July 2026
Pioneering Haydn On Record: Symphony 104 Part 3
by Christopher Howell
Berlioz: Harold en Italie
by Alan George
Telemann: Matthäus Passion (Christophorus)
(Déjà Review) A creditable, persuasive yet less than perfect recording of Telemann’s 1730 Matthew Passion [MS]
Schmid: Chamber Music (cpo)
(Déjà Review) Perhaps Schmid is due a revival for its melodic fluency and formal coherency, if slightly lacking in invention and adventure. Worth a listen though [GD]
Biber & Aufschnaiter: Choral Music (Accent)
Superb performances of three musical treasures from Austria’s musical heritage [JV]
Rosa Franziska Maier (guitar) Scenes of Reverie (Genuin)
A seductive programme skilfully executed [ZT]
Mendelssohn: Symphonies 3 and 4 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Exuberant, big-boned, Romantic readings, far from the light classicality of other interpreters [RMo]
Chee & Ballard: Indigenous American Piano Music (Navona Records)
One of the most original piano albums I’ve heard this year: engaging, cantabile works, beautifully played. [ACG]
Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust (Challenge Classics)
(Déjà Review) A stunningly vivid live recording of what must have been an electrifying evening at the Concertgebouw [DC]
Beach: Piano Works Vol. 3 (Guild)
(Déjà Review) One of the very best piano recordings I’ve heard [DM]
Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: Complete String Quartets (cpo)
An unusually comprehensive and rewarding set of Mendelssohn string quartets [SB]
Steiger: String quartets (Kairos)
Political music that turns its gaze inward [DHa]
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (Pristine Audio)
A classic Barber returns to the catalogue in better sound than ever [ST]
Bruckner: Symphony No.9 (Hänssler Profil)
A swift, driven, thrilling and cohesive live performance of Schaller’s completion of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony [RMo]
Organ Music from the Low Countries (Ricercar)
Foccroulle pairs a thorough knowledge of the 17C organ landscape with an engaging style of playing [JV]
Saxophobia: Celebrating the Sax Craze of the 1920s (Chandos)
Hugely entertaining, backed up by phenomenal technique and rigorous research [NB]
Garrop: Piano Concerto (Cedille)
An impressive recording of a dramatic, modern yet approachable piano concerto [EJW]
Beamish: House of Wonders (Delphian)
A rare glimpse of the personal inspiration behind works by and for one of our leading composers [GH]
Beck: Symphonies (cpo)
Riveting accounts of dramatic early Classical symphonies [CRo]
Grieg: Violin Sonatas (Dynamic)
(Déjà Review) It is hard to imagine a performance that Grieg himself would have liked more than this one [Byz]
Ries: Piano Sonatas & Sonatinas, Vol 5 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) The finest possible tribute to Ries’s piano sonatas [Byz]
Benevoli: Missae Angelus Domini & Dum complerentur (Coro)
The glorious conclusion to an important and highly interesting project [JV]
Owen: Songs & Piano Works (Private release)
This disc gives eloquent service in its expansion of Morfydd Owen’s recorded music [JW]
Senfter: Symphonies 1 & 9 (Capriccio)
Defiantly personal scores rooted in the traditions of Germanic music [NB]
