Mozart
Carl Schuricht in New York (Archipel)
Schuricht leads the Vienna orchestra with surety and command [JW]
Aline van Barentzen (piano) Radio Archives Edition (Meloclassic)
Pianophiles will warmly embrace this latest addition to the Meloclassic roster [SG]
Opus V: Keyboard works by Mozart and J C Bach (Ars Produktion)
One of the best recordings of Mozart’s concertos [JV]
Grigory Sokolov (piano) Purcell and Mozart (Deutsche Grammophon)
Authoritative and heartfelt performances, warmly recommended [SG]
Mozart: Piano Concerti No.17, 21 (Deutsche Grammophon)
(Déjà Review) Tremendous, life-affirming Mozart playing, marking Pollini’s welcome return to this territory [CC]
Aline van Barentzen (piano) Radio Archives Edition (Meloclassic)
An absolute feast of piano recordings that greatly expands our knowledge of a pianist who has been very undeservedly forgotten [RCh]
Mozart: Serenades (Berlin Classics)
Rapturous: two Mozart Serenatas composed (and recorded) in Salzburg [DF]
Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra – The Early Years Vol. 5 (Pristine Audio)
Excellent restorations of Ormandy’s ‘World’s Greatest Music’ recordings of the late-30s [JW]
Earliest French Piano Recordings (APR)
A splendidly remastered and historically important tranche of piano recordings [JW]
Jascha Heifetz (violin) ‘Live’ Recordings (Biddulph)
Heifetz caught live in broadcasts playing some discographic novelties into the bargain [JW]
The Earliest French Piano Recordings (APR)
A perfect picture of French pianism in the early part of the twentieth century [RCh]
Edith Peinemann (violin) Radio Archives Edition (Meloclassic)
A set to treasure [SG]
David Oistrakh (violin): The Warner Remastered Edition (Warner Classics)
A massive celebratory David Oistrakh box features strikingly good remasterings of his HMV legacy and a vast array of live and broadcast material [JW]
Mozart: Piano Concerti Nos 1-4 (Chandos)
Performances to encourage an investigation of Mozart’s rarely played apprenticeship to the piano concerto trade [MG]
Mozart: Fantasy (Naïve)
A disc of happy surprises with playing throughout that evinces warmth and sensitivity [SG]
Next Generation Mozart Soloists Vol 10 (Alpha Classics)
A showcase for the superb ‘Next Generation Mozart soloists’, a little flawed by the use of a hackneyed 19th century version of the Sinfonia concertante [MG]
Mozart: Requiem (Harmonia Mundi)
Pichon’s inventive programming and superb musicianship make this recording stand out in a crowded field [SSc]
Aleksandra Kurzak (soprano): Falcon (Aparté)
Aleksandra Kurzak is in striking form with an album of arias sung by legendary French soprano Cornélie Falcon [MC]
Kolisch Quartet: Mozart, Schubert & Schumann (Biddulph)
Fine transfers of the Kolisch Quartet’s 1930s discography [JW]
Mozart: Fantasias & Sonatas (Apex)
Absolutely first-rate Mozart keyboard playing [PSh]
Edwin Fischer (piano) The 1949 and 1951 Salzburg Concerts (Maestro Editions)
The humane art of Edwin Fischer, heard live at the Salzburg Festival [JW]
Frederick Stock (conductor) Chicago Symphony Vol. 4 (Pristine Audio)
An absorbing study of an unjustly neglected body of recordings continues [JW]
Huw Montague Rendall (baritone): Contemplation (Erato)
Superb, sensuous, subtle singing from a highly gifted British lyric baritone [RMo]
Arthur Grumiaux (violin) Live Concert Performances (Meloclassic)
The epitome of violin playing, with interpretations thoughtful and profound [SG]