Recommended

schubert tsong pristine

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]

Ravel, Schnittke, Prokofiev: Works for cello (Claves)

A disc to savour [SA]

Bruckner Symphs 7 8 Inbal SWR 19152CD

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]

russian variations hyperion

Piers Lane (piano): Russian Variations (Hyperion)

A feast of Russian piano music served up with spectacular aplomb by Lane [RCh]

Zemlinsky tragodie PTC5186739

Zemlinsky: Eine florentinische Tragödie (Pentatone)

A gripping performance of a macabre, strangely compelling work [RMo]

tartini lieto davinci

Tartini: Lieto ti prendo e poi (Da Vinci Classics)

These performances bring us very close to the heart of Tartini’s musical thinking and feeling [JV]

beach piano hortus

Beach: Piano Music (Hortus)

Fichet fully conveys the heart and intensity of these seductive scores [SG]

verdi trovatore hdtt

Verdi: Il trovatore (High Definition Tape Transfers)

A legendary classic from the early 1950s is resurrected in revelatory high definition sound [GF]

Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano) Czech Songs (Pentatone)

Recommended with all possible enthusiasm [GF]

Mozart: Orchestral Works (Dynamic)

A wonderfully played and very varied Mozart programme in extraordinarily vivid sound [RMo]

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Prokofiev & Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos (Mercury)

A wonderful, spellbinding disc; legendary recordings of legendary performances of the two concertos [PSe]

Enescu Ysaye Bacewicz Wilson Chandos SACD CHSA5325

Enescu, Ysaÿe and Bacewicz: Music for Strings (Chandos)

John Wilson’s latest recording of string music is a winner [SB]

Schulhoff, Debussy, Janáček, Antheil: Violin Sonatas (Genuin)

A wonderfully intelligent, interesting programme, superbly performed [NB]

stanford te deum lyrita

Stanford: Te Deum & Elegiac Ode (Lyrita)

An outstanding CD which is likely to be the most important contribution on disc to the Stanford centenary [JQ]

hungarian trios bis

Hungarian String Trios (BIS)

Fascinating repertoire stunningly performed [NB]

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Schmidt: Symphony 4, The Book with Seven Seals (SOMM Recordings)

Not to be missed [WK]

Harpsichord berlin ADX11211

Berlin Harpsichord Concertos (Audax)

Imaginative performances of four concertos, which have not been recorded before [JV]

tippett child chandos

Tippett: A Child of Our Time (Chandos)

An impressive achievement which serves as a fine memorial to a distinguished British conductor [JQ]

Coates: Orchestral Works Volume 4 (Chandos)

The leading contemporary champion of Eric Coates continues to impress [JW]

Magnificat 4 (Signum Classics)

A distinguished final recording by Andrew Nethsingha with the St John’s College Choir [JQ]

Liszt etudes STS30233

Liszt: Transcendental Etudes (Steinway & Sons)

A recording of the Transcendental Études which compares with the very best [RBe]