Recordings of the Month

russian variations hyperion

Piers Lane (piano): Russian Variations (Hyperion)

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

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]

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]

senfter chamber cpo

Senfter: Chamber Music (cpo)

A debut album that’s a triumph [SG]

noack piano la dolce volta

Florian Noack (piano) I Wanna Be Like You – The Piano Transcriptions (La Dolce Volta)

A hugely enjoyable celebration of the piano from this supremely gifted pianist [RCh]

korngold piano trptk

Korngold: A Portrait for Piano (TRPTK)

This homage is a gem for admirers of Korngold’s music [GF]

bach guitar naxos

J S Bach: Guitar Transcriptions (Naxos)

One of the best guitar recordings of music by JS Bach [ZT]

donizetti dalinda oehms

Donizetti: Dalinda (Oehms Classics)

Good, honest, open-throated singing in an intriguing and highly enjoyable reconstruction of a formerly lost work – and a star performance by the lead soprano [RMo]

cristal bello vanitas

Cristal Bello (Vanitas)

A rewarding collection with a clear historical purpose, though it delights at least as much as it educates [GPu]

delius hassan chandos

Delius: Hassan (Chandos)

The warmest welcome for a superb new realisation of Delius’s greatest work of incidental music [PCG]

shostakovich quartets signum

Shostakovich: String Quartets (Signum Classics)

The Carduccis’ Shostakovich: control and catharsis [NC]

kabelac chamber capriccio

Kabeláč: Complete Chamber Music (Capriccio)

An important set from a composer who had much to say, and said it without any compromise [HC]

bruckner symphony hanssler

Bruckner: Symphony No 4 (Profil)

A magnificent account of the last version of Bruckner’s most approachable symphony, beautifully played in ideal recorded sound [RMo]

chopin etudes decca

Chopin: Études (Decca)

These Études aspire to a narrative unlike any other recording ever made – and is often remarkable in doing that [MB]

elder symphonies halle

Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 (Hallé)

Distinguished recordings which surpass the earlier recordings by these performers [JQ]

wagner rheingold pristine

Wagner: Das Rheingold (Pristine Audio)

A great performance revitalised in extraordinarily vivid sound – another Pristine remastering triumph [RMo]

spyres shadows erato

Michael Spyres (tenor) In The Shadows (Erato)

I enjoyed some unhackneyed repertoire and the marvellous singing [GF]

smith flower redshift

Smith: Dark Flower (Redshift)

The magnificent quintet which gives this exceptional release its title is a must; the couplings are hardly less compelling [RHa]

Rachmaninoff: All-night Vigil (Chandos)

Musically and sonically outstanding [JQ]

Nielsen: Symphony No. 3 & Flute Concerto (Chandos)

An essential Nielsen recording that crackles with the chaotic energy of the life-force [NC]

Ruby Hughes (soprano): End of My Days (BIS)

An outstanding recital; elegantly conceived, ideally recorded and beautifully performed [RHa]

Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie (Harmonia Mundi)

A top-notch Turangalîla from Toronto; stellar sonics, too [DM]