Marko Topchii (guitar) Laureate Series Recital (Naxos)
Hard to fault, easy to accolade [ZT]
Alwyn: Symphonies Nos 2 & 5 and Harp Concerto (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) The best single CD introduction to the major works of Alwyn [RB]
Beethoven: Symphony No 9 (Music & Arts)
(Déjà Review) Harshly recorded, but for some Toscanini enthusiasts it is the greatest of his preserved Ninths [CH]
Brusa: Requiem, Stabat Mater (Naxos)
Admirers of the composer will want to explore her choral works [WH]
Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin (Harmonia Mundi)
Another marvellous recording of Die schöne Müllerin to add to the ever-growing list of highly recommendable versions of this indestructible masterwork [GF]
Chen Gang & Paganini: Violin concertos (Pentatone)
A mixed bag of repertoire produces varied results [RMay]
Byrd: Anthems, Motets, Services (Alto)
A most enjoyable and nicely varied selection of pieces by Byrd [JQ]
Ravel: Orchestral Works (Danacord)
A stylish and beautifully played collection of Ravel orchestral pieces that started life as piano works [GPJ]
Carmina Burana: Medieval Poems and Songs (Naxos)
Everything is played with a life and energy that left me dancing around the room by the disc’s end [KS]
Baltic Voices 1 (Harmonia Mundi)
Lyrical yet challenging, they welcome the listener with open arms [RB]
Schoenberg & Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande (Alpha Classics)
Two wonderfully contrasting explorations of Maeterlinck’s play [JF]
Torelli: 12 Concerti da camera (Challenge Classics)
This ensemble could hardly have made a better debut than with this recording of little-known pieces [JV]
Edwin Fischer (piano): Mozart Piano Concertos (APR)
APR’s endeavours are of real value and virtue to the pianophile [SG]
Mahler: Symphony No 2 ‘Resurrection’ (BIS)
A beautifully recorded and performed ‘Resurrection’ Symphony, with a limitation in the chorus [EJW]
Gerhard: Don Quixote and Alegrías (Chandos)
The BBC Philharmonic excels in music by the pre-serial Gerhard at his hard-bitten finest [NC]
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos 1-5 (Hyperion)
A credit to this brave and enterprising label. Go on, treat yourself – you won’t regret it [TH]
Harris: Symphonies Nos 7 & 9 (Naxos)
Serious, but highly listenable music from an under-recorded American giant [NH]
Hummel: Music for Flute & Piano Vol. 1 (Da Vinci Classics)
A rewarding conspectus of Hummel’s compositions for flute and piano [GPu]
Charms to Soothe (Azica)
This is a disc for anyone with a taste for beautiful and stimulating music, played with taste and devotion [GF]
Bach: Reconstructed (Audite)
Imaginative recreations of possible Brandenburg Concertos [SB]
Massenet: Werther (Bru Zane)
A version with a baritone title role, much more than a curiosity [RWe]
R Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica (Arte Nova Classics)
(Déjà Review) Refreshing, highlighting the invention and vivacity [RBr]
Stevenson: Songs (Delphian)
(Déjà Review) Depth and thoughtfulness, amplifying, refracting and complementing the poets’ lines in a way that enriches and moves [JW]