February 2026
Handel: Arias of Love and Madness (Channel Classics)
(Déjà Review) Successfully mixes familiar and unfamiliar and performed with style, charm and a nice poignancy. What more could you want? [RH]
Strauss: Intermezzo (Naxos)
A strikingly effective, imaginative production of Strauss’s rarely seen bourgeois comedy opera [EJW]
Chromatic Renaissance (Winter & Winter)
A fascinating disc which deserves a place in any collection of Renaissance music [JV]
Donizetti: Songs (Naxos)
A lively and rewarding collection of 19th century song [MP]
Mendelssohn & Enescu: Octets (Erato)
Two highly contrasting Octets in superb performances [JQ]
Music for Woodwind Orchestra (Divine Art)
Music and performances that bubble like good Bohemian Sekt [NB]
O Maria, virgo pia (Convivium Records)
A memorable 700th anniversary celebration for an Oxford college [DHa]
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (Pristine Audio)
A classic that sounds better than ever, but look elsewhere for Figaro heaven [ST]
English Cello Works: Elgar, Ireland, Bridge (Naxos)
A discerning programme, excellently performed [JQ]
Ritchie: String Quartets No.1-3 (Rattle)
Fine performances of impressive music by one of New Zealand’s leading composers [NB]
Sacred Music in Thuringia (Da Vinci Classics)
Convincing demonstration of the depth of talent of Baroque Thuringian composers [DJB]
Glass: Music for organ (Nimbus)
(Déjà Review) Superhuman performances in a fine recording [DC]
Handel: Water Music (Naïve)
(Déjà Review) Vividly realized and thoroughly entertaining performances [MG]
Rutter: Orchestral Works (Decca)
A different side of John Rutter in authoritative performances [LW]
Weinberg: String Quartets (Chandos)
Taut and angular, substantial quartets, plus a nice surprise [SFV]
Mascagni: Zanetto (Oehms Classics)
A beautifully sung rarity which merits more revivals [RMo]
Fritze: Overtures and Symphonies (Naxos)
Classy brilliance … tuneful but not a soft touch [RB]
Phibbs, Dafgard & Gordon: Concertos for Bass Clarinet (Toccata Next)
Superbly played and beautifully recorded – an excellent showcase for an improbable solo instrument [NB]
Grainger: Salute to Percy Grainger (Eloquence)
(Déjà Review) A very substantial helping of the essential Grainger in performances and recordings that are exemplars to the rest [RB]
Chopin: Scherzos and Ballades (Oehms Classics)
(Déjà Review) This disc is a treasure, a rarity to behold [RC]
Rameau: Pygmalion & Iso: Zémide (Château de Versailles Spectacles)
A winning first appearance of Pierre Iso’s Zémide on disc, alongside a mellow account of Rameau’s Pygmalion [CRo]
Mozart & Schubert: String Quartets (Le Palais des Dégustateurs)
Two accounts that are as fine as any in the catalogue, making a valuable pairing [RMo]
La Huella de las Cuerdas (The Journey of Strings) (Private release)
A very unique musical experience in stringed instruments [ZT]
Cabinet of Curiosities (Warner Classics)
Such an odd mix of music, but somehow it works [DJB]
