Best known for orchestral works and grand opera, the Russian group of composers known as “The Mighty Handful” (Balakïrev, Borodin, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky) are found here in the salon, with a bouquet of piano works. The centrepiece is Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, played in the original version. British pianist Philip Edward Fisher is most convincing in its lighter episodes, serving up an effervescent Ballet of the Chickens in their Eggs. For the hulking Polish cart Bydlo and the rousing Great Gate at Kiev finale, his playing is a touch too staid and introspective, never rising above forte or the constraints of “niceness”.

Balakïrev’s Islamey, meanwhile, is dissected by Fisher with refreshing rigour. It’s a laudable attempt to make musical sense of a work often abused as a vehicle for virtuosity, especially by competition pianists. Still, although technically assured, Fisher’s account doesn’t quite gel: the pedalling is dry, the transitions between passages choppy. Not much Orientalist rapture here. Happily, Fisher relaxes into a more lyrical mood for Borodin’s beguiling, rather Tchaikovskian Petite Suite – the real discovery of this release. One wonders why its dreamy Serenade is not heard more often on compilations of the Piano-Music-to-Make-You-Swoon variety.

The very forgettable Cui Nocturne from the Four Morceaux Op 22 seems to have been included simply for the sake of completeness. More engaging are the three early pieces by Rimsky-Korsakov, with their joyful sense of drama. These are played with great panache by Fisher, who, although he comes up short on intensity and grandeur, has a happy gift for miniature.