VW Tavener MacMillan Hyperion CDA68420

Vaughan Williams, MacMillan, Tavener: Choral Works (Hyperion)

Splendid Vaughan Williams, and the other works are not to be missed on any account [WH]

Karajan Lucerne Early Years Audite 21464

Karajan – The Early Lucerne Years (Audite)

Karajan in Lucerne in largely unreleased performances [JW]

Bruckner Symp 4-Haitink BR Klassik 900213

Bruckner: Symphony No 4 (BR Klassik)

Another superlative rendering of a Bruckner symphony from Haitink [RMo]

Sheppard Missa Cantate Tallis Scholars Gimell CDGIM053

Sheppard: Choral Works (Gimell)

Magnificent examples of Tudor polyphony, superbly performed [JQ]

Bjorling Til Havs Swedish Society SCD1100

Jussi Björling (tenor) Til Havs (Swedish Society Discofil)

(Déjà Review) A treasure snatched from last minute oblivion and a memorable memento of a great voice and personality [RB]

La Belle Homicide Naive E8880

La Belle Homicide – Lute Music (Naïve)

(Déjà Review) I urge listeners who wouldn’t normally purchase a recital of lute works to hear this superlative recording [MC]

parry prometheus chandos

Parry: Prometheus Unbound (Chandos)

This release will be self-recommending – and rightly so – to admirers of Parry [JQ]

sardone reimagining aria digressione

Sardone: Reimagining Aria (Digressione)

Instrumental finesse in Baroque arias reimagined as composed jazz vehicles [JW]

verdi requiem rca

Verdi: Messa da Requiem (RCA)

A great soprano soloist and a fine choir and orchestra, very well directed, still cannot save this account from mediocrity [RMo]

Mozart and his Europe (Genuin)

A beautiful tone and natural, unmannered playing and flexibility of phrasing [RCh]

bach well-tempered clavier dynamic

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Books I & II (Dynamic)

For a satisfying harpsichord version of these glorious works, this new release will offer rewards aplenty [SG]

bloch string quartets pristine audio

Bloch: String Quartets (Pristine Audio)

A classic set of these twentieth century masterpiece returns [SB]

Enescu: The Three Piano Suites (Avie)

(Déjà Review) Absorbing music, outstandingly recorded [CW]

korngold robin hood naxos

Korngold: The Adventures of Robin Hood (Marco Polo)

(Déjà Review) A thorough restoration performed with ‘great-hearted’ elan and thumpingly well recorded [RB]

Respighi: Roman Trilogy (Ondine)

An outstanding performance and recording of these orchestral showpieces [EJW]

Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Opus Arte)

A superior reissue of Peter Hall’s other superlative Britten production from Glyndebourne [PCG]

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings (Brilliant Classics)

A pleasing compilation of some of Tchaikovsky’s most beguiling string music featuring two premieres [RMo]

Wilhelm Backhaus (piano) The Complete Acoustic and Selected Electric Recordings (APR)

Backhaus’s earliest recordings reappear, in largely pre-existing restorations, to renewed triumph [JW]

Campra: Messe de Requiem, Rameau: In convertendo, Mondonville: In exitu Israel (Erato)

All three works have been recorded before, but this disc is a good competition [JV]

Bach, MacMillan: Motets & Sacred Songs (Signum Classics)

A very rewarding disc [JQ]

Ravel: Sonatas & Trio (Erato)

(Déjà Review) A winning combination of youth and musical insight; a treat indeed [CC]

Mills R: Concertos for Strings (ABC Classics)

(Déjà Review) Superb performances of these fine, though still too little known, works [HC]

Cavalli: Il Xerse (Dynamic)

A welcome release, but with one important shortcoming [MP]

Smyth: Der Wald (Resonus)

The first recording of Ethel Smyth’s Der Wald is severely underwhelming [JW]