rmo

Yes – we are hearing something special here [RMo]

A tame, unadventurous account of Grieg’s concerto, lacking in dynamism, and an equally pedestrian rendering of Schubert’s great pianistic challenge [RMo]

Expertly refurbished but not as sonically striking or interpretatively engaging as my favourite recordings [RMo]

A highly attractive pairing of two of the greatest string quartets, interpreted and played to perfection [RMo]

A stimulating medley of the best string music, beautifully executed [RMo]

A stream of imperturbably sedate tone, virtually devoid of characterisation [RMo]

A subtle, carefully crafted opera, beautifully sung even if in the end it lacks melodic memorability [RMo]

Ten very well-filled discs documenting six glorious decades at the Paris Opera [RMo]

An anthology of classic, highly varied recordings spanning over a quarter of a century from major music-makers [RMo]

by Ralph Moore

A first-rate pairing of two of Shostakovich’s more approachable symphonies in excellent sound [RMo]

A pleasant compilation but better recordings of almost every work here may be found elsewhere [RMo]

Another superlative rendering of a Bruckner symphony from Haitink [RMo]

A great soprano soloist and a fine choir and orchestra, very well directed, still cannot save this account from mediocrity [RMo]

A pleasing compilation of some of Tchaikovsky’s most beguiling string music featuring two premieres [RMo]

Not the most “dangerous” or consistently inspired interpretation but so much of it exhibits elegance, beauty and restraint [RMo]

A palpable improvement over the remastering of the original mono recording and a fine performance in itself [RMo]

An oddly imbalanced double bill, with an enjoyable Brahms Requiem and some unbearably rushed Bruckner [RMo]

A grand, majestic performance catching all the requisite light and shade of Bruckner’s most popular and accessible symphony [RMo]

This sole studio recording of a thoroughly entertaining opera makes a strong case for its rehabilitation [RMo]

A faintly disguised incarnation of Karajan’s classic first studio recording with the BPO, which has long been available on other labels in somewhat superior sound [RMo]

Beautifully balanced between thrilling tension and lyricism despite – or because of? – the pervasively propulsive speeds [RMo]

Thoroughly enjoyable “period-informed” performances of some favourite Haydn symphonies, light, witty and acerbic [RMo}

A beautifully sung Faust, expertly conducted and superior to the later studio recording in everything but sound [RMo]