There cannot be much repertoire for his instrument that Ondřej Vrabec has not yet tackled, which makes his collection of horn quintets by two pairs of mentors and their protégés a fascinating overview of a combination such that might yet establish itself more regularly as an ensemble.

His first work written for the virtuoso Joseph Leutgeb, Mozart’s Horn Quintet (1782) is also among his most engaging chamber works, the presence of two violas yielding an extra tonal depth to the lively outer Allegros while reinforcing the limpid pathos of the central Andante. Heard here in a version with string quartet by Sebastian Comberti, Beethoven’s Horn Sonata (1800) makes an admirable foil to the Mozart, its more astringent timbre duly emphasising the assertiveness of the initial Allegro then the wistfulness of an intermezzo that, made more poignant by its brevity, leads straight into a final Rondo of an insouciant wit well to the fore.

Following on from a concerto and two solo suites, Robin Holloway’s Horn Quintet (2020) is unpredictable in its trajectory from the Allegro’s alternate vigour and enervation, via a wistful Canzona and tensile Scherzo, to a Rondo whose ‘setting’ of a sonnet by Edward Herbert adds an extra dimension to the restrainedly affirmative finale. His former student Peter Seabourne contributes a more combative work, Fall (2020), taking its inspiration from a print by his late wife as it unfolds from fractious unease, via edgy volatility and ruminative lament, to a finale whose sheer energy is ultimately revealed as that of a ‘dance of death’. The horn’s ambivalent interplay with resourceful and imaginative string-writing is but one of this piece’s attractions.

Vrabec is more than equal to these demands, the Pavel Bořkovec Quartet probing each piece with understated commitment. Realistic sound and detailed notes enhance a welcome release.