Ondine here continues its invaluable Saariaho survey, this time with string chamber works from 1987 to 2010. The earliest of these, Nymphéa, is also the longest on the disc and by some distance the best known. Along with Jonathan Harvey’s Fourth String Quartet, it’s a classic of the repertoire for string quartet and electronics. Here we have not merely the hypnotic poetry of Saariaho’s familiar ecstatic sound world of flutters and flurries – inspired by the properties of water lilies and enhanced by the deconstructed timbral qualities of a recorded cello – but also a sustained level of imagination that makes 21 minutes fly by.

Vent nocturne (2006) for viola and electronics sets up a similarly hypnotic atmosphere but, by comparison, does rather less with it. Nor are the three Calices for violin and piano (2009, the title presumably having something to do with the sepals of a flower, though the booklet-notes do not confirm this) as riveting as I had hoped. And I would not place the other three works on my shortlist of must-know Saariaho.

This is probably no more than a reflection of the fact that her music is best heard in short bursts on a mixed programme, where it stands out for its beautiful craftsmanship and poetic precision, and where range of expression is not too much of an issue. For anyone seeking to acquire as much of her work in as many media as possible, this beautifully performed and presented programme is self-recommending.