rmo

The famous Vespers, beautifully sung and more intimate than usual but with no lack of gravitas [RMo]

A fine, sensitive account but one which underplays some of the key points of tension [RMo]

A survey by Ralph Moore

Yet another superb Bruckner recording from a flawless Tokyo orchestra [RMo]

Another potentially engaging recording, fatally compromised by the conductor’s ill-disciplined vocal intrusiveness [RMo]

Superb playing and engineering; any reservations will centre upon the desirability of the programme [RMo]

A wholly viable interpretation of indestructible integrity [RMo]

Pristine’s typically successful remastering into Ambient Stereo helps appreciate afresh the virtues of this classic recording [RMo]

A welcome re-issue of three justly famous Strauss recordings in superb sound [RMo]

Vital, elegant, discreetly period accounts of some delightful music but also some short on originality or inspiration [RMo]

The complete recorded output of a great but neglected soprano – with a fine bonus [RMo]

Bland interpretations further compromised by compressed digital sound – stick to classic, vintage accounts [RMo]

Pristine illuminates afresh a vintage account of a perennial favourite, always very listenable but now even better [RMo]

A wholly successful compilation of deeply melancholy and Romantic melodies for those with a sweet tooth [RMo]

Stellar singing but scanty recording information and some tracks are in poor sound [RMo]

These live recordings form a tribute to one of the great voices of the past quarter-century [RMo]

A fine pairing from two English conductors and orchestras, immersed in the idiom but in their very different ways [RMo]

Another winner in this series of Sibelius symphonies, suites and tone poems [RMo]

Astonishing virtuoso playing in a highly empathic partnership – the best modern accounts I know [RMo]

Clarity, flexibility, detail and beautiful playing here but inconsistent as a set; some symphonies are superlative, others lack excitement [RMo]

Fine performances somewhat compromised by indifferent sound [RMo]

Serene accounts characterised by beauty of tone and homogeneity of phrasing [RMo]

A fine, flexible, sensitive reading somewhat hampered by a lack of sheer weight in the orchestra [RMo]

Essentially unsatisfying accounts of two favourite Berlioz works [Rmo]