Avi Avital, incomparable artist of and advocate for the mandolin, here presents a multifaceted portrait of an instrument ‘at once familiar and unknown’. It’s also a veritable paean to plucked strings, celebrating the happy union of mandolin, guitar, theorbo, harp and harpsichord. The resulting variety of colours and textures is just one of the innumerable pleasures of this recording.

The jaunty jouissance of the Vivaldi G major Concerto – in which Avital is partnered by fellow mandolinist Alon Sariel and the incomparable Venice Baroque Orchestra – makes for a thrilling curtain-raiser. It also whets one’s appetite for the more intimate Scarlatti D minor Sonata – which Avital is convinced was ‘originally intended for the mandolin’ – further on in the programme. Intimacy is also key to the Beethoven (harp and mandolin).

By contrast, David Bruce’s Death is a Friend of Ours (mandolin, harp, guitar, theorbo and harpsichord), despite its title, overflows with joy. Think the Mexican Day of the Dead. Sollima’s Prelude for solo mandolin is similarly extrovert. Indeed, this is a real showcase both for the mandolin and for Avital’s talents. It’s hard to believe you’re listening to a single instrument. The spirit of the dance animates both the Henze (mandolin, guitar and harp) and the Ben-Haim (mandolin, guitar and harpsichord) – European in the former’s case, Middle Eastern in the latter’s.

It would be invidious to single out any of the other musicians for praise in this wonderful enterprise. Perhaps it’s best to think of Avital, a supreme collaborator as much as anything else, as first among equals