Having recently read Anna Beer’s fascinating book on forgotten female composers, Sounds and Sweet Airs, I listened with interest to TENET’S The Secret Lover. The CD features music for and by the concerto delle donne (consort of ladies) – an extraordinary group of professional female singers who performed in the court of Ferrara. The music is fascinating on an historic level, and it also happens to be a sumptuous treat for enquiring ears. Songs of Francesca Caccini and Barbara Strozzi sit beside instrumental music by Giovanni Girolami Kapsberger and Michelangelo Rossi. It’s a fantastic programme.

Sopranos Jolle Greenleaf and Molly Quinn, and mezzo-soprano Virginia Warnken take turns to sing solos, duets, and trios, accompanied by a small and superb baroque ensemble. Each track is worthy of individual praise, but, within the limits of this review, I’ll stick to my favourites. Caccini is a composer for whom I harbour particular fondness, and it’s no surprise that I enjoyed her compositions most of all. Warnken gives a sumptuous and tastefully ornamented rendition of Caccini’s Dispiegate guancie amate (‘Display, beloved cheeks’), and Josh Lee’s viola da gamba transcription of Nube gentil is equally moving and divine. I publicly declare my love for TENET’s The Secret Lover.

Alexandra Mathew