Where this set really comes into its own is with the 20th-century concertos, most especially the Berg, a work whose combination of Romantic cantabile, emotional thrust and tonally stretched world-weariness can feel semantically strained, yet sound utterly radiant here...Bartók’s earthier moments..emerge with such luminescent intensity, with orchestra and soloist creating a palpable sense of devoted rapport, the results are hard to resist.

This surely has to be the version of the Berg you go to first, with the Beethoven warranting a recommendation that’s virtually as strong.

Nearly four decades of fruitful artistic cooperation connects Frank Peter Zimmermann and the Berliner Philharmoniker...Zimmermann’s warm and richly shaded tone oscillates between highest subtlety, introversion and powerful expression. His multifaceted craftsmanship forms a perfect complement to the organic and colour-saturated sound of the renowned orchestra.