Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Alexandre Tharaud (piano) Harmonia Mundi HMC 902012 ***:Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexandre Tharaud are both fine players in their own right and make a formidable team.

Perhaps the French duo are a little too formidable here, as they seem unable to resist romanticising Debussy's late Cello Sonata and donning a cloak of grandeur for the dry wit of Poulenc's sonata of 1948, a weight the piece does not bear with any comfort. If you like richness at all costs, you may find your tastes well rewarded rather than feel the players are labouring for effects that neither sonata can fully deliver. The heavy duty approach percolates into some of the attractive shorter pieces that fill up the other half of the disc. www.tinyurl.com/6mchwb