Davis recorded this again for Philips about a decade later, with the LSO, who adored him and played like it, and an equally adept soloist, Nobuko Imai, who unlike Menuhin, was not a moonlighting violin star. This early effort, with an orchestra he worked with rarely, shows a complete command of the score, but could well have been underrehearsed. Things which shouldn't be are just a bit ragged, even with the original Philharmonia at its peak. All that said, this interpretation would be a standout, except for Davis' later effort, which is much more impactfully recorded. To be sure, the folks in the booth got the tricky soloist/orchestra balance right, and the dynamic range is wide. However, the stereo image reminds be of seeing something through the wrong end of a telescope . . . plenty of depth, but not much spread side to side.

Old recording can be also pleasing.