This recording of Britten’s St Nicolas was made live just before Christmas 2002 in Zurich’s Tonhalle, giving it a convivial atmosphere. At the end there is ample applause, though it does not sound as if many in the audience joined in the two hymns, ‘Ihr Menschen, die auf Erden weilt’ and ‘Herr, unerforschlich ist der Weg’. Yes – this is a performance in German translation, a sensible choice for a work that depends on forging a community spirit among the congregation, but it does rather limit the appeal of a recording. It is strange, too, that having made this important concession to intelligibility, the performance should feature an English tenor soloist in Mark Tucker, one moreover whose German diction is far from clear. Otherwise Howard Griffiths leads a generally idiomatic and well-paced account of Britten’s cantata. The Zurich Boys Choir acquit themselves with honour, the only significant drawback is that the playing of the small instrumental ensemble loses its edge in the spacious acoustic.

The Frank Bridge Variations were recorded without an audience in a church, but this time the microphones were placed closer, allowing more detail to be heard. The strings of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra are up to the challenge and Griffiths gives the performance ample pace and character, at least until one makes comparisons with the composer’s own. What an insightful and daring exponent of his own music Britten was. There is no reason for English-speaking collectors to prefer the performances here to Britten’s recordings of either of the two works, though those with German as their first language might feel differently.