No sooner have we had a new EMI version of the well-tried coupling of the Grieg and Schumann piano concertos than Sony similarly tempts fate with another traditional coupling, the Bruch and Mendelssohn violin concertos. And again we have an issue containing performances that stand comparison with the finest in the past – Leif-Ove Andsnes on EMI and now Midori.

Key elements in common to the two discs are the conductor and orchestra – Mariss Jansons and the Berlin Philharmonic – and the immediacy of live performances in the Philharmonie.

It is surprising that Midori has taken so long to offer the same coupling as Anne-Sophie Mutter on her classic disc with Karajan and the same orchestra more than 20 years ago, when she was still in her teens. The comparison has been fascinating. From the start of the Mendelssohn, Mutter’s performance is marked by an ease and relaxation normally associated with an artist far older, where Midori is more detailed in expression as well as more volatile, maybe more youthful-sounding (partly a reflection of live music-making?). The point where the soloist relaxes for a moment on a downward arpeggio (track 1, 2'45") brings a breathtaking pianissimo if anything more beautiful than Mutter’s.

Where Mutter and Karajan prefer steady speeds, Midori and Jansons are freer, with an element of urgency, a hint of accelerando, heightening climaxes – Midori is faster throughout. Happily, both women avoid sentimentality in the Andante, with Midori and Jansons heightening the contrast of the central section. In the finale Midori’s urgency brings extra excitement.In both performances there’s a consistent sense of spontaneous expressiveness.

In the Bruch, Midori’s first entry is musingly reflective and the panache of the first movement is followed by a rapt account of the slow movement, not quite as hushed as Mutter’s – largely a question of recording balance – and rather weightier, if with less heavy vibrato. Overall, and in the face of formidable competition, this is a clear winner.