January 2025

dupont maison piano classics

Dupont: La Maison dans les Dunes (Piano Classics)

A lingering look at Gabriel Dupont’s marine imagination [JW]

Cziffra live SOCD41112

György Cziffra (piano) Live in Concert (Solstice)

These live recordings make a very welcome addition to the Cziffra discography [SG]

Mendelssohn: Symphony 3 “Scottish”

by Alan George

Shostakovich: String Quartet 3

by Alan George

Shostakovich: String Quartet 2

by Alan George

strauss suites coe

R Strauss: Suites (COE Records)

(Déjà Review) Leinsdorf makes a splendid case for these two rewarding suites [TB]

rachmaninov two pianos naxos

Rachmaninov: Music for Two Pianos (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) More delicate and finely nuanced readings of these pieces are very hard to find [TP]

Malawski: Orchestral Works (Naxos)

A valuable disc of music by a composer writing at the height of the Stalinist terrors [NB]

Dove: On the streets and in the sky (Signum Classics)

Attractive and accessible works [SB]

Amelita Galli-Curci (soprano): Operatic arias Vol. 1 (Nimbus Records)

A truly great lyric coloratura soprano of the early 20th century, showcased in first-rate transfers [RMo]

Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, Petites Esquisses d’Oiseaux (Piano Classics)

A welcome addition to the discography of Messiaen’s masterpiece, but the competition is fierce [PH]

Cécile Chaminade and her contemporaries play Chaminade (APR)

Cécile Chaminade’s 1901 recordings revisited, and a raft of shellac performances of her works by other pianists [JW]

gipps orchestral chandos

Gipps: Orchestral Works Volume 3 (Chandos)

All the music is expertly crafted, highly attractive and, in the best sense of the word, entertaining [JQ]

offenbach romantique archiv

Offenbach: Romantique (Archiv Produktion)

(Déjà Review) A delightful collection, with some lesser-known material [RW]

Mozart: Piano Concerti No.17, 21 (Deutsche Grammophon)

(Déjà Review) Tremendous, life-affirming Mozart playing, marking Pollini’s welcome return to this territory [CC]

Weigl: Symphony No 3, Symphonic Prelude (Capriccio)

This may appeal to those interested in the byways of Germanic composition in the early 20th century [EJW]

Schumann: Symphony No 4 & Sibelius: Symphony No 1 (SWR Classic)

Masterly direction in live performances of two disparate symphonies, in which orchestral tone is not always the most opulent, but the spirit is invariably right [RMo]

Busoni: Violin Sonatas (Chandos)

An excellent disc [WK]

Frankly Speaking with Leopold Stokowski (Somm Recordings)

A reissued BBC broadcast, two rehearsal segments in improved sound and a never-before-released BBC interview [JW]

Bach: Musikalisches Opfer (Ricercar)

A really approachable edition of A Musical Offering [JF]

Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 (Hallé)

The Hallé under Sir Mark Elder demonstrates its special affinity for performing Elgar [MC]

Granados: Goyescas Piano Suite, El Pelele (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) To put it simply, this is the finest recording of music for guitars that I have ever heard [KS]

Roussel: Symphonies Nos 2-4 (Warner Classics)

(Déjà Review) The Cluytens-Prêtre team is formidable and allied to the lesser known, but still ardent, Dervaux you have as incisive a trio of conductors as you could wish at this price range [JW]

Grigny messe CVS133

De Grigny: Premier Livre d’Orgue (Château de Versailles Spectacles)

De Grigny’s early death deprived future generations of a great deal his genius had to offer [SG]