Further refreshment arrives with a new account of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, intertwined with the sultry moods of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. The conjunction itself tickles the ears, though the biggest pleasures derive from the choice of instrumentation. Instead of a solo violin, we have a solo mandolin, very deftly plucked by Jacob Reuven, supported by 18 unrestrained string players from Sinfonietta Leipzig.

I mustn’t forget the accordion, either—the favourite instrument of Reuven’s childhood friend from Israel, Omer Meir Wellber, who lends a hand with the sustained notes, plays the harpsichord and also conducts, though not at the same time. Whatever the season, the result is sunny, cross-cultural and humane: a genuine Mediterranean tonic.

The Times