Shostakovich preludes 855474546

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 Slatkin RCA 09026682922

Copland: Symphonies (RCA)

A welcome return to the catalogue of this valuable version of Copland’s early symphonies [SB]

Holst Choral Works SOMMCD279

Holst: Choral Works (SOMM Recordings)

An excellent and very welcome disc of Holst’s choral music [JQ]

Bonds choral works Avie AV2589

Bonds: Choral Works (Avie Records)

Music of Protest and Pride fervently performed [NB]

schubert trios ondine

Schubert: Piano Trios (Ondine)

Ideal performances of great works – and a fitting memorial to Lars Vogt [RMo]

van Helmont Leçons de Ténèbres Ricercar RIC454

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 symph 10 Liss Fuga Libera FUG809

Shostakovich: Symphony 10 (Fuga Libera)

A fine, live performance of Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony by a top-class Russian orchestra [GT]

Howells Orchestral Vol2 Hickox Chandos CHAN9557

Howells: Orchestral Works (Chandos)

Rare works in very fine performances, and a superb warm recording [HC]

Strauss R Vier letzte Lieder Decca 4671182

Strauss R: Vier letzte Lieder (Decca)

For every Richard Strauss fan this CD is an absolute must [IL]

golden shore braithwaite

The Golden Shore (Matador Publishing)

A warm welcome is due this exemplary book which has been so well realised [RB]

valse saxon hanssler

La Valse (Hänssler Classic)

These wind orchestra arrangements could hardly be better played [MC]

Szigeti columbia v3 PASC682

Joseph Szigeti (violin) European Columbia Recordings Vol. 3 (Pristine Audio)

Concertos and duos from Szigeti’s peak [JW]

rathaus chamber dux

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 quartets calidore signum

Beethoven: The Late Quartets (Signum Classics)

Quartet playing of exceptional beauty, homogeneity and musicality [RMo]

neander psalter cantate

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 Quirk warner

Jenkins: Concertos (Warner Classics)

(Déjà Review) Nothing deep or profound, just well crafted and very enjoyable [BBr]

Karlowicz poems naxos

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]