Henze’s symphonies have fared relatively well on disc. Only the Eighth has yet to appear, with Nos 1-6 available from DG under the composer’s baton (8/96) and Nos 7 (11/93; 5/03) and 9 (6/98) from other hands on EMI. After the monumental Ninth, the Tenth (1997-2000) resumes an engagement with some of the concerns of its immediate predecessors.

The Seventh and Eighth had literary roots, in Hölderlin and Shakespeare respectively. There is no programme as such here, but as the titles of the four movements – ’A Storm’, ’A Hymn’, ’A Dance’, ‘A Dream’ – suggest, there is a large illustrative element in the music. The result is a fascinating orchestral panoply that, when one listens deeper, is a true symphony. Henze’s harmonic language in his symphonies may not always please purists, but there is always a clear (if occasionally halting) flow and, whatever their diverse inspirations, the four movements have a logical and unified progression.

It is enormously encouraging to see a French label tackling such a project. And almost as surprising is having a French orchestra tackle so German a set of pieces. The Montpellier players emerge with flying colours, giving well drilled, exciting performances with a real sense of occasion (well, they were recorded live in February and September 2004). In the Quattro poemi (1955) they catch at least as well as their Wergo rivals the ’turbulent emotionalism and spacious, questing lyricism’ that lies at the heart of the music, while La selva incantata (1991) really buzzes along – as does the Scherzo of the symphony. Accord’s sound is nicely lucid without being spectacular.