This somewhat peculiar compilation originally emerged in the 1980s, with soloists ranging from the legendary Paul Badura-Skoda to the moderately well-known – Alain Planes, George Pludermacher and Michel Dalberto – to the (to me at least) unknown Jean-Louis Haguenauer and Jean-Claude Pennetier.

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The performances range from the so-so to the outstanding. One thing I did like was the predominance of slow to moderate tempi. Jed Distler (predictably, I felt) described Jean-Louis Haguenauer’s First and Second and Jean-Claude Pennetier’s Seventh as “rarely rising above the level of careful competency”. I’m inclined to agree but, having said that, had I heard these performances by an orchestra I would have enjoyed them a great deal more than the fatuous dynamism and “trim, taut and terrific” Beethoven-lite which is showered with such ecstatic praise...