Zen Hu writes of discovering the similarities between the folk music of East and West, and with this project in mind she did not have to go far to find Ning Feng, who hails from the same part of China. Both live up to their impressive credentials, with strong performances of close and constant interplay.

There are enough structural and tonal differences to distinguish between the compositions, without spoiling the concept of them being connected. The three European composers all represent a single generation, earlier than the Chinese, so the connection of the title crosses boundaries of time as well as music and geography. There is a sameness about the texture of the music, though, that gives neither instrument a chance to take off in any sustained flight of individual fancy. The missing ingredient is a touch of solo contemplation, which European composers have been so good at.

This is a commendable CD, expanding the scope of what is familiar in violin music, but in the end one or two additional contrasting works might have thrown the sense of connection into sharper focus.