I Musici de Montréal have a habit of putting together fascinating programmes‚ and this – incidentally showcasing Yuli Turovsky’s solo skills – is no exception. Their musicianship is amply confirmed in Bernstein’s Three Meditations from ‘Mass’ (1977)‚ effectively his cello concerto. A compact‚ kaleidoscopic set with organ‚ strings and percussion accompaniment‚ the brief central variations play havoc with a motif from Beethoven’s Ninth. The composer’s own account‚ with dedicatee Rostropovich‚ remains definitive but the newcomer’s merits are considerable. The players clearly relished the title­track‚ Sallinen’s part­pastiche‚ part­nightmarish Chamber Music III (1985­86)‚ a work where – as with much of his later music – context is all in unravelling the web of meaning. This excellent new version scores over its rivals‚ part of all­Sallinen issues‚ in warmth of sound. As interpretations‚ there is little to choose between them. Rondin is still the fleetest at 19'25"‚ but both Thedéen and Turovsky highlight more the music’s subversiveness. It is good to see another outing for Hindemith’s Trauermusik on the cello rather than the viola (it was designed to be played on violin‚ viola or cello). Turovsky’s is a nicely shaped‚ tender performance‚ making a wonderful contrast between Sallinen’s work and Bartók’s Rhapsody No 1 (1928). Bartók arranged the violin­and­piano original for cello‚ and later for violin with orchestra‚ so this version for cello and orchestra required little manipulation. Not too many years ago‚ the Hungarian’s was still a name to frighten the horses but in Turovsky’s hands the Rhapsody – still perfectly Bartókian – sounds about as problematic and certainly as appealing as Dvo·ák’s Slavonic Dances. Castelnuovo­Tedesco’s more­than­mere­transcription of Rossini’s ‘Figaro’ aria‚ flashily recorded once by Vanessa Mae in a different arrangement‚ is a delight in Darren Fung’s and caps a splendid disc. Warmly recommended.