There is absolutely no justification for this recording except for the fact that it works so well. That is to say, there is, in spite of Simon-Pierre Bestion’s highly personal booklet note, no actual historical or musicological reason to combine Rachmaninov’s music with Byzantine chant. So the listener is left to enjoy this superb recording on its own terms.

The Byzantine chant is in the capable hands of the Romanian chanter Adrian Sirbu, one of the outstanding performers working in this field today. Supported by the singers of La Tempête, he provides controlled but impassioned performances of liturgical sections not set by Rachmaninov.

Rachmaninov’s music itself is beautifully sung. Bestion’s singers have a tremendous range of colour (including the low basses, naturally, but I am equally impressed by the clarity of the sopranos and altos), and there is a sense of unhurried calm about his approach. Listen to ‘Blazhen muzh’ (‘Blessed is the man’, track 5), for example. It is simply perfectly balanced and paced, and the clarity of the acoustics of the Temple du Saint-Esprit in Paris means that every detail is audible. Pronunciation is generally excellent, though there are moments when one needs that Slavic ‘l’ to resonate more. No matter: this is a captivating approach to two repertoires that might be thought, in principle, to pull against each other but which musical and spiritual instinct has brought together in the most surprising way.