This latest Beethoven Violin Concerto recording might, in a sense, be called a ‘Homage to Fritz Kreisler’, and not just because the hugely gifted Daniel Lozakovich dispatches Kreisler’s cadenzas, the first of which climaxes to an ingenious merging of the concerto’s two principal themes. For those who are perplexed by the rather short-measure G minor solo Bach coupling, you might be interested to know that for his first recording of the work (with the Staatskapelle Berlin under Leo Blech on HMV DB990-5) Kreisler filled the remaining shellac side with the same Bach movement, there as here expressively played.

Lozakovich’s way with the Concerto is light years removed from various modern ‘upgrades’ involving adapted versions of Beethoven’s cadenza for his piano version of the work, with Isabelle Faust, Christian Tetzlaff and Thomas Zehetmair being among those who are – or were – new kids on the block turning their backs on the old guard. Not that I’m complaining: this of all violin concertos needs to sound vital. But there’s always room for a warm, vibrant rendition such as Lozakovich offers us here, with well-chosen tempos and Valery Gergiev cueing a strong, sonorous account of the orchestral score. Although relatively spacious, it’s never sluggish or ponderous, and there’s plenty of inner detail on offer. The slow movement is especially beautiful, the cadenza into the finale boldly assertive, while the finale itself is full of life.

As to where it should stand in the overall scheme of things, recommendations-wise (I’m thinking digital rather than analogue, where the field of comparisons is vast), that’s rather more difficult. Zehetmair, Tetzlaff, Kremer, Kavakos and Faust between them ushered in a brave new world that all should visit, whereas Lozakovich offers a more traditional rendition that demonstrates his obvious love for the piece. While not ‘period savvy’, it’s deeply felt and sincerely musical, more in line with James Ehnes or Hilary Hahn. If you’re following Lozakovich’s progress on disc thus far, this latest DG album is fully up to the high standards already established by its predecessors. A handsome sound production, recorded live – though the documentation doesn’t claim as much and there’s no giveaway applause.