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While The Dream of Gerontius may be the unlikely focus of Bennett's The Choral, the masterpiece hardly requires a increase in recognition. Edward Gardner's vibrant new album is among several issued in the last two years, with an additional one due in January.

Recorded live at the BBC Proms in 2022, this propulsive performance has a lot going for it. Allan Clayton portrays the febrile essence of the protagonist near death whose every sensation is simultaneously a fear and a fascination. Clayton's heroic tone excites in the great prayer, Sanctus Fortis, while an emotional use of lyrics highlights the thought-provoking dialogue session in the second part. Jamie Barton's luxurious voice has a tangible immediacy as well as offering ample reserves of comfort. James Platt's rugged bass is ideally matched to the Angel of the Agony.

Gardner is highly dramatic, conveying the story with an nearly operatic audacity. The LPO performs as if a group of evil spirits was at its back, paralleled by the combined forces of the London Philharmonic and Hallé choruses. In places, the acoustic robs the recording of the last ounce of directness, but all in all it's a fine achievement to place alongside Collon's arresting from Finland account issued earlier this year.