It would be hard to know where to file this disc, but for anyone interested in an anthology of “20th Century Works for Cello and Strings” it is self-recommending. The programme consists essentially of high-class Gebrauchsmusik: very high-class in the case of Hindemith’s famous “hefty mourning” for the death of King George V. Also rewarding is Mark Kopytman’s Kaddish, which has something of the same attractive klezmer tang as Weinberg’s concertante works. If there is a connecting thread, it is the elegiac tone of the Lutosawski, Hindemith and Kopytman, offset by harder and softer edges in Maconchy and Patterson respectively. It would be hard to claim Grave as among Lutosawski’s more interesting works, and Maconchy’s Epyllion is punchy but dry. Patterson’s Concerto, though slow in getting airborne, eventually does so in a listener- and performer-friendly way.

Wallfisch plays expressively throughout and the accompaniments sound well prepared. However, the German church acoustic has little bloom: a less boxy recording would have helped the playing to fall more gratefully on the ear. Crucially, though, the booklet essay (Malcolm Macdonald) is of high quality. So if the programme appeals, and if the full-price tag is not an issue, the pros probably outweigh the cons.