August 2024

Dittersdorf Syms 5554292

Dittersdorf: Symphonies after Ovid’s Metamorphoses (cpo)

Charming works from the time of Haydn and Mozart [SB]

bruckner symphony reference

Bruckner: Symphony No 7 (Reference Recordings)

A magnificent performance, caught In astonishingly vivid sound, supplemented by an exotic and appealing new work [RMo]

Zandonai violin 7771072

Zandonai: Violin Concerto, Quadri di Segantini (cpo)

Colourful nationalist music atmospherically presented and standing in the lineage of Dvorak and Respighi [RB]

Saintsaens organ 71046

Saint-Saëns: Organ Works (Capriccio)

Saint-Saëns enthusiasts should not hesitate to add this attractive disc to their collections [DBi]

Liszt Unrivalled v1 Kaykov Odradek ODRCD428

Liszt: Unrivalled (Odradek)

The recital, sampling Liszt’s vast piano solo output, does justice to the varied styles [RWe]

Bach Fragments Organ Works Passacaille PAS-1140

Bach: Organ works completed by Lorenzo Ghielmi (Passacaille)

Indispensable for lovers of Bach’s organ music [JV]

Sheehan Akathist Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0210

Sheehan: Akathist (Bright Shiny Things)

A deeply felt, very beautiful work which should bring hope to the world of today [GF]

Prokofiev PCs 2 3 Goodyear-Orchid ORC100335

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 3, Piano Sonata No 7 (Orchid Classics)

Goodyear surges through the concerti with headlong energy, but look elsewhere for abandon in the sonata [NC]

Brouwer Rhapsodies Naxos 8.559933

Brouwer: Rhapsodies (Naxos)

Marin Alsop is unbeatable in this type of repertoire [PRJ]

Beethoven Symphonies SK Dresden Blomstedt Brilliant 99927

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos 1-9 (Brilliant Classics)

(Déjà Review) A masterly and visionary cycle offered at a ridiculously low price [NH]

Deja Review Leifs Baldr BIS CD1230-31

Leifs: Baldr (BIS)

(Déjà Review) Tough, tonal, uncompromising music, rhythmically emphatic, not without melodic softness, hewn out of granite and adversity [RB]

brailowsky concert meloclassic

Alexander Brailowsky (piano) Live Concert Performances in Europe (Meloclassic)

Playing that leaves you gasping, mostly in astonishment but occasionally in frustration [RCh]

weinberg quartets chandos

Weinberg: String Quartets Nos 6, 13 & 15, Vol. 4 (Chandos)

Stand-out performances [SA]

beethoven krebbers forgotten

Beethoven: Violin Concerto (Forgotten Records)

A performance of exquisite refinement [SG]

paganini vasile rhine classics

Paganini: Violin Concerto No 2 & 24 Caprices (Rhine Classics)

A Romanian Paganini specialist whose career trailed away [JW]

bruckner symphony ncpa

Bruckner: Symphonies Nos 1-3 & 7-9 (NCPA Classics)

Bruckner from Beijing – I am transported by the beauty, conviction and coherence of the playing here [RMo]

mantovani request guild

Mantovani By Special Request Vol. 2 (Guild)

A fascinating disc as it gives us an opportunity to appreciate the wider aspects of Mantovani’s art [RH]

brewer arias chandos

Christine Brewer (soprano) Great Operatic Arias (Chandos)

(Déjà Review) Chandos’s faith in Brewer has been justified, completely and utterly [CC]

Finger Prints (EM Records)

Entertaining music played with affection and skill [NB]

Scriabin: Piano Sonatas No 2-4 & other piano works (Bridge Records)

The cream of Scriabin’s early sonatas and a handful of miniatures in strong performances [RCh]

Prokofiev: Symphony No.6 (The Cleveland Orchestra)

A memorably sharp and sympathetic Prokofiev Sixth [NC]

Donizetti: Alfredo il Grande (Dynamic)

No masterpiece, but a well-performed and welcome addition to filmed Donizetti [RMay]

Center:  Instrumental and Chamber Music, Volume Three  (Toccata Classics)

Intriguing course through a whirlpool of inventiveness [JPu]

Schwantner: Orchestral works (Hyperion)

(Déjà Review) Superb, immaculate and committed playing by all concerned, making the best of this strongly communicative music [HC]