Warmth and vitality are appropriate keywords for this coupling, a practical Bartók primer you might say, well played, persuasively interpreted and nicely recorded, save for one or two details that don’t quite measure up to the best. In the Concerto for Orchestra’s first movement Marin Alsop and her players generate plenty of energy, though the first forceful statement of the strings could have had an even stronger impact. In the ‘Game of Pairs’ second movement I wasn’t quite sure about the subtle dip in tempo when the oboes enter soon after the opening, but the brass choirs later on sound suitably burnished. The finale goes with a real swing, in spite of strings near the beginning that sound as if they’re hanging on for dear life; but rather that than bland virtuosity.

In the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta my main quibble, sound-wise, concerns rather furry-sounding timps (articulation is often difficult to make out) but the strings have plenty of bite. Competition-wise, in this work specifically, there’s a very significant contender from Hungaroton and a closely recorded Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra under Zoltán Kocsis, whose ferocious attack and white-knuckle rhythmic grip generate breathtaking levels of excitement, except where a lighter touch is called for, and they deliver there as well. Alsop and her Baltimore band aren’t in their class, nor do they quite level with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra in the Concerto for Orchestra. But here I’m talking top-notch Hungarian compatriots sparring on home turf, on sale at full price, whereas Naxos provides a fine bargain and a creditable starting point for those wanting to dip a toe into Bartókian waters.