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 8574589

Brusa: Requiem, Stabat Mater (Naxos)

Admirers of the composer will want to explore her choral works [WH]

Schubert mullerin HMM902739

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]

ChenGang violin PTC5187230

Chen Gang & Paganini: Violin concertos (Pentatone)

A mixed bag of repertoire produces varied results [RMay]

Byrd choral ALC1486

Byrd: Anthems, Motets, Services (Alto)

A most enjoyable and nicely varied selection of pieces by Byrd [JQ]

Ravel Orchestral Soustrot Danacord DACOCD982

Ravel: Orchestral Works (Danacord)

A stylish and beautifully played collection of Ravel orchestral pieces that started life as piano works [GPJ]

Carmina burana 8554837

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]

Baltic1 voices HMU907311

Baltic Voices 1 (Harmonia Mundi)

Lyrical yet challenging, they welcome the listener with open arms [RB]

Schoenberg Faure Pelleas et Melisande Alpha 1058

Schoenberg & Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande (Alpha Classics)

Two wonderfully contrasting explorations of Maeterlinck’s play [JF]

Torelli concerti CC72989

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 Mozart Concertos APR 7303

Edwin Fischer (piano): Mozart Piano Concertos (APR)

APR’s endeavours are of real value and virtue to the pianophile [SG]

Mahler Symph 2 Vanska BIS 22296

Mahler: Symphony No 2 ‘Resurrection’ (BIS)

A beautifully recorded and performed ‘Resurrection’ Symphony, with a limitation in the chorus [EJW]

gerhard quixote chandos

Gerhard: Don Quixote and Alegrías (Chandos)

The BBC Philharmonic excels in music by the pre-serial Gerhard at his hard-bitten finest [NC]

Deja Review Saint Saens Piano Concertos Hough Hyperion CDA67331-2

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]

Deja Review Harris Symphs 7 9- Naxos 8.559050

Harris: Symphonies Nos 7 & 9 (Naxos)

Serious, but highly listenable music from an under-recorded American giant [NH]

hummel flute da vinci

Hummel: Music for Flute & Piano Vol. 1 (Da Vinci Classics)

A rewarding conspectus of Hummel’s compositions for flute and piano [GPu]

charms soothe azica

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

Bach: Reconstructed (Audite)

Imaginative recreations of possible Brandenburg Concertos [SB]

rooted trios chandos

Rooted (Chandos)

A truly magical disc with four of the loveliest of trios [SA]

massenet werther bru zane

Massenet: Werther (Bru Zane)

A version with a baritone title role, much more than a curiosity [RWe]

strauss domestica arte nova

R Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica (Arte Nova Classics)

(Déjà Review) Refreshing, highlighting the invention and vivacity [RBr]

stevenson songs delphian

Stevenson: Songs (Delphian)

(Déjà Review) Depth and thoughtfulness, amplifying, refracting and complementing the poets’ lines in a way that enriches and moves [JW]