donizetti l'aio naxos

Donizetti: L’aio nell’imbarazzo (Naxos)

Not a forgotten masterwork but an early comedy worth rescuing from almost total oblivion for 200 years [GF]

walevska bow beauty rhine classics

Christine Walevska (cello) The Beauty and the Bow (Rhine Classics)

The admirable cellist Christine Walevska traced over 50 years of performances and recordings [JW]

smietanski chamber acte prealable

Śmietański: Chamber Music (Acte Préalable)

The trio is certainly worthy of your time and attention, the sonata less so [RHa]

Haydn: String Quartet op. 76/3 ‘Emperor’

by Alan George

Shostakovich: Two Pieces for String Quartet

by Alan George

Shostakovich: String Quartet 1

by Alan George

bach goldberg azure

Bach: Goldberg variations (Azure Sky)

Well played but very closely and reverberantly recorded, and somewhat anonymous, while the absence of repeats makes it sound truncated [RMo]

williams orchestral resonus

Williams: Orchestral Works (Resonus)

A programme full of attractive and highly imaginative music which is well worth getting to know [JQ]

bliss pristine

Bliss conducts Bliss (Pristine Audio)

Two important works, well performed under the baton of the composer [JF]

grainger warriors cala

Grainger: The Warriors (Cala)

(Déjà Review) High excitement, earthy vitality and superbly recorded sound [MC]

Mussorgsky & Rachmaninov: Piano Works (Navis Classics)

A valuable re-release by any standards [DC]

Machaut: A lover’s death (Hyperion)

Achieved is the glorious work: The Orlando Consort sign off from Machaut [PH]

kletzki beethoven symphonies janus

Beethoven: Symphonies 1 & 5 (Janus Classics)

Clean, crisp, immediate interpretations, very well restored and remastered [RMo]

zelenka missa carus

Zelenka: Missa Gratias agimus tibi, Vesper music (Carus)

Another testimony to Zelenka’s brilliance [JV]

Donizetti: Grand Seigneur – Baritone Arias (Dynamic)

A valuable collection of rarely heard scenes from Donizetti’s operas [GF]

Endless Fascination: The life and work of Thomas Pitfield (Forsyth Brothers)

A fitting tribute to a remarkable polymath [JF]

The Charm of the Lyre-Guitar (Brilliant Classics)

A disc which evokes a significant cultural phenomenon from Napoleonic France [GPu]

Delius: Florida Suite, Paris, Brigg Fair (Warner Classics)

(Déjà Review) These are gorgeous performances and recordings of Delius favourites played unaffectedly yet con molto amore [RB]

Beethoven: Symphony No 5, Leonore Overture No 3 (BR Klassik)

Not necessarily so great an improvement over previous issues but wonderfully grand and energised [RMo]

Glerup: Perhaps Thus The End (Dacapo)

If you are looking for harmony and easily accessible melodies this probably isn’t for you but it’s well played and full of emotion [KT]

Sweelinck: The Orpheus of Amsterdam (Pan Classics)

These excellent performances offer a different perspective on Sweelinck’s vocal and keyboard works [JV]

The Secrets of Andalusia (First Hand Records)

An enjoyable excursion through Southern Spain across three hundred years [GH]

Busoni: Doktor Faust (Naxos)

A new recording of Busoni’s operatic masterpiece which falls short of expectations in a number of aspects [PCG]

Torroba: La Voz De La Guitarra (BIS)

Original works for guitar, masterfully played [ZT]