Ballet music was very much part of the great operas, sometimes inserted later for a bit of relief from the drama. Together with popular overtures – Rossini’s ‘Thieving Magpie’, Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ – this is a collection of some of those best-loved instrumental moments, some of which have even eclipsed the whole opera in popularity.

One of Bruckner’s most sublime Adagios is to be found in this String Quintet and a comparative rarity is his contemporary Franz Schmidt’s G minor Piano Quintet. Long unavailable on Decca, this is something of a connoisseur’s item, now restored to circulation and at super-budget price.