Bruckner: From the Archives, Volume 1 (SOMM Ariadne)
The auspicious launch of what promises to be a Bruckner series of uncommon interest [JQ]
Bertin: Fausto (Bru Zane)
The first-ever Faust opera based on Goethe – and from a feminine perspective [PCG]
Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Pristine Audio)
The culmination of a great Ring cycle has a place among the best: scintillating singing, playing and conducting [RMo]
Mozart: Arias, Symphony No. 38 (Opus Arte)
(Déjà Review) Excellent performances of these great works [PSh]
Piston: Symphony No. 4, Capriccio, Three New England Sketches (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) A must-buy featuring some truly outstanding 20th century American music [NH]
Tarkiainen: Midnight Sun Variations (Ondine)
A fine survey of Tarkiainen’s recent work, and a great introduction to her attractive sound world [HC]
Seither: Lauschgut. Works for (Inside) Piano (Kairos)
Seither’s piano oeuvre is conceptually consistent and superbly executed here, but it’s patently not for everyone [RH]
Sacred Treasures of Venice (Hyperion)
A fine young male choir in known and little-known repertoire [GH]
Bruckner: Symphony No 4 (Profil)
A magnificent account of the last version of Bruckner’s most approachable symphony, beautifully played in ideal recorded sound [RMo]
Beethoven: String Quartets Vol 1 (Chandos)
A very promising beginning to the Doric’s Beethoven cycle, marked by excellent engineering, superb emotion, and precise attention to detail [MZ]
Bach JS: Sonatas and Partitas (BIS)
Dazzling virtuosity, sometimes at the expense of the music [ZT]
Jongen: Cello Concerto & Impressions d’Ardennes (Cyprès)
(Déjà Review) Cyprès have done a sterling job kicking over the predictable traces [RB]
Elgar: Enigma Variations (Hallé)
(Déjà Review) A radiant account of Enigma [CF]
Bizet: L’Arlésienne Complete stage music (SOMM Recordings)
Bizet’s L’Arlésienne returns to its original theatrical roots, and the revelation is enchanting in the hands of Plasson [PCG]
Hamelin: New Piano Works (Hyperion)
Remarkable playing, remarkable music [RCh]
Bruckner: Symphony 7 (Capriccio)
A patchy account, hobbled by a particularly egregious bit of tinkering with the codas of the first movement and the finale [RMo]
Center: Instrumental & Chamber Music Vol 3
The final instalment of Christopher Guild’s imaginative survey of Center’s piano music [JF]
JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 (BIS)
Excellent and compelling [SG]
The Queen’s Masque (Coviello Classics)
The music can’t fail to entertain, but the performances are not really satisfying [JV]
Grieg & Schumann Piano Concertos (Warner Classics)
Grab this one [KS]
Marx: Natur-Trilogie (ASV)
An impressionistic voice soaked in the quintessence of lyrical expression [RB]
Bach: (RE)inventio (Divine Art)
An interesting exercise, with mostly winning results [DJB]
Liszt: A Faust Symphony, Les Préludes (St Laurent Studio)
Uncontrived, yet revelatory, interpretations from a neglected podium auteur [NC]
Ponchielli: La Gioconda (Pristine Audio)
A good but not quite superlative recording in enhanced sound [MBu]
