It’s rounded, intensely vocal, intimate, incredibly sophisticated – not the usual, but very welcome, as if the whole thing were an ethereal fairytale...It’s your choice which language version you invest in, but don’t miss the musical wonders.

This is as lively and characterful a performance as you’re ever likely to hear – as well as the most historically authentic that I’m aware of Each member of the septet plays on an instrument dating from the period of the work’s composition (with the exception of Faust’s Stradivarius and Wies de Boevé’s double bass). This is particularly noticeable in the wind and percussion, where the soundworld is distinctively different from what modern instruments would create.