After the LGT Young Soloists’ several thematically programmed CDs, this one offers an unlikely juxtaposition of repertoire: the instrumentation becomes the common denominator. A small group of excellent players, ranging in age from 13 to 23, have been fused into a powerful, compact ensemble by Gilman, their founder and director.

Mahler planned his arrangement of Schubert’s penultimate quartet for a string orchestra, but only the second movement was written out, and the detail of his retouching there far exceeds that in the other three movements. The addition of a double bass line is a key difference from the Schubert original, along with a weighty sonority that heightens rather than obscures. The LGT Young Soloists handle the taxing filigree with ease.

Some of the interpretative decisions favour finely calculated hairpins and careful moulding of dynamics (for example the sudden drop in volume at 5'52" in the Allegro opening movement). The playing exhibits precision and fervour, with a wide dynamic compass that reveals a keen quality of listening from the young musicians. The Presto finale has fierce headlong impetus, full of commitment and colour.

The Concerto grosso No 3 (2021) by Airat Ichmouratov, a Volga Tatar-born Canadian composer based in Montreal, is cast in the traditional three movements. Composed for the LGT Young Soloists, the piece is folk-influenced, rhythmically varied and technically challenging. In the opening stanza, high-pitched violin-writing gives way to recorded nightingale sounds (at 3'02" and 4'44"), reminiscent of Respighi’s Pines of Rome. The slow movement sings with a plaintive lyricism whose expressive theme pleads its case insistently. The finale lightens up, showcasing brilliant playing and ensemble cohesion (note the collective ritard at 2'36"), after which comes motoric writing with echoes of Shostakovich’s wry humour as the movement hurtles to its conclusion.