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Michael Cookson

Brahms: Viola Sonatas (Hyperion)

(Déjà Review) Very fine performances of these late works [MC]

mendelssohn octet delos

Mendelssohn: Octet & Sextet (Delos)

(Déjà Review) A real winner in terms of repertoire, performance, interpretation, sound quality and sheer enjoyment [MC]

Bruckner: Symphony No 3 (Myrios Classics)

An outstanding performance of Bruckner’s Third from François-Xavier Roth and his Cologne players [MC]

donizetti l'esule roma opera rara

Donizetti: L’esule di Roma (Opera Rara)

An opera overlooked for far too long is presented in the best possible light [MC]

Berg Shostakovich Ligeti Minetti Qt Hanssler HC23060

Berg, Shostakovich & Ligeti: String Quartets (Hänssler Classic)

Despite splendid playing, the Minetti Quartet faces fierce competition [MC]

Sofya Melikyan (piano): Présence lointaine (Rubicon)

An attractive homage to influential Catalan pianist Ricardo Viñes [MC]

Dvorak violin HC23057

Dvořák: Complete Works for Violin & Orchestra (Hänssler Classic)

Violinist Mikhail Pochekin performs these Dvořák works with compelling verve [MC]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 (Myrios Classics)

Roth makes an outstanding case for the original 1874 version of Bruckner’s Fourth [MC]

Bach JS: The First Cantata Year, Vol. 1 (Hänssler Classic)

This first volume in the projected series of J.S. Bach’s First Cantata Year has got off to a most auspicious start [MC]

vivaldi concertos sony

Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (Sony Classical)

(Déjà Review) Magnificent accounts to cherish [MC]

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Puccini: I Canti (BR Klassik)

Charles Castronovo breathes new life to these smart orchestrations of Puccini’s piano songs [MC]

Liszt: Orchestral Songs (Aparté)

The soloists are in fine form in this collection of Liszt’s orchestral songs in engaging period performances [MC]

Vivaldi Violin Concertos Mullova Onyx 4001

Vivaldi: Violin Concertos (Onyx)

(Déjà Review) Vivaldi, Mullova and Onyx are a winning combination [MC]

Where is my Beloved Siurina Delos DE3602

Ekaterina Siurina (soprano) Where Is My Beloved? (Delos)

I have enjoyed hearing this praiseworthy collection of ten celebrated opera arias [MC]

Stanford: Piano Quintet, String Quintet No. 1 (Hyperion)

(Déjà Review) Wonderful music and marvellously performed [MC]

Lully: Thésée (Aparté)

Lully’s Thésée sounds glorious in this period-instrument performance [MC]

Haydn pianotrios RD250423

Haydn: Piano Trios (Praga Digitals)

An album of distinction from the Guarneri Trio Prague [MC]

Tchaikovsky Sym 5 Mehta BR Klassik 900207

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 5 (BR Klassik)

These are striking performances of Tchaikovsky’s renowned Fifth Symphony and Liszt’s Mazeppa [MC]

lekeu franck dupre-austrian gramophone

Lekeu, Franck & Dupré: Violin Sonatas (Austrian Gramophone)

Commendable performances of palpable sincerity [MC]

scarlatti cantatas deutsche harmonia mundi

A Scarlatti: Cantatas (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi)

(Déjà Review) Intense and concentrated scores that will undoubtedly bring much pleasure [MC]

br klassik hindemith cardillac

Hindemith: Cardillac (BR Klassik)

This concert performance of Cardillac makes a strong case for the opera [MC]

La Belle Homicide Naive E8880

La Belle Homicide – Lute Music (Naïve)

(Déjà Review) I urge listeners who wouldn’t normally purchase a recital of lute works to hear this superlative recording [MC]

Brahms: Violin Sonatas (Hänssler Classic)

Worthy accounts of the Brahms violin sonatas on period instruments [MC]

saint-saens chamber apex

Saint-Saëns: Chamber Works (Apex)

(Déjà Review) Simply wonderful chamber works superbly performed [MC]