I am unclear why ICA Classics say these performances are released on DVD “for the first time.” The Mozart has been nestling in my collection for the past eight years on EMI. The differences, however, are in the striking visual improvement of its latest incarnation, the inclusion of the soloists’ and conductor’s entry, and the tuning process.

The other two works do indeed appear to be newcomers. The Bach opens proceedings as it does for EMI. Then it was Menuhin and David Oistrakh as soloists conducted by the avuncular Pierre Capdevielle; ICA has the two Oistrakhs conducted by Colin Davis. Leaving aside the ropy picture quality of the earlier one, the two performances make for fascinating comparison. For me, it is both Oistrakhs who provide the more richly rewarding experience. While Menuhin’s pronounced vibrato is a stylistic mismatch with Oistrakh père, Igor’s blends with a magical serenity verging on perfection. Only a horrendous tape wobble at 11'53" in the first movement momentarily disrupts this memorable broadcast.

The Mozart, too, is wonderfully played. The Oistrakhs’ performance of it three days earlier in Manchester under Kondrashin was apparently only the second time in 40 years that David had played the viola in public. On the podium, Menuhin cuts a gauche and inexperienced figure, bringing off phrase endings with minimal, almost casual, gestures. Somehow it works. Where the EMI disc has the Brahms Double (David Oistrakh and Rostropovich) conducted by Kondrashin in the Albert Hall, ICA has the Violin Concerto with Kondrashin in the Festival Hall, captured just nine days before the Mozart. Conductor and soloist had played the work many times before – and it shows (what a persuasive figure Kondrashin presents compared to Menuhin as he presides over a masterclass in concerto accompaniment!). Theirs is surely among the most satisfying accounts of this great concerto, one to return to repeatedly with or without the visual element.