The Times of London said of the playing of Alison Balsom that “she makes the trumpet sing with an irresistible exuberance and eloquence”. I think that hits the nail squarely on the head. Her virtuosity is of quite a different order from that of, say, Sergei Nakariakov, whose blistering technique is something like watching a very accomplished acrobat.

In Balsom’s case, it’s much more like listening to a very fine coloratura singer. This is especially evident in the slow movements of these fascinating concertos, where the trumpet really shines and sings with a lyricism rare for the instrument.

This disc has a collection of the sort of music which really shows off Alison Balsom’s talents. The writing in many of these Baroque pieces is complex and high, but she takes it in her stride with polished ease. The one exception in the list of usual Baroque suspects (Tartini, Vivaldi, Marcello, Albinoni) is Domenico Cimarosa, who didn’t actually write the charming concerto included here. It was “assembled” by Australian composer Arthur Benjamin from themes from Cimarosa’s many operas. The adaptation is a great success, and the piece has been in the repertoire of oboists (here it’s transcribed for trumpet by Balsom herself) ever since its appearance in 1942.

The instrument used is a small modern one, although in other releases Balsom does play authentic Baroque valveless trumpets. The soloist is ably backed by the Scottish Ensemble. The recording, made in Dundee’s Caird Hall, is good if not of reference standard.