Czech mezzo soprano Magdalena Kozena again raids the baroque pleasure dome, with a disc of Vivaldi arias following on from her wonderful Handel recital disc of 2008. What a privilege it is to hear such technically assured singing coming from an artist with both captivating personality and mesmerising voice. Kozena takes us through 15 arias, some of which are gentler in style, though others showcase the full force of Vivaldi’s virtuosic writing.

Of particular note is Gelido in ogni venta from Farnace, which recycles material from The Four Seasons. Kozena is such a class act, but the playing of the Venice Baroque Orchestra under Andrea Marcon is also excellent – they are very much at home in this repertoire.