Opus 8's début recording, Melancholy and Mirth takes the form of a musical smorgasbord, a manifesto in song, if you will, visiting over five hundred years of variety in secular choral pieces which examine the highs and lows of the emotional compass. From the joys of toasting, frolicking and bucolic fables to the brooding darkness of ghosts, dead pets, and lamented memories, this collection of a cappella works leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the qualms or contentments of the human condition.

How should you listen to this recording? Of course we hope that listening from start to finish in one sitting will take the listener on a fulfilling emotional roller-coaster. At the same time, in these years of personal playlists and self-curated compilations, it is easy enough to find your favourite tracks and to add them to your own collections as you see fit. The wide choice of repertoire also seeks to expand awareness of less familiar composers whose choral works can unjustly be overlooked. Whereas the offerings of Martinů, Maconchy, Ward, Schoenberg and Stockhausen comprise a celebration of obscure curiosities, by contrast those by Josquin des Prez, Ravel and Parry will appear as old friends in a brand new outfit.