Hindemith composed this, his last chamber work, between 1957 and 1958 for members of the Berlin Philharmonic, and double-bassist Rainer Zepperitz, who plays here, took part in the premiere première, with the composer himself playing second viola. This performance, then, has an authority that is brilliantly conveyed by the Berlin's fine playing. Different instrumental groupings are presented with enviable clarity; the slow movement has a haunting intensity – greater, even, than in the Berlin Soloists' excellent alternative; the fourth movement is infectiously vivacious and, in the finale, both the fugue and the three dance characters (waltz, polka and galop) are projected with striking vividness.