April 2025

Beethoven MPEditions cd002

Für Beethoven: Arrangements for Guitar & Piano (MP Editions)

The unlikely pairing of guitar and fortepiano yields surprising musical discoveries in this engaging collection of Beethoven arrangements and related works [SSc]

Virtuoso Naxos8574683

Virtuoso – Music for Euphonium and Brass Band (Naxos)

Intriguing arrangements for brass band of some well-known works [KT]

Mussorgsky songs 567993

Mussorgsky: Songs (Warner Classics)

Christoff is delightfully over the top, hugely enjoyable and making more straight-laced versions sound boring [TH]

Mahler sym9 4732742

Mahler: Symphony 9 (Decca)

An interesting, provocative reading of the Symphony and the performances of the songs are very good [JQ]

Messiaen Quatuor Brilliant

Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du Temps (Brilliant Classics)

An admirable new version of Messiaen’s much-recorded work [SB]

Walton Violin Concerto Chandos

Walton: Violin Concerto and other orchestral works (Chandos)

John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London embark on a Walton odyssey [PH]

Bach Keyboard Concertos Warner

Bach: Keyboard Concertos (Warner Classics)

Spectacularly virtuosic playing of some of Bach’s most joyously inventive music [RMo]

Kelly St Francis Regent

Kelly: St Francis of Assisi (Regent)

A much-needed boost to the limited Bryan Kelly discography [PRJ]

Stravinsky Le Rossignol Erato

Stravinsky: Le Rossignol (Erato)

Roth andLes Siècles provide enough musical revelations to make this the top choice among stereo versions [MP]

Busoni Piano Music Vol 13 naxos

Busoni: Piano Music Vol. 13 (Naxos)

Wolf Harden brings his survey to end with something of a miscellany to tie up loose ends [RCh]

Corigliano Symphony Chandos

Corigliano: Symphony 2 (Chandos)

This new version of the Second Symphony now takes pride of place on the Corigliano part of the shelf [CC]

Heifetz Sonatas Naxos

Jascha Heifetz (violin) Sonatas (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) No Heifetz admirer should be without this [JW]

Janáček: String Quartet 1

by Alan George

Gounod: Petite Symphonie

by Alan George

Shostakovich: String Quartet 14

by Alan George

chaminade apr

Cécile Chaminade and her contemporaries play Chaminade (APR)

Treasures a plenty in this fabulously explorative and enjoyable release [RCh]

holst orchestral works somm recordings

Holst: Beni Mora and Choral Symphony (Somm Recordings)

Sargent’s charisma shows these scores in their best light [NB]

gubaidulina galgenlieder a3 kairos

Gubaidulina: Galgenlieder à 3 (Kairos)

A superb tribute to the late composer [MBu]

prokofiev symphony 6 lso live

Prokofiev: Symphony 6 (LSO Live)

A great version of one of Prokofiev’s finest works from the LSO and Noseda [PH]

donizetti alfredo il grande naxos

Donizetti: Alfredo il Grande (Naxos)

No masterwork but an interesting find reawakened after two centuries [GF]

sibelius barber violin concertos erato

Sibelius and Barber: Violin Concertos (Erato)

Capuçon is ponderous in Sibelius but well attuned to Barber [LW]

Berlioz was a Woman

by Len Mullenger

the convict harpsichordist move

The Convict Harpsichordist (Move)

(Déjà Review) An fascinating recital themed around the first harpsichord to arrive in Australia [RH]

dances of our time bis

Dances of our Time (BIS)

(Déjà Review) A modern counterpart to the ‘orchestral lollipops’ discs we all used to love, and is equally enjoyable on those terms [TH]