Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon: (Opus Arte)
An outstanding performance marks the 50th birthday of MacMillan’s great ballet [RMay]
Alfred Brendel (piano) Busoni, Bach & Liszt (APR)
Admirers of Brendel will be glad to have these legendary recordings [SB]
Bendix: Symphonies Nos 1 & 3 (Dacapo)
Insights that reveal qualities in the music unimagined in earlier recordings [NB]
Nesbit: Nativity (Delphian)
Inventive, interesting and accessible music, displaying an original approach to Christmas music [JQ]
Kapustin: Orchestral works (Capriccio)
Notated Jazz from the master of the art, Nikolai Kapustin, performed by his leading exponent [JW]
Mozart: Fantasy (Naïve)
A disc of happy surprises with playing throughout that evinces warmth and sensitivity [SG]
Smyth, Beach & Spain-Dunk: String Quartets (Lorelt)
I cannot remember a record I’ve enjoyed more this year or one I felt compelled to listen to time after time [SA]
Telemann: Recorder sonatas & fantasias (Apex)
A worthy testimony to the art of Frans Brüggen [JV]
Dvořák: Cello Concerto (Sony Classical)
A moving and timely disc, Dvořák’s matchless concerto stands alongside short works by Ukrainian composers [WH]
Puccini: Messa di Gloria (BR Klassik)
A good account of some of Puccini’s youthful works which is not necessarily an improvement on Pappano’s rival version [RMo]
Paris est une fête (Fuga Libera)
Paris, Pelléas, Party – a winning trio in this sparkling collection [RCh]
Songs from the North of Ireland (Delphian)
Wholesome songs from two Ulsterwomen of lyric, and folkloric, gifts [JW]
News of Great Joy: Christmas from St John’s College, Oxford (Resonus)
An enjoyable, thoughtfully prepared Christmas album [JQ]
Monteverdi: L’Orfeo (Château de Versailles)
L’Orfeo with a difference, especially in instrumental colour and dramatic projection [RWe]
Berg, Janáček & Hartmann: Violin Concertos (Apex)
(Déjà Review) One of the stronger Warner Apex CDs. By all means buy it to play straight through and enjoy the stimulation of the juxtaposition of the music of these three composers [CC]
Vaughan Williams: Film Music, Vol 1 (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Thrilling, evocative performances captured in the best Chandos sound. Especially important for presenting the full score of Scott of the Antarctic [IL]
Bowen & Walton: Viola Concertos (SWR Music)
A near-hit and a miss; a good Bowen Concerto and an ordinary Walton [JW]
Delvincourt: Chamber Music Vol 2 (Ciar Classics)
Two intriguing scores which bookend the composer’s compositional life [SG]
The Madrigal Reimagined (Resonus Classics)
A model of creative programming and performance [JV]
Next Generation Mozart Soloists Vol 10 (Alpha Classics)
A showcase for the superb ‘Next Generation Mozart soloists’, a little flawed by the use of a hackneyed 19th century version of the Sinfonia concertante [MG]
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 3 (Orchid Classics)
This is one of the finest Prokofiev piano discs issued in recent times [RCu]
Shura Cherkassky (piano) The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals 1981-9 (First Hand Records)
A desirable collection that captures the Cherkassky magic [SG]
Schulhoff: Chamber works Vol 2 (Supraphon)
Repeated listening to these Schulhoff scores offers revelatory rewards [MC]
Nelson Freire (piano) Schumann: Carnaval, Papillons, Kinderszenen (Decca)
Freire enthusiasts should love the performances, sound deficiencies or not [DS]
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