What, Elgar wrote a Viola Concerto? Well, not quite, but he did approve, and even conduct a viola arrangement of his Cello Concerto, and very well received it was too. Curiously, when Elgar emerged somewhat gloomily from the First World War, his Cello Concerto, which was to be his last substantial work, fell flat. Despite its enormous popularity today, it was considered lacking in the kind of upbeat Edwardian pomp and ceremony that had made the composer’s name over the previous three decades (the story also goes that conductor Albert Coates hogged the rehearsal time leaving Elgar, who was conducting his own work, underprepared).

Fortunately, others recognised the concerto’s greatness. Ten years later, legendary violist Lionel Tertis arranged the work for viola. Not only did Elgar approve, he agreed to conduct the successful premiere on 21 March 1930 at London’s Queen’s Hall.

Given Tertis’s triumph, it’s surprising that this new recording, played with grit and flair by British violist Timothy Ridout, has only one rival in the current catalogue (a fine account by David Aaron Carpenter from 2009). 

Tertis leaves Elgar’s orchestration unchanged, simply...