I wish this disc could have accommodated a complete Miraculous Mandarin rather than just the Concert Suite, particularly as Susanna Mälkki’s reading has much to offer. She elicits brilliant, rhythmically disciplined playing from the Helsinki Philharmonic; and although her depiction of urban din in the opening minutes lacks the raucous ferocity of Dorati’s justly famous mid-1950s account (and whose doesn’t?), her careful attention to dynamic gradations lays bare a wealth of textural and colouristic detail. Note how she even finds a hint of tunefulness in the biting rhythmic string figure starting at 0'39".

Mälkki is also a fine storyteller who brings the characters vividly to life – the pompous old rake, the timid student and especially the mysterious central female figure. The girl’s shy first dance for the Mandarin is really delicately drawn, for instance, with ravishingly (and Ravelian) diaphanous strings (listen at 0'41" on track 18). I have a hunch Mälkki would be in her element in the Mandarin’s eerie final scenes (excised from the Suite); but the abbreviated version makes room for The Wooden Prince and this stunning performance makes the trade off worthwhile.

Arnold Whittall, in his booklet note, aptly describes the ballet as a ‘fascinating blend of the romantically sublime and the expressionistically grotesque’. Mälkki gives us both in spades. Warm, singing tone from the HPO strings lets us know, for example, that this Prince is not only regal but kind-hearted (track 3). Yet in the scenes where the Fairy puts a charm on the forest to thwart his attempts to get to the Princess, the orchestra sound menacing, even when their playing is feather-light (try at 1'08" on track 4). Impressive, too, is the way Mälkki holds this expansive score together; her sense of pacing and narrative flow are unerring. And, as in the Mandarin, her meticulous observation of Bartók’s dynamic indications reaps huge rewards in terms of colour and atmosphere, although here there’s a frisson that suggests a live performance (although it’s a studio recording).

We’ve had some superb accounts of this ballet over the years – Kocsis (Hungaroton, 6/07) has been a personal favourite – and Mälkki stands with the best of them. Indeed, given the excellence of BIS’s engineering, hers is easily a prime recommendation.