As is the even rarer Fourth Concerto, premiered unhappily in 1927. Richard Bratby's entertaining sleeve note reminds us that this is the work of a composer long established in the United States, who'd attended the premiere of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue a few years previously. The mood of bittersweet nostalgia is beautifully articulated, but Petrenko and Trp?eski can inject plenty of exhilarating swagger when required. My favourite moment comes a minute before the close of the final movement - a sublime, slightly hammy climax which suggests a passionate farewell to the music which had made Rachmaninov famous. It really does sound sensational here, the Mantovani-style strings soaring over sonorous lower brass. It's wonderful.
The better-known Paganini Rhapsody closes the disc. Rachmaninov's craft and intelligence shine through, in a witty, percussive reading. Avie's sound, recorded in Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, is refulgent, warm and detailed.