Brahms: Late Piano Works (Warner Classics)
I had not expected to be so impressed by this recital [SB]
Vaughan Williams: Rise, Heart (Albion Records)
A deeply moving exploration of Vaughan Williams’s more intimate side [JF]
Alexander Gibson (conductor) (High Definition Tape Transfers)
A trio of early records by Alexander Gibson from the vaults [PH]
Monteverdi: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Signum Classics)
(Déjà Review) In a word: magnificent [JS]
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) I put the disc on expecting ‘decent’, but it’s spectacular [BR]
Polignac: Piano Works (Grand Piano)
Some impressively vivid music here that ignites an interest to hear it in its orchestral colours [RCh]
Out of Vienna: Leonkoro Quartet (Alpha Classics)
Intensity, irony, intimacy: modernism unveiled [JF]
Poulenc: Piano Music (Nimbus)
Another enjoyable rediscovery from Nimbus [DHa]
Lise Davidsen: Live at the Met (Decca)
The greatest soprano of our age in recital from the stage of the Met [PH]
Tommy Mesa (cello): 17(67) (Azica)
A beautiful sounding instrument, beautifully played, but a programme that lacks contrast [DJB]
Chamber Music by Film Composers (Antarctica Records)
A fascinating programme performed with exceptional skill [NB]
Brian: Symphony No 1 ‘Gothic’ (Heritage)
A tremendous performance of this legendary work [PRJ]
Mahler: Symphony No 5 (Reference Recordings)
An impressive Mahler 5 in superb sound [DHa]
Nenov: Music for solo piano (CRD)
A discovery that deserves any serious piano music collector’s attention [DC]
Messiaen: Harawi & Trois Mélodies (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) An assault on the senses, but not to be missed [DC]
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (Nimbus Prima Voce)
(Déjà Review) Fascinating to hear such singers as Flagstad and Schwarzkopf in these roles [EML]
Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth: Songs (Nimbus Records)
(Déjà Review) English songs meet a thoughtful and highly sympathetic exponent with an unmistakable voice [RB]
Mozart: Symphonies 39 & 41 (Soli Deo Gloria)
(Déjà Review) Fine, vital live performances of two of Mozart’s greatest symphonies [JQ]
Vaughan Williams: Landscapes (NoMadMusic)
A fine, extensive survey; the listening pleasure will depend on one’s response to the tenor’s very particular singing style [NB]
Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor): The Complete Teldec Recordings (Warner Classics)
Consistently thought-provoking [DF]
Garro: Masses and Motets (Hyperion)
The first major recording of sacred works by a shadowy master who worked in the Royal Chapel in Lisbon [GH]
Enrique Jordá (conductor): Spanish Music (Pristine Audio)
A fresh look at a controversial conductor [SV]
Berio: Coro; Žuraj: Automatones (BR Klassik)
A contemporary classic, a work possibly destined for that status [RWe]
Malipiero: Tre commedie goldoniane (Three Goldoni Comedies) (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) A most rewarding reissue, and a tantalising glimpse into Malipiero’s endearing sound-world [DM]
