October 2026

Pioneering Haydn On Record: Symphony 26

by Christopher Howell

Haydn: Divertimento in C

by Alan George

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Rautavaara: Orchestral Music (Ondine)

(Déjà Review) Deserving of a lasting place in contemporary repertoire [DC]

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Mozart & Mayr: Choral Works (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) Whether the Mass is by Mozart or not – and which Mozart? – this recording deserves a strong recommendation [BW]

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Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos 2 and 5 (Linn)

Marvellous performances of two marvellous concertos [ST]

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Bach: French Suites (Gramola)

A very solid choice for Bach’s French Suites on harpsichord [DC]

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Mayer: String Quartets Vol 2 (cpo)

Rewarding quartets in the early Romantic idiom [SB]

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Kleiberg: Orchestral Works (LAWO Classics)

An excellent orchestral colourist in three serious, contemplative works. [ACG]

Couperin: Pièces de violes avec la basse chiffrée (Challenge Classics)

Excellent in every way [DC]

Britten: Albert Herring (Pristine Audio)

An enjoyable trip back in time to the American premiere [MP]

Mozart: Gran Partita; Cannabich: Sinfonia concertante (BR Klassik)

Admirers of the Gran Partita should not hesitate to hear Gleißner’s outstanding orchestral arrangement [MC]

Foote: The Complete Cello Works (Delos)

A forgotten concerto headlines this very enjoyable and valuable recording [DJB]

Glière: The Orchestral Collection (Chandos)

(Déjà Review) Done with Chandos style … elite results … voluptuously lyrical and vividly imagined [RB]

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Donizetti: Marino Faliero (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) A rare outing for this fine score receives a good performance [JZ]

Haydn: String Quartets (Hyperion)

(Déjà Review) Authentic, and very easy to recommend [DC]

Delius: Collection of Rare Historic Recordings (Danacord)

(Déjà Review) Dedicated Delians will need to get this disc of rarities [RB]

Brahms & Mandyczewski: Songs (Alpha Classics)

Mandyczewski’s songs are worth discovering, but Brahms’s have been performed better  [ST]

Presumed Beethoven (Arcana)

Six delightful quartets, but who was their composer? [DC]

Toward the Sea: Piazolla, Ogonek & Takemitsu (Orchid Classics)

Some melodious, highly approachable music, and some more wispily amorphous, all beautifully played and recorded [RMo]

Rachmaninoff: The Bells & Symphonic Dances (Pentatone)

Undeniable masterworks, though there are superior recordings [MC]

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Handel: Messiah (Harmonia Mundi)

A splendid new recording in an already crowded field [SW]

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Clare College Choir: Reaching Farther (Signum Classics)

A fine musical celebration of Clare College’s 700th anniversary [JQ]

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Gounod: Faust (Pristine Audio)

A notable document preserving the epitome of French style in sound remarkable for a recording nearly a century old [RMo]

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Enescu: Octet & Piano Quintet (Chandos)

I was bowled over by this one [SB]