Album: Concerto Caledonia

Mungrel Stuff/ LINN

Folk and art music have had a queasy relationship over the centuries but this is a delightful disc. The musical mongrel in question is half-Scots, half-Italian, and all Baroque: a peculiar beast who runs the gamut from what director David McGuinness affectionately calls "effective trash" to undeniable elegance across song settings, cantatas and folk inspired sonatas by Italophile Scots and Caledoniophile Italians. McGuinness's ensemble, indisputably Scotland's leading early music group, boasts excellent playing and is enhanced by winning performances from the vocal soloists. Fascinating.