Trevor Pinnock, a pioneer in the historically informed performance practice, has convened a bespoke ensemble, dubbed Pinnock’s Players, to partner with star trumpeter Alison Balsom on her new album of Baroque concertos. All six of the concertos recorded here – by Handel, Vivaldi, Telemann, Albinoni and Marcello – are transcriptions of virtuoso works for violin or oboe, performed by Balsom at baroque pitch on modern piccolo trumpet, while Pinnock’s Players perform on period instruments. Says Pinnock, “Alison inspired us all as she went far beyond the conventional boundaries of her instrument … Our sound world is much wider than it was fifty years ago but, whatever instruments we choose, the crucial element is that pioneer spirit shown by Alison in this adventure.”