Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 3 & 4 (Fineline)
Excellent performances from the young Nikolai Lugansky [WH]
Pilgrimage: The Musical Journey of Kryštof Harant (Supraphon)
A unique coming together of Czech and Turkish renaissance music [GH]
Raff: Die Eifersüchtigen (Naxos)
A delightful and musically substantial premier recording [MP]
Mischa Elman (violin): Complete HMV Recordings (Biddulph)
Elman in glowing pre-war Concerto recordings in London [JW]
Schubert: Octets (Decca)
A beautifully engineered recording which simply exudes the joy of music-making [RMo]
Widor & Lalo: Cello Concertos (Solaire)
The Widor concerto is quite a discovery [DC]
Auric: Phèdre, Le Peintre et son modèle (Timpani)
(Déjà Review) Lovely music bound to please those already enthralled by Markevitch, Stravinsky and Bliss [RB]
Beethoven: Piano Works (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Schnabel’s “Diabelli” set interpretative and intellectual standards which are a daunting challenge to all that followed [CH]
Benjamin Appl (baritone) The Christmas Album (Alpha Classics)
This disc will certainly be my favourite Yuletide companion for years to come [GF]
Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Chandos)
Cool, restrained and beautifully played in Nordic style [RMo]
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 2 & 3 (Amchara Classical)
Well conceived and beautifully played performances from South America [NB]
R Strauss: Tag und nacht (Supraphon)
A disc of Strauss songs that’s fine, but unremarkable in light of the competition [ST]
Rutter: Brass at Christmas (Naxos)
This album is a gem from start to finish and will make many listeners’ Christmases merry [KT]
Busch: Chamber Music (Lyrita)
Lyrical and traditional but invigorating chamber works [JW]
Alkan: Organ Works Vol 1 (Toccata Classics)
Works of stature and originality [PCW]
Chopin: Études – (Transc. Godowsky) (Warner Classics)
Starts with brief, polite applause and finishes with rapturous cheering, something I would have been actively joining in [TH]
Dvořák: Symphonies Nos 7-9 (Pentatone)
Strong Dvořák performances for the Year of Czech Music, but they’re expensive in light of the competition [ST]
Fauré: The Complete Works (Erato)
Erato marks the centenary of Fauré’s death with a big box that mines his discography in all its richness [JW]
Franck: Symphony and Fauré: Pélleas et Mélisande (Deutsche Grammophon)
A look back at favourites from France in Barenboim’s Berlin return [PH]
Handel: Il Messia (cpo)
Perhaps little more than an abridged curiosity, but mostly well done within the limitations of the form [RMo]
Hesketh: Hände – Music for Piano (Paladino Music)
A programme infused with qualities of permanence and necessity [DC]
Viadana: Sacri Concentus (Passacaille)
An exciting disc that leaves one wanting more [JV]
Love from a Stranger – Four British Film Scores (NMC)
This is an extraordinary album – outstanding readings, a detailed recording set in a generously broad acoustic [DW]
Holmboe: Symphonies Nos 11-13 (BIS)
(Déjà Review) Drama and skill, production values of the highest … a major voice in the symphonic canon of the twentieth century [JW]
 |
 |
Featured Naxos review |
 |
 |
 |
 |
