The musicians of Fretwork are in playful mood. Their creative energy is one of the many qualities that mark them out and in this recording they have turned their talents to Bach, who did write for single viols, and on two occasions (Brandenburg Concerto No 6 and the Trauer Ode) for two, though never for a consort. That Bach would never have had access to one, John Butt (the authoritative booklet writer) acknowledges, does not mean the medium wouldn’t have appealed, and I am inclined to agree.

Richard Boothby has skilfully arranged and transcribed a number of keyboard works for three to five viols. The impression is at first peculiar and then deeply fascinating. The most successful are the pieces originally composed for the organ; they sound most familiar because viols can be made to sound organ-like (as in track 1).

The strangeness results from the viol’s very different mode of sound production. Viol players have many ways to initiate – articulate – notes and phrases as well as to shape them; harpsichords and organs are much more limited (listen, for example to tracks 14 and 15). This heightened dimension changes the interpretation, and therefore our perception, of the music. Then, too, viols of different sizes have recognisably different timbres (clearly heard in track 11); and while there can be multiple manuals and stops on keyboard instruments, the player has only two hands (and feet). One of the true delights of this recording is the way in which the listener hears each part so distinctly within homogeneous textures. The Passacaglia in C minor is definitely not to be missed and the final track is meant to amuse!