How do you decide the tempo for Allegro maestoso without a metronome marking? Mozart’s instruction in the first movement of the Sinfonia concertante is ambiguous, yet most musicians unequivocally lean towards Allegro. Maxim Vengerov does not; he firmly fixes on maestoso. The result is stately, but not easy-going. You’ll glean that from the two opening chords nicely gauged to convey sfp, and in the unusually flaring forte on the following dotted crotchet/quaver figure which is double-dotted for extra emphasis. This is but one of many touches to suggest that Vengerov is not simply directing the ensemble; he conducts. And what he discerns as tension and release in the music make their mark through a chosen tempo that also allows the partnership time to observe dynamic minutiae, to nuance phrases and shape paragraphs. Viola player Lawrence Power is Vengerov’s equal. The unified pliancy of their playing intensifies the melancholy of the slow movement, its cadenza offering a particularly good example of their rapport. Microphone balance, in relation to themselves and to the orchestra, is good.

Both soloists lavish attention on this masterpiece. To his credit, Vengerov lavishes as much attention on the other works, too. A proviso though: throughout, artistry is expressed within a style that in today’s meaning would not be considered “authentic”. Its antithesis, warm romanticism, may not suit all tastes. Neither may the sound, which lacks the ultimate in airy spaciousness. But don’t let such factors put you off; these performances ought not to be ignored.