strauss suites coe

R Strauss: Suites (COE Records)

(Déjà Review) Leinsdorf makes a splendid case for these two rewarding suites [TB]

gipps orchestral chandos

Gipps: Orchestral Works Volume 3 (Chandos)

All the music is expertly crafted, highly attractive and, in the best sense of the word, entertaining [JQ]

Cécile Chaminade and her contemporaries play Chaminade (APR)

Cécile Chaminade’s 1901 recordings revisited, and a raft of shellac performances of her works by other pianists [JW]

Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, Petites Esquisses d’Oiseaux (Piano Classics)

A welcome addition to the discography of Messiaen’s masterpiece, but the competition is fierce [PH]

Amelita Galli-Curci (soprano): Operatic arias Vol. 1 (Nimbus Records)

A truly great lyric coloratura soprano of the early 20th century, showcased in first-rate transfers [RMo]

Dove: On the streets and in the sky (Signum Classics)

Attractive and accessible works [SB]

Malawski: Orchestral Works (Naxos)

A valuable disc of music by a composer writing at the height of the Stalinist terrors [NB]

Mozart: Piano Concerti No.17, 21 (Deutsche Grammophon)

(Déjà Review) Tremendous, life-affirming Mozart playing, marking Pollini’s welcome return to this territory [CC]

offenbach romantique archiv

Offenbach: Romantique (Archiv Produktion)

(Déjà Review) A delightful collection, with some lesser-known material [RW]

Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 (Hallé)

The Hallé under Sir Mark Elder demonstrates its special affinity for performing Elgar [MC]

Bach: Musikalisches Opfer (Ricercar)

A really approachable edition of A Musical Offering [JF]

Frankly Speaking with Leopold Stokowski (Somm Recordings)

A reissued BBC broadcast, two rehearsal segments in improved sound and a never-before-released BBC interview [JW]

Busoni: Violin Sonatas (Chandos)

An excellent disc [WK]

Schumann: Symphony No 4 & Sibelius: Symphony No 1 (SWR Classic)

Masterly direction in live performances of two disparate symphonies, in which orchestral tone is not always the most opulent, but the spirit is invariably right [RMo]

Weigl: Symphony No 3, Symphonic Prelude (Capriccio)

This may appeal to those interested in the byways of Germanic composition in the early 20th century [EJW]

Roussel: Symphonies Nos 2-4 (Warner Classics)

(Déjà Review) The Cluytens-Prêtre team is formidable and allied to the lesser known, but still ardent, Dervaux you have as incisive a trio of conductors as you could wish at this price range [JW]

Granados: Goyescas Piano Suite, El Pelele (Naxos)

(Déjà Review) To put it simply, this is the finest recording of music for guitars that I have ever heard [KS]

Beethoven JACL3

Beethoven: Symphony No 6 & Dvořák: Slavonic Dances (Janus Classics)

Wholly satisfying performances in beautifully remastered sound featuring a somewhat neglected conductor [RMo]

Cello v3 SRCD441

British Cello Works Vol 3 (Lyrita)

Further discoveries in the British cello lineage [JW]

Glass etudes DCD34330

Glass: Complete Etudes for piano (Delphian)

Carroll’s poetic playing comes to the fore in the slower pieces [DJB]

Berlioz fantastique TCO0013D

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (The Cleveland Orchestra)

A considered, measured and ultimately satisfying account of the Symphonie fantastique from a legendary orchestra [PH]

Mussorgsky Gramola92004

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Gramola)

Two classic accounts of Mussorgsky’s pictures in both the original version and Ravel’s orchestration [SB]

Grigny messe CVS133

De Grigny: Premier Livre d’Orgue (Château de Versailles Spectacles)

De Grigny’s early death deprived future generations of a great deal his genius had to offer [SG]

Foulds Warner2564629992

Foulds: Dynamic Triptych (Warner Classics)

Sensational, often exhilarating, music, given sensational, sensitive and radiant performances [EML]