Holst: The Planets (Sony Classics)
Bernstein at his most wilful and brilliant [LD]
Schubert: Piano Music (Hyperion)
All round excellence from one of our greatest pianists [PH]
Mendelssohn: Sacred Choral Works (Ondine)
A lovely Mendelssohn programme from one of the finest of choirs [WH]
Binchois: Loyal Souvenir (Ricercar)
Binchois’s sacred and secular output side by side in colourful, sensitive readings [GH]
Minimalist (IBS Classical)
A recital of mostly forgettable works of minimalism for piano [DHa]
Vivaldi: Heroes – Opera Arias (Erato)
A very impressive recital of some of Vivaldi’s finest opera arias [JV]
Box of Delights: Light English Music (Lyrita)
Banish humdrum days with this delightful collection [JW]
Haydn: Complete Symphonies (Hänssler Classic)
An admirable and highly desirable cycle – it goes straight to the top of my list [SG]
The San Carlo Opera House, Naples (1943-46) (ARS Recorded Editions)
Let’s Make an Opera: The British Army and the Teatro San Carlo [PH]
Lalo: Le Roi d’Ys (Bru Zane)
A welcome set which will provide considerable pleasure with one outstanding performance [PSt]
Sondheim: Chamber Music Arrangements (Bridge)
An interesting release that concentrates on Sondheim’s music rather than his lyrics [PT]
Liechtenauer: Masses (cpo)
A well-deserved monument to a forgotten composer [JV]
Vaňhal: Flute Quartets (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Beautifully played music which makes few emotional demands, but hiding a verdant garden of rich colour and variety [DC]
Verdi: Ernani (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Outstanding portrayals from Domingo and Bruson to compensate for an over-parted Freni [RJF]
Bliss: The Composer Conducts. A 50th Anniversary Tribute (SOMM Recordings)
A treasure trove of key works in vintage live performances [NB]
Henselt: Complete Piano Études (Naxos)
An auspicious debut with these intriguing études [SB]
Farrenc, Firsova & Bonis: Chamber Music (cpo)
A fascinating grouping of fine, rarely heard works which deserve to be better known [GH]
Trio de la cour de Belgique
Discographic premières from a forgotten but elite inter-war Belgian Piano Trio [JW]
Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 2, short orchestral works (Chandos)
A splendidly recorded disc of rare Tchaikovsky, performed with spirit and commitment [EJW]
Smetana: Má vlast (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) For the Talich collector this 1954 set is glorious and the one that remains the most generally recommendable [JW]
Zemlinsky & Schulhoff: Lieder (Simax Classics)
(Déjà Review) Stene and the orchestra are magnificent in these gloriously emotion saturated songs [RB]
Hába: Complete Piano Works (Supraphon)
A Czech pioneer of microtonal music heard in more traditional solo piano music [JW]
Brahms & Contemporaries Vol. 2 (Chandos)
Genuinely illuminating comparisons are made in this excellent recital [DHa]
Bax: Complete Music for Cello and Piano (SOMM Recordings)
My go-to version for these remarkable compositions [JF]
