Like Sibelius, Martinů was initially a violinist; unlike Sibelius, Martinů composed enough concertante works to fill four CDs, memorably recorded by Bohuslav Matoušek with various colleagues and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of the late Christopher Hogwood a decade and more ago. The only other recordings of both concertos together are the excellent historic accounts from Josef Suk, also with the Czech Philharmonic, and Vacláv Neumann (coupled with the Rhapsody-Concerto for viola for maximum value for money). The Second Concerto (1943) has fared a little better on disc than No 1 (1933) of late, with well-received accounts from Isabelle Faust, reissued a couple of years ago, and Lorenzo Gatto.

If the field is not crowded, the competition is nonetheless fierce. I am pleased to say that these new accounts from Thomas Albertus Irnberger with the Janáček Philharmonie, Ostrava, conducted by Heiko Mathias Förster are fully worthy to rank with these rivals. Irnberger’s tone is relaxed and warm, and he is slightly better served by the sound than Matoušek (mainly due to placement, I think) or Suk – but this last is half a century old. What impresses about the newcomer is the understanding between the soloist and orchestra, through the conductor, and their obvious empathy with Martinů’s vibrant music. A joy to listen to; a shame they did not add the Suite concertante or one of the double concertos to make this a really standout disc.