Deutsche Grammophon’s Bach compilations have not always represented the finest hours for the likes of Christine Schäfer, Thomas Quasthoff and Magdalena Kozená. If this latest artist profile recital doesn’t exactly buck the trend, there are just enough tracks which stand alone as vintage Anne Sofie von Otter to welcome a disc combining the standards with lesser-known and interesting examples from the cantata oeuvre.

Choosing the famously unwieldy and low tessitura of “Widerstehe” (BWV54) as the introduction to mark out one of the most celebrated mezzos of her generation seems curious. Alongside some underwhelming stringplaying from Concerto Copenhagen (who otherwise do an admirable job), the stabbing gestures eschew lyricism to an alarming degree and there’s little beauty in the air. Alas, the same struggle ensues in the restless exclamations of “Nichts kann mich erretten” (which speaks rabidly of “hell’s very shackles”) where von Otter only sounds at her best in the biting B section. If only it all sounded that glorious.

The trend is indeed one of a singer who shows both her customary allure and gremlins, which Bach shows up like no other. Such is the case in “Erbarme dich”; despite some delectable singing in the upper reaches of this extraordinary centrepiece to the St Matthew Passion, the tonal character shifts uncomfortably, as does the other “pedestal” moment, the Agnus Dei, which reveals a surprisingly cautious and enervated tread.

But the dark clouds clear in some exquisite, show-stopping Bach-singing in the great slumber aria “Schläfert aller Sorgenkummer” (BWV197), the duets “Et misericordia” and “O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort”, the highlight of the disc, even if Hertha Topper thundering in for Karl Richter is hard to surpass.

At best, this is an artist who can hold us in her palm with a commanding hauteur at the same time as the tender intimacy of a trusted confidante. With fewer unsuitable numbers, this could have been rather more of a rare and characterful experience.