Recommended
Shostakovich: Symphonies 4-6 (Decca)
Terrific performances of three very contrasting Shostakovich symphonies [JQ]
Sibelius & Prokofiev: Violin Concerti (Decca)
Terrific performances of two key works in the violin concerto repertoire [JQ]
Osgood: Chamber Works (Convivium Records)
A wondrous document, worth repeated playing [SA]
Zádor: Piano Quintet, Accordion Concerto & other works (Naxos)
Elegant and distinctive music by an overlooked original [NC]
20th Century Foxtrots Vol 6: Southern Europe (Grand Piano)
Delights all round on this Mediterranean exploration [RCh]
Enescu: Symphonies Nos 1-3, Romanian Rhapsodies Nos 1 & 2 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Finely wrought performances, played with complete authority [SG]
Bruckner: Symphony No 7 (Reference Recordings)
A magnificent performance, caught In astonishingly vivid sound, supplemented by an exotic and appealing new work [RMo]
Stravinsky: Orchestral works (SWR Classic)
Middle and late-period Stravinsky, performed with life-affirming zest [NC]
Paris, La Belle Époque (Bridge Records)
Playing of the highest quality in an intriguing and very rewarding programme [GPu]
Offenbach: Colorature (Alpha Classics)
A wholehearted recommendation for the unhackneyed programme and the magnificent singing [GF]
Marko Topchii (guitar) Laureate Series Recital (Naxos)
Hard to fault, easy to accolade [ZT]
Mahler: Symphony No 9 (Alpha Classics)
Full of surprises, this is a disc that will change the way you hear Mahler 9 [ST]
Gerhard: Don Quixote and Alegrías (Chandos)
The BBC Philharmonic excels in music by the pre-serial Gerhard at his hard-bitten finest [NC]
The Gesualdo Six – Queen of Hearts (Hyperion)
Magnificent Renaissance motets and songs performed with ease and control [GH]
Schubert: String Quartets Nos 15 & 8 (Hyperion)
Glorious Schubert from the Takács Quartet [LW]
Fou Ts’ong plays Schubert (Pristine Audio)
In Fou Ts’ong, Schubert finds a true friend [NC]
Messiaen: Song Cycles (Alpha Classics)
Excellent versions of the attractive song cycles [SB]
Bruckner: Symphonies Nos 7 & 8 (SWR Classic)
Flawless performances of Bruckner’s two finest symphonies by a master Brucknerian, in excellent sound [RMo]
Tchaikovsky’s Empire: A New Life of Russia’s Greatest Composer (Yale University Press)
An invigorating shattering of myths, both long-held and recent, about this perennially beloved composer [NC]
Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano): Aigul (Decca)
By far the best mezzo-soprano to emerge for a generation [RMo]
Piers Lane (piano): Russian Variations (Hyperion)
A feast of Russian piano music served up with spectacular aplomb by Lane [RCh]
Zemlinsky: Eine florentinische Tragödie (Pentatone)
A gripping performance of a macabre, strangely compelling work [RMo]
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