Mahler once described Chabrier’s España (1883) as ‘the beginning of modern music’. Although that assertion may sound absurd to our jaded ears, surely neither Debussy’s Ibéria nor Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole could have been written without it. Groundbreaking or not, España requires élan as well as virtuosity, and as fine as the BRSO’s playing is, Jansons’s interpretation is far too rigid and sober. The trombone fanfare at 2'48" seems more like a call to duty than the exultant exclamation one hears on Paray’s classic Mercury recording.

Jansons is much more at home in the Ravel, which is played with a satisfying balance of exactitude and flair. A palpable feeling of passion runs through the ‘Prélude à la nuit’, while the ‘Feria’ is articulate yet aptly volatile. Enescu’s enchanting (and vastly underrated) First Romanian Rhapsody begins with a similar sense of freshness and spontaneity – the BRSO musicians are clearly enjoying themselves here – though the work’s second half is disappointingly sluggish. Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody is more consistently spirited.

I’m of two minds about Denis Matsuev’s freewheeling reading of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Some passages set the heart racing (listen starting at 2'35"), while others are overly precious, particularly the big Hollywood-esque tune (at 11'37"). Matsuev and Jansons emphasise the Rhapsody’s episodic structure rather than trying to tighten it up (as Gershwin himself seemed to do in his various recordings), but it’s full of fire and fun, despite the occasional overindulgence.