The events which inspired A Child of Our Time have a special resonance in Dresden, since the destruction in November 1938 of the city’s 19th-century synagogue, designed by the great Gottfried Semper, was a direct consequence of the murder of a German diplomat in Paris by the 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan. This recording stems from three performances given in the Semper-designed opera house in July 2003, and appears as part of Profil’s extensive Dresden Staatskapelle Edition, with an excellent booklet essay but no libretto.

Sir Colin Davis paces the sombre orchestral opening with great deliberation, and when the chorus enter the words “on its dark side” are weightily emphasised. With a professional chorus on hand, as well as the richly sonorous orchestra, a performance on the grand scale is entirely appropriate. Yet there is no loss of dramatic intensity, and tension is particularly well sustained in the tricky succession of short choruses and recitatives in Part 2. That the superb final ensemble is not as moving as in the best recordings is due mainly to a wayward tenor soloist, Jerry Hadley. But Robert Holl is excellent in the bass recitatives and both Ute Selbig and Nora Gubisch overcome occasional pronunciation problems to reach to the heart of Tippett’s impassioned expressiveness.

The recording is well managed, with a real sense of occasion. But it can’t match the exceptional qualities of Sir Colin’s earlier recording, made in 1975, with Jessye Norman and Janet Baker among the soloists. And there will soon be another version from him, made in the Barbican for LSO Live last December.