Recordings of Franz Schmidt’s oratorio on the Apocalypse continue to emerge. Best known for his work with the left-field Absolute Ensemble, Kristjan Järvi might not be thought a natural exponent but there can be no doubting his conviction. He is abetted by a strong vocal line-up: Johannes Chum is a youthful and forthright St John who, though a little strained in his initial entry, exudes the right impulsiveness and awe; Robert Holl is eloquently authoritative as the Voice of the Lord, even more than with Horst Stein; and with the remaining quartet well contrasted as soloists and finely balanced in ensemble. The Wiener Singverein lack nothing in either incisiveness or sensitivity, while the Tonkünstler Orchestra, if a mite undernourished in string sound, are more than equal to Schmidt’s surprisingly wide-ranging demands.

Surprising in that this is a piece which marks a culmination within the Austro-German choral tradition and yet looks defiantly to its future – a n aspect Järvi pointedly emphasises – whether in the stark expressive contrasts as the Seven Seals are opened, the powerful momentum unleashed by the Seven Trumpets, or the climactic “Hallelujah” chorus whose grandeur is charged with a keen fervency. More evocative than Franz Welser-Möst but less theatrical than Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Järvi makes it the concert-drama Schmidt surely intended. SACD sound maximises its textural and dynamic extremes (Robert Kovács’s organ tone tangibly immediate), but a pity that applause was retained at the end of disc 1. Even so, this could well be first choice for those new to the work.