Mozart: Overtures (BIS)
Willens is both stimulating and instructive. For me, he proves Mozart wants you eager to listen beyond the overture [MG]
Günther Groissböck (bass) I live alone in my heaven (Gramola)
A profile of the singer Günther Groissböck – no revelations, but there’s always the voice [ST]
Ysaÿe: Rêves – Violin Concerto & Poème concertant (Avie)
With these Ysaÿe recordings, one senses that Philippe Graffin has embarked on a labour of love [MC]
Schurmann: Orchestral Works (Chandos)
An appealing entry point into Schurmann’s eclectic neo-Romanticism [NC]
Braga Santos: Symphony No 4 & Symphonic Variations (Marco Polo)
(Déjà Review) Braga Santos – a nationalistic impressionist with Iberian exoticism. A top recommendation [RB]
Britten: Blest Cecila – Choral Works Vol 1 (Coro)
(Déjà Review) Fecundity of original ideas [GH]
Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum – 2023 Festival (Danacord)
Uniformly excellent performance of a wide range of pianistic rarities [JF] [JF]
Love to my Liking (Bright Shiny Things)
Colourful performances of 13th century songs and dances performed with enthusiasm and delight [GH]
Born by the Thames. Stephen Dodgson: A Centenary Celebration (de la Porte Publishing)
An excellent celebration of the life and music of a composer only now coming into his own [WH]
Wagner: Die Walküre (Pristine Audio)
This second instalment of Knappertsbusch’s 1956 Ring is very acceptable [SB]
Osgood: Chamber Works (Convivium Records)
A wondrous document, worth repeated playing [SA]
Mahler: Symphony No 5 (Deutsche Grammophon)
(Déjà Review) Much to admire here [TD]
Clementi: Early Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Thoroughly engaging performances of works that are as musically rewarding as they are historically important [GPu]
Schubert: Moments musicaux, Drei Klavierstücke (Danacord)
Absorbing and moving performances [JF]
Dodgson: Mirage – Piano music (Somm Recordings)
Challenging yet rewarding music, fine performance and recording [WH]
Brahms: Reimagined Orchestrations (Reference Recordings)
Schoenberg’s orchestration of Brahms’s Piano Quartet in a very well recorded, lovely performance, and two surprises [EJW]
20th Century Foxtrots Vol 6: Southern Europe (Grand Piano)
Delights all round on this Mediterranean exploration [RCh]
Zádor: Piano Quintet, Accordion Concerto & other works (Naxos)
Elegant and distinctive music by an overlooked original [NC]
Bruckner: Symphony No 6 (Profil)
(Déjà Review) If you are looking for mid-price Bruckner 6 in modern sound, look no further [PCW]
Bowen: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 3 (Dutton)
(Déjà Review) A most enjoyable helping of Bowen’s late-romanticism [RB]
Beethoven: The Final Sonatas (Signum Classics)
A mixed cycle of these masterpieces on modern piano by Melvyn Tan [KC]
Druschetzky: Oboe Quartets Vol 2 (cpo)
Well-constructed Classical chamber music, but mostly run-of-the-mill [SFV]
Enescu: Symphonies Nos 1-3, Romanian Rhapsodies Nos 1 & 2 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Finely wrought performances, played with complete authority [SG]
Kodály, Dohnányi & Novák: Organ Works (Naxos)
Wonderful playing and recording of some fairly modest music – with one notable exception [NB]
