January 2025
Ysaÿe: Poème nocturne (Musique en Wallonie)
More varied fare from Eugène Ysaÿe’s seemingly inexhaustible workbench [JW]
Pachelbel: Magnificat II (cpo)
An impressive display of Pachelbel’s art [JV]
Britten: Gloriana (Arthaus Musik)
The closest recorded representation of the full operatic experience [MG]
The Art of Harpsichord Duets (Da Vinci Classics)
Energetic performances of pieces for two keyboards [JV]
Václav Neumann (conductor): Lucerne Festival (Audite)
Convincing examples of Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic heard during Lucerne Festivals of the 1980s [JW]
Mozart: Serenades (Berlin Classics)
Rapturous: two Mozart Serenatas composed (and recorded) in Salzburg [DF]
Machaut: The Fount of Grace (Hyperion)
The penultimate release in The Orlando Consort’s Machaut Edition explores more highlights of this master of the Middle Ages [PH]
Danish String Quartet: Keel Road (ECM)
Immaculate production, impassioned musicianship, impeccable planning – do not let it pass you by [RHa]
Hétu: Symphony No 5 (Analekta)
A splendid performance of Jacques Hétu’s final masterpiece [HC]
Contemporary Landscapes (Beau Fleuve Records)
Contrasting, accessible and enjoyable [DJB]
Fauré and Debussy: Cello Sonatas (Elatus)
(Déjà Review) Indispensable [CH]
Schoenberg: L’arrangeur arrangé (Hortus)
Interesting versions for the committed Schoenbergian [SB]
Bowen: Portraits (Prospero)
An attractive, well-recorded and enjoyable disc, serving Bowen’s piano music very well indeed [SG]
Ešenvalds: Mass of the Eternal Flame (Acis)
Admirers of the music of Ēriks Ešenvalds should seek out this disc [JQ]
Puccini: Turandot (Pristine Audio)
A thrilling – though not flawless – performance enhanced by Pristine’s remastering [RMo]
Albert Sammons plays Elgar (Biddulph)
Sammons’ classic Elgar recordings offer virtuosity and tonal beauty as well as thrust [JW]
Corfield Godfrey: Blithe Spirit (Prima Facie)
A fascinating and entertaining black comedy bordering on surrealism; maybe not for listeners with weak hearts [GF]
Block: Chamber Works (Chandos)
The rediscovery of Frederick Block is another success in the Music in Exile series [WK]
Dmitri Shostakovich: a personal recollection
by Alan George
Alan George
A Profile
Shostakovich and the String Quartet
by Alan George
van Hoof: Orchestral Works (Phaedra)
(Déjà Review) Warmly recommended to all who relish beautifully crafted, colourful and tuneful late-Romantic music [HC]
Sutton: Violin Concerto & Orchestral works (Chandos)
Enjoyable, buoyant music, superbly performed and recorded [WH]
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos 6 & 9 (Signum Classics)
Two of Shostakovich’s most perplexing works in good live performances [PH]
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Featured Naxos review |
Featured Naxos review |
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