This is a portrait of a genre characterised by tuneful responses to the idea of lamenting. While Buxtehude’s music takes the lion’s share‚ the inclusion of works by Heinrich Schütz‚ Christian Geist‚ and Johann Christoph and Johann Michael Bach give the survey a useful breadth. In addition‚ none of the pieces by these latter three composers seems to have been recorded before. Neither‚ surprisingly enough‚ do two of the works by Buxtehude‚ Wenn ich‚ Herr Jesu and Klaglied. On the other hand his Jubilate is well­represented in the catalogue‚ and there are two alternative versions of the sonatas. Not that this recording has anything to fear from comparison: all the performances are smooth and characterful‚ and the Purcell Quartet and their guests clearly relish the lugubrious textures which are so much a part of many of these pieces. In this they are matched by the impeccable control of Michael Chance: two particular high points are Johann Christoph Bach’s Ach‚ das ich Wassers g’nug hätte‚ which takes us on a series of very curious harmonic excursions‚ and Schütz’s Erbarm dich mein. Of course‚ this is a lot of lamenting to take in at one sitting‚ and in spite of the presence of the instrumental sonatas and the luminous Jubilate Domino by Buxtehude (in which Michael Chance sounds a little pallid‚ it must be said: he doesn’t quite match the exuberance of either Deller or Jacobs)‚ the CD is definitely best listened to in sections. The two final tracks not only show Buxtehude at his finest‚ but display some of the most impressive performances on the disc. The Sonata‚ BuxWV271‚ is the perfect vehicle for the instrumentalists to show their matchless combination of clean virtuosity and creamy­rich textures‚ losing nothing to Goebel’s version‚ and the Klaglied which gives the disc its title‚ a heartfelt lament on the death of the composer’s father‚ is given a most moving rendition by both singer and instrumentalists.