Smith: Dark Flower (Redshift)
The magnificent quintet which gives this exceptional release its title is a must; the couplings are hardly less compelling [RHa]
Bizet: Carmen (Opus Arte)
An altogether outstanding record of a thrilling event [TH]
L Couperin: Keyboard Works (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) An affirmative and joyful way with Couperin [JW]
The Brodsky Album (IBS Classical)
A niche issue which disappoints on a number of levels [RHa]
Sonic Alchemy (Sono Luminus)
An absorbing, rewarding programme, despite reservations about a couple of the performances [PT]
The King’s Playlist – recital (Linn)
A promising debut: a portrait of musical life at Louis XIV’s court [JV]
Brown: 24 Preludes & Fugues (Lyrita)
Ample rewards for a serious piano music lover [SA]
Canat de Chizy: Chamber music (Aeon)
(Déjà Review) Robust, joyfully dancing music-making of great energy and very often great beauty [HC]
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos 1-10 (Naxos)
Enormous presence and clarity … a great deal to enjoy … no serious collector will want to be without this set [TH]
Tellefsen & Kalkbrenner: Piano Concertos (Hyperion)
A fine disc that shows there are still many engaging concertos to be discovered [RCh]
Stravinsky: The Nightingale (Sony Classical)
Stravinsky’s own recording is a flawed yet pleasurable account of this little opera [MP]
Schubert: Symphony No 9 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Bernstein in genial mood directing a luscious-sounding Concertgebouworkest [RMo]
Franck: Les Béatitudes (Fuga Libera)
A fine performance of this ambitious but uneven work, but note the skimpy documentation [SB]
Beethoven: Symphony No 5 & 7 (Elatus)
(Déjà Review) The real Leningrad Phil of the Soviet era, superbly drilled and directed [JP]
Barchet: Chamber Works (Hänssler Classic)
(Déjà Review) Full marks to Hänssler for giving enduring life to this most attractive and expert craftsman [JW]
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (Sony Classical)
An extraordinarily daring and vital realisation of a masterwork by a “maverick” conductor who dares to challenge convention – and triumphs [RMo]
New Year’s Concert – Teatro La Fenice 2023 (C Major)
A pleasing concert that will almost certainly cheer you up [MMB]
Sir Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Sea Songs (Deutsche Grammophon)
A disc to be enjoyed by all but the most curmudgeonly [PT]
Mozart: Piano Concertos – Vol. 9 (Chandos)
Bavouzet and Takács-Nagy are unsurpassed in sensitively conveying Mozart’s varieties of mood, but K415’s finale is diminished by a plethora of eingangs and a rescoring [MG]
Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge (Hyperion)
A superb, lyrical performance of this great music [PSh]
Sir Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 6 (Naxos)
A thrilling, evocative reading of Bax’s finest symphonic accomplishment [IL]
Scott: Piano Sonata No 1 (Lyrita)
Cyril Scott’s 1930s revision of his Piano Sonata, Op.66 heard in a strange disc [JW]
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos 1-7 & Tapiola (Decca)
Another way to skin the Sibelian cat – and enjoy sound of unparalleled depth and clarity [RMo]
J Strauss II: Der Zigeunerbaron (EMI Classics)
Johann Strauss’ Hungarian operetta truly sparkles in a performance that commands the field in spite of its age [MP]
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