This was one of the finest accounts of Mendelssohn’s String Octet that I have heard anywhere. Which is just as well. Because the first half had me feeling slightly nervous.

This despite the estimable Paul Wright, whose stylish, historically-aware playing and conducting are always to be relied upon. And despite the excellent players, who individually represent some of WA’s finest, at various stages of their careers.

No: this was more a case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts.

To be sure, Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin and Two Cellos in C, RV561 made for an enjoyable curtain raiser, with Wright and solo cellists Melinda Forsythe and Max Wung exchanging barrages of filigree passagework across Vivaldi’s customary ritornello structures with gusto and finesse. I particularly enjoyed Wright’s audible foot-stomping, which always brings a welcome rusticity and dancelike feel to his performances.

The adagio from Mozart’s Divertimento No.17 in D was equally enjoyable, playful duelling this time giving way to civilised conversation amongst equals. Another very different adagio, from Anton Bruckner’s String Quintet in F, arranged for string band by Stanislav Skrowaczewski, made for a weighty full close before interval.

Yet the Vivaldi could have been crisper, tighter and more focused (the...