Here is a recording of rarities on two counts. Not only is the music of Kryukov, Vasilenko, Frid, Krein and Bogdanov-Berezovsky little known outside of Russia, but viola sonatas are as welcome as they are scarce. Romantic lyricism, the influence of Scriabin and Shostakovich, Russian emotionalism and a touch of French sensibility – each threads its way through these engaging works which exploit the viola’s rich tone. Igor Fedotov and Leonid Vechkhayzer here make their Naxos débuts, while Gary Hammond can also be heard on Naxos’s recording of music by Lucien Lambert Sr and Jr (8.559037).