Alexander Hülshoff (cello), Friedemann Eichhorn (violin)
Naxos 8.572188 ****

CLASSICAL:If you've got a musical sweet tooth and a taste for the most outlandish of virtuoso effects, then look no further. Adrien François Servais (1807-66) was the leading cellist of his time, a player and composer who took his inspiration from that ne plus ultraof virtuosos, Nicolò Paganini. This disc collects six duos Servais wrote in partnership with violinist-composers, one each with Henry Vieuxtemps and Joseph Ghys, and four with Hubert Léonard. The pieces, all essentially fantasies or sets of variations on celebrated themes (including God Save the King), are crammed with as many notes as the teams of composers could manage. The spirit is one of indefatigable excess, and the playing and recording are as riotously over-the-top as the pieces themselves. www.naxosdirect.ie