Strings only in the orchestra (parts for horns in No 3 are, in Robbins Landon’s view, misguidedly omitted in the preferred Henle Edition) and modern ones too, but the textures here tend towards opacity, most of all in No 1. Christoph Poppen has a fluid sense of rhythm and there is nothing stiff or ungainly about his conducting; but he doesn’t clarify the instrumental groups carefully enough. This results in a lack of inner definition and variety of timbre. Nevertheless the recording is realistic with the harpsichord continuo appropriately balanced, though the soloist is a touch too forward at times.

Isabelle Faust’s technique is not compromised by this placement. Nor is her musicianship; that shows a fine sensitivity to line and phrase (with embellishment where deemed necessary), qualities that emerge at their best in the slow movements. But she rather follows Poppen in leaning towards monotony of tone. These strictures are, however, largely nullified in No 4 because both musicians respond to this concerto with greater lightness of attack and a better awareness of nuance. It is the best performance on the disc.

Others have the edge though. Simon Standage (Archiv, 5/89 – nla) and Elizabeth Wallfisch extract more from these works. Both are individual but shrewdly expressive; and in each case the orchestral fabric is better differentiated.

Regrettably only two concertos from Wallfish (the coupling in her two-disc set is the Sinfonia Concertante and three symphonies) but Standage adds a Romance by Haydn’s London impressario Salomon.