Scarlatti: Sonatas (BIS)

(Déjà Review) A pianist to watch out for, and a recording that need not fear critical listening [ED]

Wagner: Die Feen (Orfeo)

A very fine cast and excellent sound makes this a decent version of Wagner’s difficult first opera [MP]

Tchaikovsky & Korngold: String Sextets (Hyperion)

Two great Romantic string sextets played with the Nash Ensemble’s usual brilliance [NB]

Rossini: Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra (Naxos)

Rossini’s rarely performed Elizabethan opera is given a lacklustre performance in the latest in Naxos’s Rossini Wildbad series [PT]

Adila Fachiri and Marie Soldat (violin): (Biddulph)

Fachiri, Tovey and Soldat: historic recordings freighted with significance [JW]

Delius: Eine Messe des Lebens (LAWO Classics)

An outstanding recording of Eine Messe des Lebens [JQ]

Beethoven: Complete Piano Trios (Bridge Records)

Excellent performances, engaging and rewarding [SG]

Rimsky-Korsakov & Stravinsky: Scheherazade, Song of the Nightingale (Sony Classical)

(Déjà Review) Sumptuous, exciting and wonderfully sensuous [IL]

Raff: String Quartets 6 & 7 (cpo)

(Déjà Review) A talented and wholly convincing composer, able to adapt classical principles and romantic ends [TB}

Gal concertinos HC23049

Gál: Concertinos (Hännsler Classic)

A fine addition to Gál’s discography [WK]

Tchaikovsky fatum CHSA5331

Tchaikovsky: Orchestral works (Chandos)

A very well played anthology of what is not Tchaikovsky’s most memorable or celebrated music [RMo]

Hermann vol3 TOCC0623

Hermann: Complete Surviving Music Vol. 3 (Toccata Classics)

A fitting finale to the three-volume Hermann series; a carousel of small pleasures [JW]

Weber oberon 09026685052

Weber: Oberon (RCA)

Weber’s magical score is lovingly presented on this fine set [MP]

Prokofiev nevsky VOXNX3033CD

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky (Vox)

Splendid performances on this Vox reissue, but the Lt. Kije Suite is the less popular vocal version [RC]

Italie Mandolin ArcanaA552

Un air d’Italie: the mandolin in Paris in the 18th century (Arcana)

No-one with a fondness for the mandolin should miss this engaging disc [GPu]

Michelangeli mozart CD1147

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano) Mozart & Beethoven (Music & Arts)

A must-hear for Michelangeli fans, and indeed for all lovers of great pianism [CC]

Poulenc organ 2564619122

Poulenc, Duruflé & Alain: Organ Works (Apex)

An imaginatively planned programme, performed with dedication and total accomplishment [GPJ]

Stravinsky Violin Concerto Ehnes Chandos SACD CHSA5340

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto, Apollon Musagète (Chandos)

Superb recordings of all the works here [SB]

Wennakoski Zeng Avanti Alba ABCD529

Wennäkoski: Zeng (Alba)

A fine survey of Wennäkoski’s chamber music in good performances and recording [HC]

Bruckner Symph 2 1872ver Poschner Capriccio C8093

Bruckner: Symphony 2 (Capriccio)

A crisp, rhythmically alert account, making a wholly persuasive case for the original version of Bruckner’s Second Symphony [RMo]

Take3 Kopatchinskaja Alpha 772

Take 3 (Alpha Classics)

Uproarious music-making, not to be taken too seriously [LW]

Vaughan Williams Birthday Garland Somm CD0683

Vaughan Williams: A Birthday Garland (SOMM Recordings)

Lovers of English song should not hesitate: acquire this disc and gatecrash Uncle Ralph’s musical party [JQ]

Bertin Fausto Rousset Bru Zane BZ1054

Bertin: Fausto (Bru Zane)

A long-lost operatic curiosity. Well-performed but recorded harshly, with no sense of stage atmosphere [MP]

Brahms Sextets Menuhin Gendron Aronowitz EMI CDE5749572

Brahms: Sextets No 1 & No 2 (EMI Classics)

(Déjà Review) The quite wonderful playing of No 1, in particular, makes this an essential disc [CH]