Recommended
Stephen Hough’s Piano Postcards (Hyperion)
Magical from start to finish [RCh]
Mentor and Muse – Vaughan Williams, Maconchy, Grace Williams (Albion Records)
Women who shaped RVW’s musical world [JF]
Giordano: Marina (Decca)
A taut, highly dramatic and skilfully crafted verismo melodrama, which certainly justifies its revival [RMo]
Hillborg: Orchestral & Concertante Works, Vol 1 (BIS)
A magnificent release on all counts and the Cello Concerto is a true masterpiece [HC]
Elgar: Elgar From the Archives, Vol 3 (SOMM Ariadne)
A release of great importance for all Elgar lovers [JQ]
Black Mozart: Jazz-inspired reinterpretations (Decca)
Listening to these brilliant Mozart reinterpretations is a sheer delight [ACG]
Bach: Cantatas Vol. 54 (JS Bach-Stiftung)
How can I have missed the first 53 volumes of this series? [DJB]
Arriaga: Complete String Quartets (Cobra Records)
A superb recording of Arriaga’s masterly quartets [SB]
McCabe: Symphony 2 & 3, Cello Concerto (Signum)
Each of these commanding works surely merits the epithet ‘masterpiece’ [WH]
Dupré: Symphonie-Passion (Base2 Music)
The music-making and the engineering make this a memorable disc [JQ]
Fusions: Kapustin, Gershwin & Wild (SOMM)
Jazz‑charged virtuosity meets classical brilliance [JF]
Dodgson: Songs Vol. 3 (SOMM Recordings)
More Dodgson songs, some weighty, some less so, all superb, from Somm [WH]
JS Bach: The Cello Suites · Guitar Transcriptions (IBS Classical)
A thoroughly convincing, beautifully played, and sensitively transcribed version of these masterworks [RMo]
Bruckner: Symphony 4 (Warner Classics)
A loving, dedicated performance which combines drama, mystery and, ultimately, triumph [RMo]
Paris 1200 – École de Notre-Dame (Musica Ficta)
These performances may cause the same excitement as those in Paris 800 years ago [JV]
Mozart: Complete Works For Clarinet Vol. 2 (Alpha Classics)
Volume 2 of Baldeyrou’s Mozart survey is every bit as successful as volume 1 [ST]
Dvořák: Symphony 9 (Reference Recording)
A vivid, thrilling account of a warhorse symphony as the main course, enough to reinvigorate any jaded palate – followed by a piquant dessert [RMo]
La Traversière – Airs et Songes. Works for transverse flute (Harmonia Mundi)
An impressive recording debut [JV]
Martinů: Symphonies (Deutsche Grammophon)
A Martinů symphony cycle for the ages [DJB]
Shostakovich: Symphonies No 6 & 9 (Challenge Classics)
Two of Shostakovich’s most subversive symphonies, brilliantly played and sharply characterised [NB]
Akiho: Beneath Lighted Coffers (Reference Recordings)
Two brilliant ear-opening works that show what steel pans are capable of [PRJ]
Biber & Aufschnaiter: Choral Music (Accent)
Superb performances of three musical treasures from Austria’s musical heritage [JV]
Conversations à Trois: Trio Boccherini (BIS)
Scintillating performances of compelling music, especially the Cras [NB]
Chopin sans Chopin (First Hand Records)
A glorious, widely varied recital of Chopin-influenced piano music [RCh]
