresh ideas. It is fascinating to hear the woodwind taking the lead in the return of the main theme (from 7'43"), the ever-sensitive soloist readily allowing them through.

Like Prokofiev’s Seventh, Myaskovsky’s 27th, premièred in December 1950, was a hit in official circles and confirmed his full rehabilitation after the censures of 1948 – typically, the composer was no longer alive to appreciate such ideological fine-tuning.

As old hands might expect, the slow movement is the highlight, elevated in mood and scored with unobtrusive flair. Somehow, those apparently simple harmonies and squarish rhythms add up to something more than the patchwork of allusions one comes away with on a casual first hearing. Different listeners will hear different things here (everything from Finzi to Morricone), but the voice does come into focus eventually as Myaskovsky’s own. Only the optimistic bustle of the finale seems somewhat forced. While one might wish for more disciplined handling and a more focused recording, this CD is welcome – for now.