Were someone to ask me to suggest a disc to introduce them to the violin, I might well steer them in the direction of this one. It’s a selection of much-loved (some might say hackneyed) warhorses that mixes the thrilling (Waxman, Sarasate, Saint-Saëns) with the serene (Vaughan Williams, Massenet). The ‘three Bs’ can wait till later.

That is not to say, were one recommending to the friend the best version of each piece, that any of Arabella Steinbacher’s would be first choice. For a start, she has Jascha Heifetz to contend with in Waxman’s fiendish Carmen Fantasie (RCA et al – so much better than Sarasate’s ubiquitous alternative). And she is partnered by Lawrence Foster, as reliable as he is unexciting. Listen to the difference in the opening page of the score between the newcomers and Heifetz with (the underrated) Donald Voorhees, let alone the coda. Their comparative timings (11'41" against Heifetz’s 9'30") say a lot.

Another rival for Steinbacher is Nicola Benedetti and her similarly titled disc (DG, A/09), which has five of the same tracks, one of which is Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen. Benedetti finds a richer, more resonant tone for the first part, but Steinbacher scores heavily with the corny ‘Take me home, oh mother take me home’ section, managing to take the curse off it with playing of heart-warming sincerity. She chooses to play the repeat of the finale’s third section sul ponticello for some reason, producing a vinegary few seconds.

I rather like the way she pushes on in the central section of The Lark Ascending – there is plenty of time for meditative musing elsewhere (Benedetti’s is 1'20" slower) – and it cleverly elides into the beginning of Saint-Saëns’s Havanaise. This, the Introduction and Rondo capriccioso (dedicated to Sarasate) and Ravel’s Tzigane are given excellent but not exceptional performances. The standout performance comes between them: the Méditation from Thaïs is done with breathtaking beauty, a turn-on for any newcomer to the violin.