The French label K617 is evidently not aiming much at the English-speaking market: it took me a while to track down the English version of the booklet essay, and there are no English translations of the sung texts. I hope this will not put potential investigators off hearing this enjoyable survey of Schütz's richly expressive music. The sonorous acoustic of the convent where the disc was recorded is ideal for the warm yet stylishly sprung performances. Directed by tenor Benoît Haller, the singers deliver gutsy, assured performances. When all the players and choir combine, with all the stops out, the effect is magnificent: two cornetts and three sackbuts make a tremendous noise when let loose, reinforcing the opulent conclusion to Herr, der du bist vormals genädig gewest. But there is also subtly evocative music here, such as the lush continuo configurations in the soprano solo motet O misericordissime Jesu or the solemn brass and tenor solo texture in Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott.

Most recordings of this quality concentrate on one of Schütz's major collections but La Chapelle Rhénane instead pick and mix from Symphonia sacrae, Cantiones sacrae and the Kleine geistliche Konzerte, and throw in a few obscurities, too. The result is a refreshing manifesto from musicians who zealously believe in the music they have chosen to perform. La Chapelle Rhénane's biography claims that the group are “able to provide original interpretations that are sparkling and flavoursome, in a vision brimming with sensuality and sincerity”. This is one of the rare occasions when we can believe the hype.