Music’s Odyssey. An Invitation to Western Classical Music (Allen Lane)
A monumental, profoundly valuable book [DHa]
Coleridge-Taylor: Orchestral Works (SOMM Recordings)
A valuable, diverse and very well presented programme displays the composer’s strengths and weaknesses [NB]
Rendano: Piano Concerto (Dynamic)
Excellent performances though the concerto’s inspiration falls short [RCh]
Fanny Davies and Adela Verne (piano): Complete Recordings (APR)
A leading Clara Schumann pupil excels in the studio, coupled with brilliant, rare recordings from a more shadowy performer [JW]
Berlioz: Le carnaval romain, Symphonie fantastique (Pentatone)
Finally, a Symphonie fantastique to rival the vintage versions in superb, vivid, beautifully balanced digital sound [RMo]
Piazzolla: María de Buenos Aires (Brilliant Classics)
A fine, vigorous performance, but what a shame there are no texts [SB]
Brahms: Choral Works, Symphony No 3 (Soli Deo Gloria)
(Déjà Review) Refreshing and exciting [JQ]
Glass: Portrait (Analekta)
(Déjà Review) An excellent sampler of the accessible Glass [DJB]
Prokofiev: The Gambler (Unitel Edition)
The Gambler arrives at the Salzburg Festival [PH]
Melartin: Symphonies 5 & 6 (cpo)
Contrasting symphonies from a master deserving of more attention [DJB]
Posa: Lieder, Violin Sonata & String Quartet (Voilà Records)
A huge and superbly compiled book-format release devoted to a now unknown progressive Viennese contemporary of Schoenberg and Zemlinsky [JW]
Little Wanderer: Songs by Britten, Imogen Holst & Kidane (Signum)
An enormously strong recital by a major pairing in the world of English song [ST]
Le Grand Embrasement: Music for a Mad King (Ricercar)
Decades squandered: a look back at a troubled period in French history [PH]
Brahms: Double Concerto & Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante (Nimbus)
A delightful disc, offering an intriguing twist on the Mozart and a grand, virtuosic account of the Brahms, in superb sound [RMo]
Brett Dean – Composer & Performer (BIS)
An astute release showcasing a distinctive and interesting composer [TP]
Haydn: Complete Music for Solo Keyboard (BIS)
For fans of the instruments or neophytes, this is a bargain not to be missed [KM]
Bach: Sonatas for flute and continuo (Nimbus)
(Déjà Review) A wonderful collection of recordings which feel natural and well-considered [CR]
Bowen: The Piano Sonatas (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) A major romantic reprise [RB]
Martinů: String Quartets (Supraphon)
A bristling, incisive look at four Martinů string quartets [JW]
Liszt: Le Concert c’est Moi (Gramola)
Heroic, demonic, passion and lyricism; Liszt’s whirlwind of imaginative ideas given full rein by Titova [RCh]
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius (LPO)
A splendid live recording of Gerontius [JQ]
a Riveder Le Stelle: Swedish Choral Music (BIS)
A wide-ranging collection of modern Swedish choral music superbly sung and recorded [WH]
Gyrowetz: Sinfonia Concertante (CPO)
Now obscure, but once widely celebrated, Gyrowetz is a composer worth hearing [RWe]
Moeran: Orchestral Music (SOMM Ariadne)
Another treasure trove of archive broadcast performances crowned by a definitive version of the Violin Concerto from Albert Sammons [NB]
