Orphei Drängar was founded in 1853 and is one of the most revered choirs in Sweden. Its repertoire is vast and thus encompasses some very rarely heard pieces, as this anthology of sacred works demonstrates. It begins auspiciously with a remarkable reworking by Gunnar Idenstam of a traditional Estonian hymn. The organ part constantly surprises, providing commentaries and flourishes – often jazz-inflected but never with any sense of frivolousness – as this stately prayer builds up a remarkable momentum.

Baltic repertoire features elsewhere on the disc, as do works by Scandinavian composers, but there are also Biebl’s now-ubiquitous Ave Maria and unexpected treasures such as Rossini’s Preghiera, Bob Chilcott’s impressive Newton’s Amazing Grace and Milhaud’s Psaume 121. Milhaud is a much underrated choral composer (in fact, he is a much underrated composer in general), and it is a particular pleasure to hear this splendid but brief setting of Claudel’s psalm paraphrase. Other outstanding moments include Kreek’s magnificent Taaveti laul No 137 (Psalm 137), a positively terrifying (and terrifyingly accurate) rendition of György Orbán’s Daemon irrepit callidus and an absolutely beautiful performance of Pärt’s De profundis. Orphei Drängar’s rich, deep, enormously versatile sound is beautifully captured by BIS’s engineers and sounds glorious on this SACD. Essential for any choral enthusiast.