This 1969 Proms performance of the greatest cello concerto, Dvorák’s, captures Jacqueline du Pré at the thrilling peak of her form. The BBC recording captures her power and a formidably wide range of tone and dynamic, allied to the spontaneous warmth which so marked her work. Fifteen months later she made a studio recording with Barenboim conducting, but not only is the cello unflatteringly reproduced in relatively thin sound, her performance is more effortful.

In this reading the great second subject melody has extra poignancy, and when it returns in the development section in the improbable key of G sharp minor, Du Pré presents it as the work’s very soul. The reflective moments of the slow movement and the final epilogue are more telling and she tackles the bravura passages with tremendous flair and immaculate intonation.

In all this Sir Charles Groves makes a most sympathetic accompanist, drawing fine playing from the RLPO, not least the wind soloists. One has to live with audience noise but, except perhaps when Groves starts the finale before the coughing has subsided, no one will worry too much.

The little Ibert Concerto for Cello and Wind, recorded seven years earlier, is a fun curiosity which culminates in a playful jig. As Du Pré never otherwise recorded it, the piece is a welcome filler, with virtuoso support from the players of the Michael Krein Orchestra.