Martinu's two violin concertos have very different histories. The First was created for Dushkin in 1931, much tinkered with over the next few years and then "lost" until Halbreich unearthed it in 1968. The Second (1943) was written in just two months for Mischa Elman, premiered before the year was out and taken up by several violinists soon afterwards, often being programmed unnumbered until its predecessor came to light.

Josef Suk set the benchmark for both but his recordings, still in the Supraphon catalogue, have been overtaken by this newcomer and, in No 2, by Isabelle Faust's superb recent account (Harmonia Mundi, 8/08). Matousek and Hogwood certainly have the measure of both scores and in the Second run Faust and Belohlavek close. I do like the latter's expansive approach in the central Andante moderato where Matousek and Hogwood are two minutes swifter (and Suk and Neumann faster still) but I really cannot choose between them. Couplings may prove decisive, not least the best available Toccata e due canzone (Faust) or the Viola Rhapsody-Concerto (Suk); my recommendation is for the Hyperion set as a whole (Vol 3 includes the Rhapsody-Concerto) but I would not want to be without the Harmonia Mundi. Concerto No 1 was formerly available on Supraphon with the Suite concertante's second version included on Vol 3 (7/08), although the published recording dates of the Suite suggested otherwise (Hyperion says it is correcting this on future issues). Strongly recommended.