What a lovely release this is, and one to revisit for endless listening pleasure. A complete recording of Henri Duparc’s solo songs by a line-up of established and up-and-coming Brits, it’s an ideal introduction to the composer’s sophisticated sound world. Although Duparc’s body of work consists of just 16 songs for solo voice and one for duet, each are so exquisitely rendered as to make him an unquestioned master of the form.

Pianist Malcolm Martineau is in superb partnership with each singer, his playing unstintingly refined and expressive. For many listeners, mezzo Sarah Connolly will be the recording’s biggest drawcard, and she doesn’t disappoint. She brings all the qualities she’s most associated with onstage – warmth, dignity, and wit, to name just a few – to bear, as well as a beguiling spontaneity. Forget Baudelaire and Goethe, these are Connolly’s words, Connolly’s articulations of joy and grief and pain.

Listen to how her amber-coloured mezzo makes tangible the moonlight in the opening Chanson Triste, and the palpable sense of controlled euphoria that builds and builds. She takes us on a similar journey...