Who would have thought, back in the 1990s, that we would one day have competing recordings of Bruch’s string quintets and string Octet? The context is one of those barely believable accidents of musical history: in this case, that the scores of three substantial and inspired late chamber works by the composer of one of the best-loved concertos in the repertoire should effectively be lost for several decades after Bruch’s death in 1920.

Well, that’s all behind us now and The Nash Ensemble’s Gramophone Award-shortlisted recording on Hyperion was my Critic’s Choice in 2017. This new release of the same three works comes from the players of the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Bruch’s native Cologne, and it’s also very fine. Banish any preconceptions about outsize ‘orchestral’ playing; the sound of the group is balanced and refined, with the two viola players, in particular, blending together beautifully – creating an intimate warmth at the heart of the ensemble sound. The slow movements really glow.

The WDR players are adept at reconciling Bruch’s often contrasting stylistic demands, as Mendelssohn-like brilliance evaporates into deep Brahmsian Innigkeit. Leader Ye Wu avoids the trap of turning the finale of the A minor Quintet into a mini-concerto and lavishes ardent G string tone on Bruch’s low-lying melodies. If the quintets perhaps lack the last ounce of The Nash Ensemble’s passion, the WDR players have the edge in the Octet (in which Bruch uses a double bass instead of a second cello), finding intense sweetness and a passionate nostalgia in textures of almost Straussian richness. There’s more than one way to play this music; and while this recording won’t supplant that Nash Ensemble disc in your Bruch collection, it’ll complement it very handsomely indeed.