Sibelius: Symphonies 3 & 6, Stravinsky: Violin Concerto (Avie)
(Déjà Review) A wonderful testament to the talents of the Northern Sinfonia [CC]
Anne-Lise Polchlopek (mezzo-soprano) Gracias a la vida (Fuga Libera)
An excellent debut from a young mezzo-soprano, of whom I’d like to hear a lot more [PT]
Bax: The Blessed Damozel (EM Records)
A well-planned and exceptionally generous recital compromised by a very flawed recording and less than convincing performance choices [NB]
Caetani & Fano: Violin Sonatas (Brilliant Classics)
Two rare Italian violin sonatas from the 1890s make for contrasting listening [JW]
Tippett, Britten & Walton: Works for Piano & Orchestra (BIS)
A must-have programme for seekers of rarely performed mid-20th century British repertoire [DC]
Shostakovich: Symphony 4 (BIS)
A great performance of a symphony among Shostakovich’s greatest [TB]
Rota: Symphonies 1 & 2 (Chandos)
The best non-mainstream works I have heard in a long while [DJB]
Vogler: Scala Symphony & Overtures (cpo)
Some fun new music from that neglected period between ‘Classical’ and ‘Romantic’ [DC]
Bizet/Gounod/Saint-Saëns: Premières symphonies (Alpha Classics)
A charming trio of French first symphonies – not major music, but beautifully played and exuding good humour [RMo]
Eduard Tubin: Chamber Music (MDG)
A successful Tubin mixed chamber selection, with two sonatas sharing disc space with some novelties. [JW]
Beauty Veil’d: Berkeley Ensemble (EM Records)
A wholly enjoyable and well-performed programme with McEwen the highlight [NB]
Roman: The Swedish Virtuoso (Proprius)
(Déjà Review) In every respect a superb disc [GF]
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Below par recording, uninspired playing [DM]
Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas (Deutsche Grammophon)
(Déjà Review) Extremely rewarding … this disc puts itself firmly back in the front line [TH]
Mahler: Symphonies 4 & 8 (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Incredible, intriguing, and worth a hearing [EML]
Ravel: Orchestral Works & Song Cycles (L’Auditori)
A mixed bag of excellent orchestral works and less satisfying song cycles [RMo]
Howells: Psalms and Psalm Preludes (Regent Recordings)
Admirers of Herbert Howells’ music should consider this a mandatory purchase [JQ]
The Eule Organ: Magdalen College, Oxford (Convivium Records)
Magdalen’s Eule organ: a monument to musical continuity and change [JF]
Rubinstein: Piano music (Naxos)
Characteristically virtuosic and big boned rarities from this not-very-Russian-sounding Russian [RCh]
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Lili Boulanger: D’un soir triste (Avi-Music)
A competent, somewhat episodic account of no special distinction [RMo]
Lehmann: A Brilliant Destiny (La Boîte à Pépites)
A selection of Liza Lehmann’s songs in excellent performances [JQ]
Gardner: Complete Organ Music Vol. 2 (Toccata Classics)
A splendid addition to Winpenny’s and Gardner’s discographies [WK]
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Pristine Audio)
With Pristine’s remastering, this becomes a worthy alternative to more modern recordings [GF]
Martinů: Cello Concerti (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) For a disc of these works, this could hardly be bettered [LW]
