Sir Peter Maxwell Davies regards Mr Emmet Takes a Walk (2000) as his music-theatre swansong, and in the 20-minute discussion with Paul Driver that follows this performance he muses on the various ways in which it can be linked to his earlier operas and dramatic works, from Taverner to The Doctor of Myddfai. As a chamber opera, or “dramatic sonata”, in which the citation and distortion of earlier musics are prominent, there are even stronger links with Eight Songs for a Mad King and The Martyrdom of St Magnus. Mr Emmet is a martyr too, driven to suicide by the self-doubt and disorientation that can so easily afflict middle management in the modern age.

With a pithy libretto by David Pountney, a cast of three and a versatile ensemble of just 10 players, the piece delivers a scary yet ultimately poignant portrait of psychological crack-up. It might not have the universal resonance of a Wozzeck or a Grimes, but Maxwell Davies is a past master of the economical, vividly expressive gesture. The best music in Emmet is instrumental – culminating in the archetypally dreamy yet intense cello solo that accompanies Emmet to his doom. The vocal writing is less characterful but the excellent and versatile cast make sure that it functions potently in the inexorable unfolding of the drama. Psappha and their conductor Etienne Siebens are brilliant in support, and the booklet presents the full text in an admirably clear format. Recorded with maximum attention to clarity and atmosphere, this is an exemplary release.