dmd

David McDade

Bartok Mandarin Suite SQ3 Welser-Most Cleveland Orch TCO0011D

Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Suite and String Quartet No 3 (The Cleveland Orchestra)

Stunning playing reveals there’s more to the Mandarin than brutality [DMD]

sorabji toccata PCL10304

Sorabji: Toccata Terza (Piano Classics)

Behind its forbidding walls lies a garden of unexpected delights [DMD]

Beethoven: Complete Piano Trios (Bridge Records)

Performance that are as sparkling as they are wise [DMD]

Prokofiev: Symphony No 6 (The Cleveland Orchestra)

More superb Prokofiev from Welser-Möst’s wonderful Clevelanders [DMD]

Haydn: 16 Early Keyboard Sonatas (Da Vinci Classics)

Consummate understanding of what makes these early works tick [DMD]

strohl orchestral boite

Strohl: Orchestral Music (La Boîte à Pépites)

What a discovery these ravishing, mystical scores are! [DMD]

Five Elements Acqua v1 Da Vinci C00821

Five Elements Vol 1: Acqua – piano recital (Da Vinci Classics)

An outstanding recital showcasing a formidable technique; let down by poor sound [DMD]

medtner piano

Medtner: Piano Music Vol. 5 (Private Release)

Another splendid addition to a series that demands to be heard [DMD]

beethoven quartets vernon

Beethoven: The String Quartets (Candle Row Press)

A lively introduction to this music written with humour, erudition and enthusiasm [DMD]

messiaen canyons seattle

Messiaen: Des Canyons aux Étoiles (Seattle Symphony Media)

This gorgeous recording now becomes my prime recommendation [DMD]

Turnage: Shroud, Winter’s Edge (Delphian)

Turnage takes his place in the English pastoral tradition [DMD]

dvorak trios suprahon

Dvořák: The Complete Piano Trios (Supraphon)

If this doesn’t win every award going I will be astonished [DMD]

Nature broman ABCD473

Recharged by Nature. Contemporary Nordic Works (Alba)

Delightful new music to recharge even the most jaded listener [DMD]

Cordelia Williams (piano): Cascade (SOMM Recordings)

Simply wonderful piano playing [DMD]

Mompou: Música callada – ­Books 1-4 (Hyperion)

Like the cool stone of a monastery on a scorching hot Spanish summer’s afternoon [DMD]

bartok concertos alpha

Bartók: Concertos (Alpha Classics)

This performance has completely revised my view of the Viola Concerto [DMD]

shostakovich violin cedille

Dependent Rising (Cedille)

Magnetically communicative music given electric performances [DMD]

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé (Chandos)

Wilson and Co triumph yet again [DMD]

Tchaikovsky sym4 TCO0009D

Tchaikovsky: Symphony 4 (The Cleveland Orchestra Recordings)

A mismatch between conductor and composition however well it is played [DMD]

Ades Alchymia Orchid ORC100264

Adès: Alchymia (Orchid Classics)

Gorgeous, autumnal music that shows that contemporary music doesn’t bite! [DMD]

adams darkness cold blue

JL Adams: Darkness and Scattered Light (Cold Blue Music)

Deep resonant scores that explore darkness, physical and spiritual [DMD]

Bruce Liu (piano): Waves (Deutsche Grammophon)

An intriguing programme with much to enjoy even if it does not quite add up [DMD]

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]

Rachmaninov Piano Alpha

Rachmaninov: Piano works (Alpha)

A treat for Rachmaninov enthusiasts [DMD]