This beautiful recording brings to life a mysterious manuscript probably compiled between 1660 and 1670 and containing works by Anthony Poole – a Catholic violist whose compositions remained veiled in historical shadows until now – alongside those by better-known composers such as Purcell, Blow and Kapsberger.

Not only that: fingers and bows bring to life mostly original instruments, the stars of which are those belonging to the Musée de la Musique collection. Mathilde Vialle plays a 1679 bass viol crafted by John Pitts in London (apparently the only surviving instrument from this maker’s hand); Thibaut Roussel alternates between a magnificent 1654 Christoph Koch archlute from the collection, a 2021 Félix Lienhard archlute and a baroque guitar. Ronan Khalil performs on virginals by Jean-François Brun (Paris, 2008) after an anonymous Italian instrument from 1628.

The anonymous opening Suite in G minor and ‘Greensleeves’ set the tone for the rest of the recording, exhibiting a rich ensemble sound within which instruments advance and recede in a variegated textural dance effortlessly joined by Zachary Wilder’s clear tenor voice. Further into the programme, I enjoyed the way Poole’s wonderfully bright and upbeat set of three pieces including a swift, jaunty Chacone sat so comfortably between Blow’s sweet ‘Tell me no more you love’ and Kapsberger’s masterful Toccata VI for solo lute.

The recording culminates in the titular ‘’Tis the last rose of summer’, arranged by Roussel and Vialle. It’s a gorgeous, poignant end that encapsulates the project’s essence: the delicate preservation of beauty that might otherwise fade into historical obscurity. Performances are fluent and imaginative throughout.