James Ehnes, the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda are superb in these three concertos, identifying three periods in Bartók’s life and finding just the right tone for each. Passion, tang, bravura and the most beguiling shades of lyricism combine to make all these performances utterly compelling.

James Ehnes offers us the most ‘Heifetzian’ recording yet, a vibrant, tender-hearted, boisterously youthful account, bittersweet where needs be and eagerly supported by the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda, who are consistently on the ball. I can’t think of a finer CD version of the First Concerto than this…

Chandos offers a beautifully balanced sound picture, especially effective in the delicate traceries of the Andante tranquillo second movement, which alternates serenity and playfulness as only Bartók could. As to the finale, never before had I been so vividly reminded of an orchestral masterpiece from a few years earlier, Ravel’s La valse (1920).