Like Osmo Vänskä in Lahti (BIS, 9/97), Sir Colin Davis and the LSO pair the First and Fourth Symphonies of Sibelius as once they did for RCA (1/97). Both teams are dedicated exponents of these works but where the Finnish conductor majors on continuity, fidelity and textural clarity, the veteran Brit cleaves to the heavier sound and interpretative subjectivity of an earlier age, fiercely engaged and, to some, a tad over-dressed. The First is archetypal latter-day Davis, vehemently alive and unafraid to slam on the brakes in the interests of heightened expressivity. Sir Colin’s third commercial recording of this work is taken from live concerts at London’s Barbican Hall, with the maestro caught humming along to the second movement’s languishing Tchaikovskian melody.

The Fourth is even more impressive in its muscular directness, contemplating barren wastelands without the sugar-coating of Romanticism. As with Vänskä, Sir Colin’s slow movement redefines slow, here with an awesome Brucknerian weight and dignity. His finale solves the dilemma posed by Sibelius’s ambiguous request for glocken by doubling up on glockenspiel and tubular bells, an unusual effect that will catch the ears of ardent Sibelians. Davis’s Boston version of No 4 for Phillips (8/77) was always highly regarded and, although LSO Live’s SACD encoding cannot transform the impactful if rather shallow sound stage of the orchestra’s home base, this second remake preserves an extraordinary evening. There are full notes as throughout what has been a distinguished series, well worth its modest asking price.