Légende – Solo harp works (Claves)
A consistently engaging anthology of ‘romantic’ music for solo harp, all perceptively played [GPu]
Schumann: Chamber works with wind instruments (B Records)
Minor Schumann, but very pleasant listening [SB]
Bax: String Quartets Nos 1 & 2 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) You must hear this! One of 2001’s top ten classical discs. Roll on the Naxos/Maggini Third Quartet – a work of symphonic impact and scale [RB]
Popes and Antipopes (Metronome)
(Déjà Review) There were times listening to this deeply impressive recording when I wondered whether the Orlando Consort were not, after all, the greatest ensemble of its kind anywhere. It’s that kind of disc [JW]
Vaughan Williams – A Birthday Garland (SOMM Recordings)
A fine representative collection; no more rustic accents, please [JW]
Klaus Tennstedt: Possessed by Music (Self-published)
Like Klaus Tennstedt himself, Georg Wübbolt’s biography is flawed, but fascinating [NC]
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Pristine Audio)
A great performance revitalised in extraordinarily vivid sound – another Pristine remastering triumph [RMo]
Tartini: Violin Sonatas (Signum Classics)
Chandler fully explores the lyrical qualities of Tartini’s sonatas [JV]
C Stamitz: Cello Concertos (Claves)
(Déjà Review) Wonderfully wrought works, full of catchy, instantly memorable melody and magnificently harmonious [TM]
Tchaikovsky & Rachmaninov: Piano Trios (BIS)
(Déjà Review) Playing of great intelligence, intellectual rigour and keen spontaneity [TH]
Michael Spyres (tenor) In The Shadows (Erato)
I enjoyed some unhackneyed repertoire and the marvellous singing [GF]
Samuel Barber: His Life and Legacy (University of Illinois Press)
A first class study, well worth tracking down [SG]
Interconexiones – recital (Oboe Classics)
Contemporary Spanish-focused oboe quartets in a range of styles [JW]
Vivaldi: Sonatas for 2 Violins (Brilliant Classics)
Idiosyncratic performances of pared-down music by Vivaldi [CR]
Schubert: Mayrhofer-Lieder Volume 2 (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) An outstanding contribution to lieder on record [CH]
Turina: Serenata, String Quartet, Las Musas de Andalucía (Claves)
(Déjà Review) Each work is well worth hearing, and the Serenata is considerably more than that [CW]
Collection Grands Motets No 9: Lully – Te Deum Vol 4 (Château de Versailles)
The final disc in a series of four devoted to Lully’s choral motets [JV]
Lloyd: The Symphonies No 7-12 (Lyrita)
The second tranche of reissues of Lloyd conducting Lloyd [JW]
Britten: Violin Concerto (Orfeo)
An eloquent performance of the main work with an interesting early work to complement it [SB]
Satie: Piano Works (RCA)
(Déjà Review) Remarkably subtle, giving due weight where required without missing any sense of fun [TH]
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Erato)
(Déjà Review) A dramatic rendition of Ruy Blas completes this most appealing new issue [TB]
Karchin: Keyboards/Winds (Bridge Records)
A rewarding sampler of work by a consistently interesting composer, uniformly well-played and recorded [GPu]