Completed in 1956 and premiered that year by Beecham, the third of William Alwyn’s five symphonies won approval for its taut logic from no less an authority than Hans Keller, while John Ireland declared it the finest British symphony since Elgar’s Second. The work’s cogent drive registers to the full in Lloyd-Jones’s thrusting conception, which clocks in at just over half an hour (the composer takes nearly 33 minutes, Hickox more than 34). At the same time, I’m not sure that this score’s lyrical ardour, giddy beauty and serene poetry are as potently conveyed here as on Alwyn’s 1972 recording, where the combination of a less clinical acoustic (Watford Town Hall), Kenneth Wilkinson’s superbly integrated balance and the LPO’s richer body of string-tone makes for more involving listening.

When it comes to the the First Symphony of 1949, honours are more evenly divided. Dedicated to Barbirolli (who gave the first performance with the Hallé), this is a rather more effusive and looser-limbed statement than the Third; but its heart is always in the right place and there’s plenty of red-blooded melodic appeal (the playful Scherzo is especially fetching). Again, Lloyd-Jones’s clear-headed, muscular account shaves a couple of minutes off both his rivals’ and the RLPO respond with unstinting spirit. To be honest, I’d be content with any of the three versions, though Hickox and the LSO sound particularly fired up (audibly revelling in the wide-screen splendour of Alwyn’s sumptuous orchestration).

Overall, another eminently enjoyable disc in this useful series. I gather the next instalment will pair the Fourth Symphony with the Sinfonietta for strings.