Michael Collins repeats the success of his disc of Nos 1 and 2 with elegantly phrased melodies, immaculate passagework and wondrously even trills. The Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Robin O'Neill again provide alert support, and the recording is outstanding.

Collins plays with an inspirational touch, too, and no more so than in the charming and witty "Rondo al espagnol" that rounds off No 4. Beautifully balanced sound, making this an exceptionally attractive disc.

Collins completes his recordings of these delightful concertos with the contrasting works presented here, both in minor keys (F and E, respectively). The F minor is the more brilliant of the two, and Collins dazzles like a bel canto diva in the pyrotechnic leaps, trills and runs, while he lavishes his rich tone, phenomenal breath control and deeply satisfying expressive insights on the E minor.

Michael Collins’s artistry is what counts, for Louis Spohr’s music in these clarinet concertos never rises beyond the pleasant. The highlight of No 3 is the slow movement, treated to some of Collins’s most limpid tones, and Spanish touches in No 4 add colour to some dour 19th-century furniture.
Spohr eschews cadenzas, but plenty of virtuosity is packed into Collins’s dexterity and kaleidoscopic tones. More sparkle from the Swedish Chamber Orchestra would help.