Beethoven Harp String Quartet Chiaroscuro BIS2668SACD

Beethoven: String Quartets Opp 74 & 130 (BIS)

A very fine recording of the Harp Quartet, although the outer movements of the Op130 quartet are lacking in power and thus take the disc down a notch [MZ]

Bruckner Symph 7-Nowak 1885 Haitink BR Klassik 900218

Bruckner: Symphony No 7 (BR Klassik)

Haitink displays remarkable consistency in this grand and spacious account [RMo]

Bernstein Symphonies Slatkin Chandos CHAN9889

L Bernstein: Jeremiah and Age of Anxiety (Chandos)

(Déjà Review) This disc in excellent sound is a worthy alternative to the composer’s own [JW]

H2O Respighi Rimsky-Korsakov Ravel ANCLEF 20240322

H2O (ANCLEF)

Water three ways with piano four-hands – superb! [DC]

fraser-simson milne prima facie

Fraser-Simson: Songs of AA Milne (Prima Facie)

No one will go away unhappy after hearing this music [WK]

maliszewski quartets pscm

Maliszewski: String Quartets (PSCM Records)

Conventional and a little quirky; a minor composer slowly emerges [JW]

elgar orchestral lso

Elgar: Orchestral Works (LSO Live)

Best avoided – there are many far superior options [RMo]

hindemith ludus tonalis dux

Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (DUX)

An admirable new account of Hindemith’s piano masterpiece [SB]

new millennium signum

New Millenium (Signum Classics)

Anyone who cares about the role of music in the liturgy today should hear this disc [JQ]

rimsky-korsakov christmas eve naxos

Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve (Naxos)

A dazzling achievement all around [MP]

arrau early years marston

Claudio Arrau (piano) The Early Years (Marston)

(Déjà Review) No Arrau admirer would want to be without it [JW]

Müller-Hartmann: Chamber music (Chandos)

An interesting byway of twentieth-century music [WH]

Gilles: Messe des Morts (Château de Versailles)

Pleasant music in good but not exceptional performances [MP]

Beethoven: Symphonies No. 1-3 (ABC Classics)

Breathlessly executed – flashy, but no interpretative nuance [RMo]

Na’ama Goldman (mezzo-soprano): Legata (Solo Musica)

A fascinating new voice in a programme tied to her cultural heritage but with universal appeal [GF]

Spanish Impressions – Piano Trios (Reference Recordings)

An interesting program, with good if not outstanding performances [DJB]

Sperger: String Quartets (cpo)

Conventional Classical-era quartets, with some quirky details [SV]

Clarke: Viola Sonata, Violin Sonata (Oehms Classics)

Rebecca Clarke’s string sonatas chart her movement from Brahms to modernism [JW]

Trails of Creativity. Music from Between the Wars (Avie Records)

(Déjà Review) There’s something for everybody in this excellently played between-the-wars anthology of music [JL]

Wagner: Die Walküre (Sterling)

Fine conducting and orchestral playing and an impressive Brünnhilde – but compromised by a poor Siegmund and a weak Wotan [RMo]

Sean Shibe: Profesión (Pentatone)

An exciting album of South American solo guitar music [SW]

Popper: Complete Transcriptions for Violoncello and Piano (Paladino Music)

A valuable addition to the Popper discography and a chance to hear a Hubay rarity [RCh]

Migot: Complete Works for Guitar (Brilliant Classics)

Little known Migot given a chance to breathe again … a Fauré-like lambency and warmth [RB]

Lalo orchestral Chandos

Lalo: Orchestral Works (Chandos)

Played with sensitivity balanced by enthusiasm [JF]