Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues (Naxos)
A delicacy and deftness of touch in the playing, allied with a natural sense of line and phrasing which can be both compelling and moving [CT]
Copland: Symphonies (RCA)
A welcome return to the catalogue of this valuable version of Copland’s early symphonies [SB]
Holst: Choral Works (SOMM Recordings)
An excellent and very welcome disc of Holst’s choral music [JQ]
Bonds: Choral Works (Avie Records)
Music of Protest and Pride fervently performed [NB]
Schubert: Piano Trios (Ondine)
Ideal performances of great works – and a fitting memorial to Lars Vogt [RMo]
van Helmont: Leçons de Ténèbres (Ricercar)
Van Helmont’s Leçons fully deserve to be recorded, and Scherzi Musicali has done a great job of performing them [JV]
Shostakovich: Symphony 10 (Fuga Libera)
A fine, live performance of Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony by a top-class Russian orchestra [GT]
Howells: Orchestral Works (Chandos)
Rare works in very fine performances, and a superb warm recording [HC]
Strauss R: Vier letzte Lieder (Decca)
For every Richard Strauss fan this CD is an absolute must [IL]
The Golden Shore (Matador Publishing)
A warm welcome is due this exemplary book which has been so well realised [RB]
La Valse (Hänssler Classic)
These wind orchestra arrangements could hardly be better played [MC]
Joseph Szigeti (violin) European Columbia Recordings Vol. 3 (Pristine Audio)
Concertos and duos from Szigeti’s peak [JW]
Rathaus: Chamber Works (Dux)
Rathaus began as modernist in Weimar Germany and ended as a late romantic in the USA – this disc covers the whole range [SB]
Beethoven: The Late Quartets (Signum Classics)
Quartet playing of exceptional beauty, homogeneity and musicality [RMo]
Neander: Psalter und Harffe (Cantate)
This disc opens a window to a part of 17th century religious and musical culture that is little-known [JV]
Jenkins: Concertos (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Nothing deep or profound, just well crafted and very enjoyable [BBr]
Karłowicz: Symphonic Poems Vol. 1 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) For lovers of inflated Late-Romanticism, this is treasure trove [IL]
Ténèbres et Abysse (Château de Versailles Spectacles)
Excellent and often exciting performances of partly little-known music [JV]
Power: 29 Songs (Prima Facie)
A serious purveyor of probing singable songs, scalpel-sharp [RB]
Rubbra: The Jade Mountain (Chandos)
The first opportunity to find on one disc Rubbra’s complete songs from a period of over fifty years [GH]
Joseph Szigeti (violin): The Mercury Masters (Eloquence)
Szigeti’s final, catastrophic sessions for Mercury [JW]
Beethoven: Piano Concerti 3 & 4 (Naxos)
Virtuosic pianism somewhat undermined by reticent accompaniment and an unnatural recorded balance [RMo]
Byrd: The Golden Renaissance (Decca)
A beautifully sung medley of Byrd’s music interspersing the Mass with “sacred songs” [RMo]
Mozart: Piano Concerti No. 9 & 14 (Alto)
(Déjà Review) A splendid reminder of early Brendel, still sounding very well [BW]
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