Hartmann: Piano Works Volume 5 (Danacord)
Trondhjem continues exploring the pleasant piano music of this long-lived Dane [RCh]
Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music (Albion Records)
This important historical document must be judged on its own terms [JF]
Pejačević: Chamber music (Brilliant Classics)
A new recording highlights the lyricism and structural strength of Pejačević’s chamber music [JW]
Gloire immortelle! Grandes oeuvres patriotiques (Château de Versailles)
A pleasant romp through the realm of French patriotic music and beyond [MP]
Shostakovich: Chamber Symphonies (BIS)
(Déjà Review) This is a challenging and absorbing listening experience [PJL]
Tcherepnin: Three generations of Chamber Works (Capriccio)
Nikolai’s quartet and Alexander’s piano quintet are the stand-out works here [SB]
Schubert: Winterreise (Genuin)
An imaginative and thoroughly rewarding re-working of Schbert’s Winterreise for voice, chorus and two accordions [PT]
Ponchielli: La Gioconda (Decca)
Perhaps not the finest La Gioconda recording but a deeply satisfying one nonetheless [MP]
Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: Choral Works (Chandos)
A full-blooded account of Mendelssohn’s weird pagan ballad, although his sister’s works will reward the curious listener in equal measure [RH]
Les Hautbois à la Chambre du Roi (Ricercar)
A fascinating picture of music at the time of Louis XIV [JV]
Jarrell: Orchestral Works (BIS)
Gripping, inventive, often beautiful music in superb performance and recording [HC]
A Scarlatti: The Cecilian Vespers (Avie)
(Déjà Review) The most exciting high baroque choral vocal music you will hear anywhere [PSh]
Rossini: La donna del lago (C Major)
Rossini standards held high in a new production of The Lady of the Lake [PCG]
Purcell: The Fairy Queen (Harmonia Mundi)
This 35-year-old recording is still a worthy competitor in a crowded field and the sound comes up as fresh as new paint [GF]
Lekeu: Complete Piano Works (Piano Classics)
Jacopo Salvatori has truly dedicated himself to this music [WK]
Strauss: Die Ägyptische Helena (Decca)
Not ideal in every respect, this recording is a fine achievement nonetheless [MP]
Goldberg & WF Bach: Trio sonatas (Audax)
Brilliant performances of Goldberg’s trio sonatas and a little-known piece by WF Bach [JV]
Recharged by Nature – Contemporary Nordic Works (Alba)
Two magnificent, distinctively folk-tinged concertos are vividly brought to life [RHa]
Ad Tenebras (Artway Records)
New repertoire from 16th and 17th Century Portuguese liturgical music, beautifully performed [RMo]
Reich: Different trains, Triple Quartet, The Four Sections (Naïve)
A must-have for any serious music lover [KS]
Prokofiev: Cinderella (Opus Arte)
Frederick Ashton’s pioneering ballet returns to Covent Garden in a brand new production [RMay]
Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 (ICA Classics)
The Shostakovich symphony receives a performance worthy of its stature [JQ]
Puccini: Symphonic Suites (Signum Classics)
Newly edited Puccini operatic suites receive glowing performances [PCG]