The mother-and-daughter partnership of Zina Schiff and Avlana Eisenberg shows an evident unity of purpose in both concertos. In the Sibelius, Schiff emphasises the songful aspects; instead of concentrating on bravura in the passagework, she allows the music plenty of time to breathe, searching for expressive detail in each phrase. The Hungary-based MAV orchestra tones down the fiercer aspects of Sibelius’s score, creating a sombre impression but without the disturbing edge we sometimes notice. It generally adds up to a persuasive view of the work – in the first movement only the coda disappoints, lacking the air of desperation that’s surely intended. And the finale does seem a little laboured, even bearing in mind the composer’s Allegro ma non tanto. Something more on the lines of Vilde Frang’s meteoric account would be preferable here. In the slow movement, however, Schiff’s intense, passionate feeling is entirely persuasive.

I found the Barber performance most convincing: Schiff’s pervasive slight rubato allows her to play with expressive character while maintaining the first movement’s tranquil, rural atmosphere. The orchestra, too, is finely balanced, with distinguished solo wind playing. Schiff is able to change her tone and manner most effectively to encompass the Andante’s tense, dramatic episodes, and the finale effectively eschews sheer virtuosity to concentrate on rhythmic clarity and orchestral colour.

Paul Ben-Haim’s Songs Without Words, originally for voice and based on folk idioms, have enough melodic character to succeed as violin pieces. They make an attractive interlude between the major works.