Ever wondered what would happen if you broke Elgar’s Falstaff into several sections and inserted readings from Shakespeare’s Henry IV? Andrew Constantine and the BBC NOW have done exactly that, and with some style: who wouldn’t want to hear actors as fine as Timothy and Samuel West playing the fat knight and Prince Hal? But still, the question remains: do you really want to hear them interrupting Elgar’s Falstaff?

It’s not as logical an idea as it sounds. As Elgar explained to Donald Tovey, almost every musical idea and incident in Falstaff is directly linked to a specific phrase, character or image in Shakespeare. The full programme is literally impossible to incorporate in performance, and the broadly apposite readings chosen here can’t come close to illustrating the full complexity of Elgar’s characterisation. Nor is the recorded speech particularly clear.

Happily, Orchid has included a second disc on which Falstaff is played straight through: a striding, symphonic account by a conductor who clearly loves and understands the work, played with polish and flair. The solo bassoon before the Dream Interlude is charmingly drowsy; the swagger and brilliance of the climactic coronation procession sets hairs on end.

Inconveniently (at least if you still prefer to listen on CD), the pairing – the ebullient and colourful symphonic poem Tam O’Shanter by the turn-of-the-century Boston Romantic William Chadwick – is included on the same disc as the interrupted Falstaff (thankfully, Chadwick’s Burns-inspired programme note is merely read out before the performance, rather than interpolated). It’s a gorgeous piece of late-Romantic tartanry, and Constantine’s big-hearted performance easily rivals Neeme Järvi’s Detroit version (Chandos, 6/96^R) for character, pace and colour. A curious sort of release, then, but ultimately the music wins through – just as it should.