These are eminently musical readings of Mendelssohn’s works for piano and orchestra. German pianist Ragna Schirmer has been quietly forging a recording career on Berlin Classics with repertoire ranging from Bach to Corigliano and Schnittke. And in Günther Herbig she has an utterly empathetic conductor; the Saarbrücken RSO, however, sound slightly too hefty for this music to dance and whirl as it should. There is much stylish playing on offer from the soloist, with every note of Mendelssohn’s figuration clear, and sensible tempi that ensure nothing ever sounds rushed.

But since when was Mendelssohn’s music ever “sensible”? His two concertos are among the most bewitching in the repertory – or at least they can be in truly great performances, such as those by Howard Shelley. Stephen Hough is impressive, too, for his detailed approach to the music, but relistening to Jean-Yves Thibaudet I was struck by a lack of charm, though his daring tempi are undeniably exciting.

Temperamentally, Schirmer seems more attuned to the First Concerto than the dramatic rhetoric of the darker Second, which in her hands is a touch understated. But both her slow movements display plenty of sensitivity, even if she doesn’t find the same degree of Mozartian delicacy as Shelley (who directs from the keyboard – maybe this has something to do with it).

The additional works for piano and orchestra are a handy bonus, though her slow introductions to the Capriccio brillant and the Serenade are on the stolid side. The recording places the piano in a realistic sound-picture within the orchestra but ultimately this new version can’t compete with the finest on offer