Riccardo Chailly, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and his soloist, Israeli pianist Saleem Ashkar, give us an ideal, new-minted view of Mendelssohn. Chailly’s rapid but never driven tempi bring fresh and dazzling light to the ever-familiar Ruy Blas and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, relishing the opportunity for pinpoint, quicksilver brilliance complemented by warmth in the Nocturne and, most of all, in the final pages of the Overture. True, in the Wedding March, the bride and bridegroom are swept down the aisle at a pace more brisk than ceremonial, but the result is never less than exhilarating.

Saleem Ashkar, too, echoes Chailly’s high-flying approach with a dexterity as immaculate as it is awe-inspiring, the finales of both concertos taken at a speed that less gifted pianists can only envy. The rush to the finishing post is breathtaking; and if you occasionally miss the more pointed character and wit of Schiff or Perahia, you welcome an ideal poise in the slow movements, full of cool inflections that are personal without being mannered. Ashkar’s is an art that disguises art and his performances are among the finest in the catalogue. Balance between pianist and orchestra is exemplary and all these performances lift the spirits, negating all notions of Victorian sentimentality.