A Byzantine Emperor at King Henry’s Court (Cappella Records)
A spellbinding confrontation of liturgical music from two traditions – a perfect ‘alternative’ for Christmastide [JV]
A Piano Christmas in the 1920s (Lyrichord)
(Déjà Review) An enjoyable and unabashed collection [JW]
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker (Opus Arte)
(Déjà Review) Truly magical – the ideal family Christmas present [IL]
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos 1-9 (Dynamic)
Some good things here, but as a whole this is not competitive [SB]
Il castrato del granduca – Arias for Gaetano Berenstadt (Glossa)
A highly interesting collection of rare baroque arias [GF]
Brahms: Die schöne Magelone (Genuin)
The best case for Brahms’s song cycle [DF]
Bruce Liu (piano): Waves (Deutsche Grammophon)
An intriguing programme with much to enjoy even if it does not quite add up [DMD]
Ullmann: Little Cakewalk – Lieder (Gramola)
Over an hour of distressing singing sabotages this song selection [JW]
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No 2 (Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings)
In all respects, a worthy 150th anniversary tribute to Rachmaninov [JQ]
Praetorius: Lutheran Mass for Christmas Morning (Archiv Produktion)
(Déjà Review) A refreshing antidote to all those unimaginative festive compilations [DM]
Berlioz: L’Enfance du Christ (Hyperion)
(Déjà Review) A performance to love and to cherish [SV]
Wordsworth, Wilson & McGuire: Piano Works (Heritage)
Impressive performances all around [JF]
Sirventès – Chamber Music by Iranian female composers (New Focus)
Deserves to be heard by all who are interested in contemporary chamber music [GPu]
Mozart: Don Juan (Narodowy Institut Fryderyka Chopin)
A fine performance of an oddball Bizet curiosity, but Mozart’s orchestration and vocal variety are sorely missed [MZ]
Haydn: Late Symphonies, Vol 2 (Naxos)
Thrilling second instalment of Haydn’s ‘London’ Symphonies [DF]
Gnattali: Piano Music (Nimbus Records)
Brazilian music owes a lot to Radamés Gnattali and this is an excellent showcase of his piano music [RCh]
Agata-Maria Raatz (violin, voice) Echo of Bach (Solo Musica)
A strange, uneven but enjoyable disc lit up by the violinist’s own compositions [DMD]
Anne Sofie von Otter: Lieder and Mélodies (Archiv Produktion)
(Déjà Review) A most satisfying recital by major artists in repertoire which expands our understanding of the composers [TB]
Julens ljus (The Light of Christmas) (Proprius)
(Déjà Review) I suspect that many listeners will make attractive ‘finds’ among these 24 songs and the execution of them leaves little extra to be desired [GF]
Gibbs: String quartets (Convivium)
Dappled watercolours from a minor British chamber composer [JW]
Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin (Rubicon)
A fresh and stimulating alternative reading of Schubert’s masterwork that I urge readers to give a try [GF]
1723 Bach, Bertali, Biber, Corelli & Pisendel (Ramée)
A nice demonstration of the practice of ‘playing in the organ’ [JV]
Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos, Rhapsody (Channel Classics)
An individual, quite impressive view of these masterworks [RWe]
A Winter Breviary – Choral Works for Christmas (Resonus Classics)
A stimulating collection of new Christmas music, immaculately performed [JQ]
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