Bowen Walton SWR19158CD

Bowen & Walton: Viola Concertos (SWR Music)

A near-hit and a miss; a good Bowen Concerto and an ordinary Walton [JW]

delvincourt two

Delvincourt: Chamber Music Vol 2 (Ciar Classics)

Two intriguing scores which bookend the composer’s compositional life [SG]

Madrigal RES10341

The Madrigal Reimagined (Resonus Classics)

A model of creative programming and performance [JV]

Mozart Alpha1087

Next Generation Mozart Soloists Vol 10 (Alpha Classics)

A showcase for the superb ‘Next Generation Mozart soloists’, a little flawed by the use of a hackneyed 19th century version of the Sinfonia concertante [MG]

Prokofiev PCsORC100335

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 3 (Orchid Classics)

This is one of the finest Prokofiev piano discs issued in recent times [RCu]

Cherkassky FHR99

Shura Cherkassky (piano) The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals 1981-9 (First Hand Records)

A desirable collection that captures the Cherkassky magic [SG]

Schulhoff v2 1121672

Schulhoff: Chamber works Vol 2 (Supraphon)

Repeated listening to these Schulhoff scores offers revelatory rewards [MC]

SchumannR 4739022

Nelson Freire (piano) Schumann: Carnaval, Papillons, Kinderszenen (Decca)

Freire enthusiasts should love the performances, sound deficiencies or not [DS]

The Memory Garden – Guitar Music from England (Deux-Elles)

A great programme of solo guitar music by English composers, played with a special sensitivity and depth [KT]

Mozart: Requiem (Harmonia Mundi)

Pichon’s inventive programming and superb musicianship make this recording stand out in a crowded field [SSc]

Lloyd: Works for Brass (Lyrita)

A super disc [JQ]

Hynninen: Ratsut (Alba)

Colourful extended harp fare from Finland, a slightly underwhelming follow-up to Hynninen’s marvellous Otilia album [RHa]

Young: Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror (Warner Classics)

A brand-new score for a creepy classic silent movie that really pulls out all the stops [PHa]

Doráti: Piano Concerto; Seiber: Suites (Hänssler Classic)

An all-Hungarian disc of real pleasures – Doráti’s approachable Concerto and Seiber’s orchestral music in splendid performances [JW]

Martinů: The Six Symphonies (BIS)

(Déjà Review) A well documented, brilliantly recorded, excellently played and broadly sympathetic set of readings [JW]

Mussorgsky: Symphonic Transcriptions (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) Whatever superlatives you hear about this disc I urge you to believe them [MC]

Vaughan Williams: Carols from Herefordshire (Albion Records)

Vaughan-Williams’s two versions of carols collected in Herefordshire in the early twentieth century [GH]

Tippett: Piano Concerto & Symphony No 2 (LPO)

British works you should know from a conductor establishing a reputation as a master of the genre [PHa]

Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum 2023 (Danacord)

Treats galore in this annual release that never disappoints [RCh]

Aleksandra Kurzak (soprano): Falcon (Aparté)

Aleksandra Kurzak is in striking form with an album of arias sung by legendary French soprano Cornélie Falcon [MC]

Encircling: Works for Viola (Acis)

A viola-fanciers’ delight with a well-balanced recital offering two sonatas and two smaller, but compelling, pieces [JW]

Campkin I Saw Eternity Convivium CR100

Campkin: I Saw Eternity (Convivium Records)

An enjoyable disc of choral music by an English composer of whom we will surely hear more [GPu]

Telemann: Don Quixote Suite (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) Pure delight, this. Buy it [KS] – Thoroughly enjoyable fare. This is a most approachable coupling. [CC] 

Riisager: Ballet Music (Dacapo)

(Déjà Review) Brilliantly orchestrated and balanced – moving forward in a blizzard of detail; the very antithesis of drab [RB]