Ponchielli: La gioconda (Pristine Audio)
A great Callas recording is tidied up a bit, and her co-singers are brought into better focus [RMo]
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 21, 23 (Deutsche Grammophon)
A glimpse into Serkin’s final thoughts in works always central to his repertoire [SG]
Sibelius: Early Stereo Recordings (First Hand Records)
Surprises and little-known Sibelian nuggets [JW]
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Naxos)
A strong musical performance hampered by the directors’ silly concept and by technical issues with the sound [ST]
Arnold: Overtures (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Hugely entertaining music conducted with incisiveness and flair [JQ]
Chopin: Nocturnes (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) A Chopin player of decided viewpoints [JW]
Suk, Herbert & Dvořák: Inspiration (Sony Classical)
Beautifully played, intense Slavic serenades [SFV]
Stravinsky: Petrouchka & Debussy: Jeux, Poème Dansé (Decca)
A fine follow-up to Klaus Mäkelä’s previous Stravinsky disc [JQ]
Bruckner: Symphony No 3 (Myrios Classics)
An outstanding performance of Bruckner’s Third from François-Xavier Roth and his Cologne players [MC]
Beethoven: Complete Symphonies (National Symphony Orchestra)
A mercilessly rushed series of performances which almost invariably sacrifices grandeur in favour of mere propulsion [RMo]
CPE Bach: Sonatas for Keyboard & Violin (Channel Classics)
Enjoyable performances compromised by the use of an anachronistic fortepiano [JV]
Scharwenka: Complete Chamber Music (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) Highly attractive romantic music caught in the web of ley lines between Schumann and early Fauré [RB]
Brahms: Violin Concerto, Clarinet Quintet (Music & Arts)
(Déjà Review) Lyrical intensity, seamless affection [JW]
A Room of Her Own (Chandos)
A handful of unfailingly accomplished, virtually unknown trios, in handsome performances and ideal sound [RHa]
Kaleidoscope (Ars Produktion)
Some dazzling playing and wonderful rarities to be found in this engaging recital [RCh]
Strauss: Metamorphosen, Piano Quartet (B Records)
An accomplished, early Strauss chamber work of mild interest and a tender, carefully wrought, but slightly too cautious Metamorphosen [RMo]
R Strauss: Intermezzo (Warner Classics)
The only studio recording of Strauss’s biographical opera is a complete winner on all front [MP]
La Caramba (Winter & Winter)
A fascinating disc, both for the enjoyable music it contains and for the cultural history which underlies it [GPu]
Full Fathom Five (Danacord)
Altogether a pleasurable experience [RB]
Fauré: Complete Songs Vol. 2 (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) This disc has given me enormous pleasure and will continue to do so [JQ]
Janáček: Káťa Kabanová (LSO Live)
A good cast and excellent sound are featured on Rattle’s challenge to the Mackerras hegemony [MP]
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Legends, Rakastava & Karelia Suite (BIS)
Fine performances, presented in exemplary sound [JQ]
Eugene Goossens (conductor) – Cincinnati Symphony, Vol 3 (Pristine Audio)
Goossens’ final Cincinnati recordings complete a worthwhile 3-CD series [JW]
Légende – Solo harp works (Claves)
A consistently engaging anthology of ‘romantic’ music for solo harp, all perceptively played [GPu]
 |
 |
 |
Featured Naxos review |
 |
 |
 |
 |
