The first releases include intriguing recordings of works from composers and performers such as Morton Feldman, Matthew Shlomowitz, and Séverine Ballon. Two of the most interesting are Milton Babbitt’s Philomel, with soprano Juliet Fraser and Luigi Nono’s La Fabbrica Illuminata, with mezzo-soprano Loré Lixenberg. Both were written in 1964 for voice and a four-channel tape recording, including manipulations of the vocal parts themselves.

The Nono and Babitt are challenging – their style reflects advanced postwar experimentation with music technologies and musical language and ideas, and the Babbitt in particular covers some dark themes. Nono’s ‘virtual sonic theatre’ was partly the product of guided improvisation, and its recreation here is commendable. Both performers tackle the works with confidence and artistry. The tape parts have been remastered and the performances captured using binaural recording, bringing clarity to these rare but fascinating works.