Strangely, the Dvorák and Tchaikovsky violin concertos – written within a year of each other – have rarely been coupled on disc. So this attractive Supraphon issue, with the colourful and charismatic young Czech virtuoso Pavel Sporcl, earns a recommendation. It may not be encouraging that the booklet’s photographs portray him as a defiant pirate, wearing a checked bandana, but he is clearly a violinist to take note of.

The electricity of each occasion in the Rudolfinum is vividly evident – a wild yell at the end of the Dvorák suggests that Sporcl attracts a young female following. His musical gifts, too, were plainly enjoyed, the Czech audience roused by a warmly idiomatic reading of a work that can easily seem wayward. He may not match the inwardness and intensity of Maxim Vengerov in the slow movement, but his tonal variety and expressiveness in the lyrical passages are comparably magnetic, and the lightness and rhythmic spring of his playing heighten the finale’s Slavonic dance character.

Sporcl brings similar qualities to the Tchaikovsky, with speed changes always sounding natural and spontaneous. The central Canzonetta has a hushed poignancy; the recording beautifully captures the subtlety of Sporcl’s pianissimo playing, where Perlman’s live recording falls short. In the finale, Sporcl’s articulation easily matches that of his rivals, and, as with Perlman, the thrill of the coda is irresistible. The generous acoustic of the Rudolfinum is evident yet does not cloud orchestral detail. In both performances the Czech Philharmonic is in superb form, with imaginative wind soloists as impressive as this orchestra’s legendary string section.