An ideal way of presenting Wagner’s overtures and preludes – in date order, from 1833/34 to 1868, showing the composer’s increasing confidence in his use of structure. Die Feen has hints of Mendelssohn; Columbus reminds us a little of Weber; Das Liebesverbot (drawing on Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure) looks south and shows a surge of confidence in scoring castanets, triangle and tambourine as well as featuring a splendid trumpet fanfare. Then comes Rienzi, with its arresting opening trumpet and at last a really splendid Wagnerian tune in the strings, showing all but complete maturity, while the main theme of the allegro is no less memorable.

A Faust Overture is in essence a symphonic poem, full of atmosphere and melodrama with a delicate, romantic central interlude, again with hints of Mendelssohn, colourfully scored and beautifully played here. But it is rather repetitive and not really a satisfying concert piece, even though it concludes with a charming coda.

With Der fliegende Holländer we come at last to the real thing, with a marvellous oceanic opening, followed by a touching woodwind chorale, and some of the themes from the opera thrown in. The main allegro swings along infectiously, with the opening fanfares reprised and the sea sounds still dominating in the sequential climaxes, the chorale reappearing more strongly. A cascade of violins leads to the return of the swinging main theme and the opening fanfare leads to a satisfying coda.

Then we have a rumbustious performance of the Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin, excellently played, but what happened to the glorious Prelude to Act 1? If Faust had been left out there would have been room for it. However, the Tristan Prelude is beautifully played, the Scottish strings on excellent form, and the programme ends, as it should, with Die Meistersinger, Wagner’s greatest and most inspired overture. It is one of the finest operatic preludes ever written, in which he weaves the opera’s themes (all memorable) into a rich tapestry which carries the listener along satisfyingly from the first note to the last.

Neeme Järvi is a master of this repertoire and he continually conjures splendid playing from his Scottish orchestra. But I have to say that for me his account of Die Meistersinger, which sweeps along excitingly, is too fast. I like more sustained dignity. Ralph Couzens ensures that the sound is of the highest Chandos quality to match the fine playing, so this collection is still worth having.