The third instalment of Christopher Hogwood’s ‘modern classicism’ project puts some well-known Stravinsky in the context of two less familiar Italian compositions written at much the same time. The Pulcinella Suite is played with great rhythmic buoyancy, the comic Vivo and hectic finale done with exemplary panache. But Hogwood doesn’t neglect warmth of expression, especially in the Gavotte with Two Variations, which often seems a bit dull in other performances. The recording, made in the concert hall of Lucerne’s imposing Cultural and Congress Centre, is rather airless, with pungent wind and brass but a lack of bloom to the string tone. However, this shouldn’t be a serious drawback, especially for collectors drawn to the rarer items in the programme.

Neither Casella nor Malipiero are much heard these days, but the two works presented here have more than enough spirit to merit revival. True, Casella’s Scarlattiana has retained little of the ‘decadence’ that was once attributed to it: ‘decorous’, or even ‘bland’ would be more appropriate terms, though there is plenty of good-humoured fast music and a few neat contrapuntal turns to liven up its Scarlattian reworkings.

The five linked sections of Malipiero’s Ricercari for 11 instruments manage more emotional depth, with some nice touches of pastoral melancholy to offset the neo-Stravinskian ebullience. Malipiero doesn’t attempt to emulate Stravinsky’s harmonic abrasiveness, but the piece is neatly designed and attractively scored. Hogwood and his accomplished team make a strong case for it – all the stronger for avoiding any hint of over-emphasis.