Here, the Orlando Consort explore the hinterland of their Gramophone award-winning Dunstable recording of 1995. Technically it is, if anything, even more accomplished than its predecessor. Years ago I observed that the Orlando appeared to improve with each recording; and it seems to me that observation is still valid today. They have honed their distinctive, richly plummy sound to near-perfection, and their interpretative intelligence shows no sign of letting up. Be it one of the period’s best-known pieces (like Frye’s Ave regina celorum) or an otherwise unheard work (like the striking, anonymous Stella caeli that opens the disc), their ability to communicate something of a sense of discovery in each piece is remarkable.

And what glorious music it is! With the help of Gareth Curtis, one of the foremost specialists of this period, the Orlando have assembled a remarkably varied programme. Anthologies of 15th-century English sacred music often focus on one or other of two surviving sources, the Old Hall manuscript from the beginning of the century (represented here by Forest and John Pyamour), and the Eton Choirbook near the end (here, Walter Lambe’s intricate Stella caeli). Between these poles there lie fragments, shards of a wonderful history. The great strength of this disc is its account of this contingent repertory. Every piece is involving in some vital way; so often one wonders, ‘How come I’ve not heard that before?’ Acknowledged ‘masterpieces’ like Frye’s Ave regina or Dunstable’s isorhythmic motet Salve scema rub shoulders with works by near-complete unknowns such as Richard Mowere and John Trouluffe.

But whatever the name (or indeed the absence of one), invention is sustained at a high level. I’ll wager that even connoisseurs of this ‘rare’ repertory have surprises in store for them here; and I cannot see how the general listener can fail to be seduced. This is simply one of the best recordings I have heard all year.