the playing of the music is quite superb, with everyone focussed yet relaxed, spirited and songful. These are chamber concertos of real interest, with many stirringly exciting passages and slow movements with graceful tranquillity. Steinmann is certainly to be counted as one of the best exponents of these works, and it is a pity that the over-enthusiastic continuo distracts one from his artistry. Several of the concertos contain bird impressions similar to those which Vivaldi included in The Four Seasons. Especially avian is ‘Il Gardellino’, RV 428. This concerto had an earlier inception as RV 90 for traverse flute, where in Roman dialect it was called Il Cardellino (the Cardinal), a satirical nickname for the Goldfinch; RV 428’s title for the recorder version correctly has it as Gardellino (Goldfinch) in the Venetian dialect but the Divox booklet persists in confusing listeners by calling it Cardellino.

Marvellous music, then, and marvellous playing…