Recordings of the Month
Ravel: In Search of Lost Dance (CAvi-Music)
Exceptional Ravel from this brilliant multi-national trio [GPJ]
Strauss: Complete Music for Wind Instruments (Capriccio)
Precious jewels, delightfully played [ST]
Lim: Annunciation Triptych (Kairos)
Welcome to the strange, murky, gorgeous world of Lim’s music [DMD]
Left Hand Legacy Vol. 1 (Cobra Records)
Fervent and passionate music making, a joy from start to finish [RCh]
Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne (Naxos)
A winner in almost every respect featuring a new edition with an entire Act of previously unperformed music [MP]
Jistebnický Kancionál (Supraphon)
It is hard to see a better ensemble to take care of these chants than the Tiburtina Ensemble [JV]
Szymanowski: Music for Violin and Piano (BIS)
Sensational Szymanowski played with utter technical control and expressive abandon [NB]
Romeo and Juliet – Tchaikovsky on the Piano (BIS)
Extraordinary playing of the highest quality and familiar music shown in a new light [RCh]
Ciaconna! (Glossa)
Everything here – music, performances, sound and notes – is exceptional [DJB]
Bruckner: Symphonies 1-9 (Accentus Music)
An important and impressive contribution to the Bruckner discography [JQ]
Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 (The Cleveland Orchestra Recordings)
The Cleveland Orchestra stakes a claim to be currently the best in the world [DMD]
Rachel Podger (violin): Tutta sola (Channel Classics)
Quite exceptional performances of rarely heard pre-Bach Baroque solo violin works [PB]
Schumann: Symphonies (BIS)
A comprehensive survey stunningly played and beautifully recorded [NB]
Hildegard of Bingen: Sacred Chants (Signum Classics)
This disc goes straight to my list of recordings of the year [JV]
Shostakovich: Symphonies 8-10 (Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings)
Bravo, bravo, and thrice bravo; Kirill Petrenko’s Shostakovich sweeps the board [DM]
Schubert: Piano Trios (Ondine)
Ideal performances of great works – and a fitting memorial to Lars Vogt [RMo]
Enescu: Piano Sonatas (Prospero)
Enescu’s finest piano works in superb performances by a newcomer [SB]
Handel: Keyboard Suites (Deutsche Grammophon)
Moves the Korean into the elite group of pianists [DMD]
MacMillan: Christmas Oratorio (LPO)
A tremendous performance of an important new work by James MacMillan [JQ]
Beethoven: Christus am Ölberge (PHI)
A rewarding version of Beethoven’s only oratorio [SB]
Rachmaninov: All Night Vigil (Pentatone)
The famous Vespers, beautifully sung and more intimate than usual but with no lack of gravitas [RMo]
Bruckner: Symphony 4 (Exton)
Yet another superb Bruckner recording from a flawless Tokyo orchestra [RMo]
Featured Naxos review |