Mendelssohn’s Octet can present a problem of balance should the players not be careful enough about dynamic levels, and if the recording is not perfectly focused. Here, however, we hear the work in all its fascinating detail, yet with an overall sound that’s finely blended. The performance is of high quality, too; each member of the group plays with confidence and sensitivity, and the excellent rhythmic control results in the scherzo and finale especially making a brilliant impact. In the outer movements, I miss the sense of the players being fully involved in Mendelssohn’s highly charged emotional world; Ensemble Explorations allow us to experience the composer’s youthful elation in a much more immediate way (even though their recording isn’t as well defined).

The Concerto for violin and piano was written two years before the first version of the Octet. It’s a lively, inventive work nevertheless, and, for a 14 year-old, astonishingly assured. The performance here goes all out for vividness and individuality, with strong dynamic contrasts and, in the first movement especially, wide variations of tempo. Without a score to hand, I can’t tell which of these speed changes might have been suggested by the composer – my guess is that most of them are not. However, with splendid solo playing, the result here is certainly exciting, and you may agree with me that the Concerto benefits from such creative engagement.