sa

Steve Arloff

Shostakovich sym8 BISSACD1483

Shostakovich: Symphony 8 (BIS)

An interesting and highly individual performance worth hearing. [SA]

Lukaszewski Musica Profana 4 DUX

Łukaszewski: Musica Profana 4 (DUX)

The perfect introduction to a composer who not only writes beautiful music but also tugs on the heartstrings [SA]

Hevel Wachowski Dux

Hevel: Polish piano works of the 20th and 21st centuries (Dux)

Wachowski’s excellent selection of works makes for a disc I shall be enjoying for a long time to come [SA]

Smaldone: What no one else sees… (New Focus Recordings)

Music with a strong spirit of innovation and spontaneity [SA]

Chiaroscuro Blue Griffin

Chiaroscuro (Blue Griffin Records)

A fascinating programme, capable of weaving a magic all of its own [SA]

Debussy StringQuartetsandSonatas Hyperion.jpg

Debussy: String Quartets and Sonatas (Hyperion)

Combines the wonderful world of Debussy with the superb playing of the Nash Ensemble [SA]

Can Çakmur (piano): Schubert+ Volume 4 (BIS)

Luminous and insightful, supple and fluid playing, crisp and clear sound [SA]

Orion Weiss ARCIII First Hand

Arc III: Brahms and Schubert piano works (First Hand Records)

The way Orion Weiss plays reflects his love of the works he has chosen [SA]

FrenchTrios HC23045

French Piano Trios (Hänssler Classic)

The obvious enjoyment in playing together here results in committed performances that delight the ear [SA]

Trio Contrasti: Epochs & Cultures in Dialogue (Oehms Classics)

Interesting repertoire, excellent playing [SA]

Exile Alpha1110

Exile (Alpha Classics)

The playing by both soloists and Camerata Bern is faultless [SA]

Kaleidoscope GP944

Kaleidoscope – Contemporary Piano Music by Female Composers (Grand Piano)

This is a disc to savour through repeated hearings [SA]

Ukrainian Preludes: Silvansky, Gozenpud & Yakhnina (Hänssler Classic)

Once heard, these works are difficult to ignore; this is an altogether magnificent disc [SA]

Pipkov v2 TOCC0744

Pipkov: Complete Piano Music Vol 2 (Toccata Classics)

I have eagerly awaited Volume 2 and am thrilled to have it now as it certainly doesn’t disappoint [SA]

Bardanashvili Piano Music TYXArt TXA23182

Bardanashvili: Complete Piano Music (TYXart)

A perfect introduction to the music of this fascinating composer [SA]

Gruodis: Piano music (Toccata)

There is much to discover from the ‘Father of Lithuanian Music’ [SA]

Magi TOCC0741

Ester Mägi: Complete Songs for Female Voice (Toccata Classics)

We are unlikely ever to come across a finer exemplar of this music [SA]

Alexander & Nikolay Tcherepnin: Complete Works for Violin and Piano Volume 1 (Grand Piano)

A valuable addition to the recorded legacy of the Tcherepnins’ contribution to the joy of music [SA]

Smyth beach LNT114

Smyth, Beach & Spain-Dunk: String Quartets (Lorelt)

I cannot remember a record I’ve enjoyed more this year or one I felt compelled to listen to time after time [SA]

Gál: Works for Violin and Orchestra (cpo)

This joy of a disc will help increase Gál’s popularity [SA]

Balkan v1 TOCN0034

The Balkan Piano Vol 1 (Toccata Classics)

Fabulous music, a worthy champion [SA]

Jean-Paul Gasparian (piano): Origins (Naïve)

A brilliant introduction to Armenian piano music [SA]

thomas pitfield his friends contemporaries music for soprano recorder oboe strings harp

Thomas Pitfield, His Friends and Contemporaries (Divine Art)

An appropriately inspired selection of works that illustrate brilliant compositional skills [SA]

ewald tcherepnin brass cpo

Ewald & Tcherepnin: Brass Quintets (cpo)

A surprising and captivating disc, played with obvious glee [SA]