Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (RCA)
(Déjà Review) Distinction and commitment, sonorous and urgently compelling [TB]
Bliss: String Quartets (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Another fine collection to the Maggini’s growing catalogue of English chamber music [NHo]
van der Pals: String Quartets Vol 1 (cpo)
A late-romantic cat’s-cradle of tenderness caught in a viscous tonal velour [RB]
Scott: Orchestral Works Vol. 3 (Toccata Classics)
Derek Scott encountered in a third disc of his music; tone poems, fantasies and darker music [JW]
Liapunov: Piano works (Da Vinci Classics)
This romantic and virtuoso repertoire has been neglected for too long [RCh]
Wolf: String Quartets (Hänssler Classic)
(Déjà Review) The Fine Arts Quartet enters into Wolf’s tormented world with total empathy [CH]
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Erato)
(Déjà Review) An amazingly dramatic, rock and roll rendition of the Four Seasons [KM]
Guðmundsson: The Gospel of Mary
A slow-moving meditative work based on an unorthodox gospel
Medtner in England (SOMM Recordings)
An appealing programme for Medtner collectors and newcomers alike [DC]
Mon amant de Saint-Jean (Alpha Classics)
A fascinating out-of-the-ordinary trip of nostalgia [GF]
Bortkiewicz: Symphonies (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) Exultant, yearning, gloomy, sincere, passionate, nostalgic Slavonic music [RB]
Bach: Organ Works Vol. 12 (cpo)
(Déjà Review) Weinberger succeeds in conveying the personalities of these pieces [TB]
Bruckner: Symphony No. 6, Te Deum (Testament)
An alpha performance of the Te Deum, but an omega one of the symphony [LD]
Hummel: Concertos & Septet (Alto)
Hummel’s music doesn’t aim for profundity, but its elegance, grace and intelligence are well-served in this reissue [GPu]
Grosz: Achtung, Aufnahme!! (Channel Classics)
Werner Herbers’s swansong with his Ebony Band: more previously unrecorded Weimar delights [JW]
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerti (Deutsche Grammophon)
A fine contribution to the Rachmaninoff 150 celebrations [JQ]
Strauss: Works for Cello (RCA)
(Déjà Review) Isserlis’s truly heartfelt performance expresses the Don’s humour, gravity, irony and pathos with marvellous subtlety [SF]
Laura Strickling (soprano): 40@40 (Bright Shiny Things)
An attractive collection of newly written songs – and volume two is to follow [GF]
Spontini: La Vestale (Bru Zane)
Far from ideal, but on balance the best of the French versions and its appeal is enhanced by excellent sound and conducting [RMo]
Louis Kaufman (violin): Violin Sonatas (Biddulph)
A stylish release featuring a quartet of sonatas played by the sumptuous tonalist Louis Kaufman [JW]