February 2024
Ad Tenebras (Artway Records)
New repertoire from 16th and 17th Century Portuguese liturgical music, beautifully performed [RMo]
Recharged by Nature – Contemporary Nordic Works (Alba)
Two magnificent, distinctively folk-tinged concertos are vividly brought to life [RHa]
Goldberg & WF Bach: Trio sonatas (Audax)
Brilliant performances of Goldberg’s trio sonatas and a little-known piece by WF Bach [JV]
Strauss: Die Ägyptische Helena (Decca)
Not ideal in every respect, this recording is a fine achievement nonetheless [MP]
Lekeu: Complete Piano Works (Piano Classics)
Jacopo Salvatori has truly dedicated himself to this music [WK]
Purcell: The Fairy Queen (Harmonia Mundi)
This 35-year-old recording is still a worthy competitor in a crowded field and the sound comes up as fresh as new paint [GF]
Rossini: La donna del lago (C Major)
Rossini standards held high in a new production of The Lady of the Lake [PCG]
Reich: Different trains, Triple Quartet, The Four Sections (Naïve)
A must-have for any serious music lover [KS]
Verdi: Macbeth (Decca)
A recording of power and presence, but with some really disfiguring cuts to the music [MP]
A Year at Newcastle (Regent)
An absorbing exploration of 20th-century church music, and a few recent compositions [JF]
Enlighten: Israeli Piano Trios (Meridian)
Beautifully performed piano trios by composers from Central Europe who settled in Israel [GH]
Nocturnes from 19th century Russia, Volume 1 (Brilliant Classics)
A lovely collection that explores a rich seam of often neglected music and finds some real rarities [RCh]
Puccini: Symphonic Suites (Signum Classics)
Newly edited Puccini operatic suites receive glowing performances [PCG]
Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 (ICA Classics)
The Shostakovich symphony receives a performance worthy of its stature [JQ]
Prokofiev: Cinderella (Opus Arte)
Frederick Ashton’s pioneering ballet returns to Covent Garden in a brand new production [RMay]
English Guitar Concertos (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) The strong personality of dedicatee Julian Bream is ever present, but Ogden more than rises to the task. A fine disc [AD]
Bruckner: Symphony No 3 (Myrios Classics)
Another urgent, cohesive, thoroughly convincing account from a conductor who is a true Brucknerian [RMo]
Daniel Behle (tenor) R Strauss & Wagner (Prospero)
An important album. One which may surprise those who admire this tenor’s Mozart recordings [MP]
Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Keyboard (Ondine)
Melodically rich and well-crafted works, splendidly performed [SG]
Ewa Jacobsson: Hearbaricum Fields (Lawo)
The audio for a pair of audio-visual projects, one distinctive, the other less so [RHa]
Cherubini: Medea (Pristine Audio)
Callas’ stereo studio Medea gets the Pristine XR treatment [PT]
Benevoli: Missa Tu es Petrus; Palestrina: Tu es Petrus; Graziani: Motets (Coro)
Benevoli’s mass is a fine specimen of Roman polychorality in the 17th century [JV]
Hues and Shades (recital) (Orchid Classics)
A sophisticated delight, full of subtle musicianship and expertly recorded [GPu]
Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur L’Enfant-Jésus (RCA)
(Déjà Review) A recording notable for Serkin’s deep understanding of the composer’s sound-world and its emotional extremes [BH]
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