The Scottish Fantasy, with its wealth of traditional melodies, ripely presented, is firmly based in the repertory; most of Bruch’s other concertante works for violin are largely unknown. Here is one of the most ambitious, the Serenade, dating from 1900, 20 years after the Fantasy. Its breadth and weight belies its lightweight title. It is a warm and fluent work in Bruch’s high-Romantic style and built on clearly defined themes which lack only the last degree of memorability of the Fantasy.

The third of the four movements, a dreamy, lyrical Notturno, comes nearest to matching the Fantasy in its natural glow, but the other movements have striking moments, too. The second movement, Allegro moderato, in march rhythm, leads to a thrilling coda, while the finale in a galloping compound time finally brings a gentle reference back to the opening idea of the lyrical Andante first movement, ethereally transformed. Not surprisingly, Bruch originally had the idea of putting this substantial work among his numbered concertos but changed his mind.

Maxim Fedotov gives a warm, thrusting performance of both it and the Fantasy. Compared with Tasmin Little in her outstanding rival Fantasy, also on a bargain label, Fedotov may be a little short on the mystery and tenderness, but his bravura playing, helped by full-blooded accompaniment from Dmitry Yablonsky and the Russian Philharmonic, makes the results consistently compelling.