Here we have an attractive pairing of violin concertos that are not over-represented in the recording catalogues: Saint-Saëns’s Third and Glazunov’s sole Violin Concerto, a coupling not replicated elsewhere. Saint-Saëns’s concerto is wonderfully lyrical and was composed for the virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, the finale – unusually, the longest movement – containing hints of bright Spanish colours. Glazunov’s Concerto was dedicated to Leopold Auer and is a more compact work – under 20 minutes long in most performances, played without a break – but one teeming with melodic invention.

Rudolf Koelman may be a familiar name to Dutch audiences. He was concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, 1996 99, and has a handful of recordings for Challenge Classics. He studied with Herman Krebbers, his Concertgebouw predecessor, and Jascha Heifetz.

The latter provides direct competition in the Glazunov Concerto, which doesn’t do Koelman any favours. His tone is slender and compact, incisive but not especially rich. I miss the glamour of Heifetz’s tone and the glitter in the dazzling finale. Koelman plays perfectly well, especially in the beguiling Andante section, but it’s not a performance to set the pulses racing.

He is better heard in the Saint-Saëns, nimbly played and sensitively phrased, although his tone can be glassy. His Andantino quasi allegretto second movement really flows in cantabile fashion (just 7'34") and the finale dances light on its toes. Koelman never imposes himself on the music; perhaps that’s an advantage in Saint-Saëns, but I miss the bigger ‘personality’ in recordings by Itzhak Perlman (DG, 1/84) or Maxim Vengerov (Warner, A/03), not to mention the sweet tone of someone like Alfredo Campoli (Eloquence).

The Sinfonietta Schaffhausen and Paul Haug provide dutiful support but it’s difficult to hear too much orchestral detail in Challenge Classics’ muddy recording. Tully Potter contributes an interesting booklet note.