Attention, men and women of brass, as well as all discerning music lovers who appreciate the supreme satisfaction in ultra-sophistication.

I know that all brass players are Kings of the Jungle, especially when they hunt in packs. But I trust that even the most proud and predatory among the species will be able to savour and appreciate the incredibly refined and subtle playing of the brass (and percussion) section of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, in this truly extraordinary album. The repertoire, largely, is fantastic, with wonderfully effective arrangements of Shostakovich's Gadfly Suite and Astor Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires Suite, which features a fugue where the players' articulation is frankly staggering. There's also an extremely witty, four-minute, cartoon-like Concertgeblaas, written for the group by Detlev Glanert, one of the orchestra's house composers, lots of fanfare pieces by Henri Tomasi and, with the strings joining the brass and conductor Kurt Masur directing, a rare outing for Paul Hindemith's Konzertmusik. Some breathtaking stuff here.

Michael Tumelty