The pandemic dampened many musical celebrations last year, but the Zurich Chamber Orchestra – or at least its string players – still managed to mark its 75th anniversary with a new disc. Recorded in September under music director Daniel Hope in the ZKO-Haus, they perform a trio of serenades, including Tchaikovsky’s sunny, Italianate Serenade for Strings. The orchestra was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War by cellist Edmond de Stoutz and DG’s booklet contains some lovely archive photographs including a very jolly snap of the players posing by their tour bus at Mont Saint-Michel.

Hope is the ZKO’s fifth music director, taking over from Roger Norrington in 2016. His approach to Mozart – here the serenade Eine kleine Nachtmusik – isn’t as lean or vibratoless as Norrington but it is bright and bold, and cleanly played. Fortes make a big impact (there is no listing of players in the booklet but the ZKO’s website indicates 21 string players), yet they are nimble in the outer movements, perky in the Minuet. The Romance is taken at a leisurely pace, dynamics sensitively shaded. Before the Mozart comes a lovely rendition of Elgar’s Serenade in E minor for strings, full of charm. Hope keeps things flowing nicely, particularly in the Larghetto, avoiding the nostalgic overindulgence that (ironically) Norrington succumbs to in his Stuttgart recording.

But the main interest on this album is the wonderful reading of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade. Hope encourages the Zurich strings to dig deep right from the Andante non troppo opening. Cellos and basses have a sinewy rasp – the semiquavers in the Allegro moderato (2'30") have plenty of bite – very forwardly placed in the recording. This is ardent, passionate playing, completely persuasive. The Valse is elegant, the violas especially nimble, and when the Russian dance gets going in the finale, cellos and basses again kick up their heels (1'58"). Others find more pathos in the Élégie, most notably Gerard Korsten and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (also DG), but this is as fine an account as I’ve heard of the Serenade since that 1992 recording or Philippe Entremont in 1991 with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. Warmly recommended.