From the Last Week

A disc of unexpected delights – delicious music played with wit and elegance [NB]

Bellatti is a skilful guide through the Ligurian organ landscape [JV]

Much here is vivid and compelling, especially with Pristine’s enhanced sound, but for me de Sabata prevails [RMo]

An enjoyable and stimulating album of recent church music [JQ]

Mostly unheard gems by less familiar composers of the Bel canto era [MP]

Another great take on Elgar’s First from a top German orchestra and their outgoing chief [PH]

Music that should be better known and will reward the listener on every hearing [SA]

(Déjà Review) Bruckner would surely have been pleased with the passionate commitment shown here [TB]

As satisfying an account of the youthful Puccini’s first success as one could wish to encounter [RMo]

An enterprising programme of premieres [LW]

Peter Moore has built on his astonishing debut and his world renown is well deserved [SA]

A stimulating and interesting musical programme, superbly performed by the Monteverdi Choir [JQ]

A thoughtfully assembled set [EJW]

This is a thoroughly entertaining release, including a really excellent mix of Williamson’s chamber music [KT]

A thought-provoking recording of Schumann and Liszt on an 1856 Erard [RMas]

(Déjà Review) This recording has been absent from the catalogues for too long [JW]

A performance which captures the absolute essence of Verdi’s masterpiece in remarkably fine sound [PSt]

A delicate, subtle, very Gallic account, beautifully engineered [RMo]

An uneven but promising start to a large-scale exhumation [SV]

A fascinating collection of cross-cultural music [GPu]

An authoritative recording of Boulez’ only quartet in its final completed form [SB]

A perfect blend of two great piano traditions from an unremembered master of the keyboard [PH]

A fine achievement which amply demonstrates the greatness of Elgar’s score [JQ]

It’s great that these performances are newly available, but sample before you buy [JW]

Delightful, typically idiosyncratic but inessential Ives [PBW]

An important Tosca from Deutsche Grammophon [PH]

Works from three continents, inspired by folk music, played on a concert grand [EJW]

An excellent live account directed by a master of this elusive work [RWe]

Clarity, fastidiousness, wit, harmonic richness, and melodic subtlety [JF]

This series goes from strength to strength – Symphony No.5 is quite a discovery [NB]

A fascinating set of rare live Fischer Dieskau performances and a chance to hear him reminisce [DHa]

A lack of documentation detracts only a little from the excellent performances [JQ]

A fine debut recording by an excellent, young recorder player [JV]

An atmospheric score from a terrific BBC series [PRJ]

Recordings that are seeing the light of day on CD for the first time, and very welcome they are too [SG]

An imaginative CD of brass band music, inspired by Beethoven, Chopin and Byrd [KT]

The Quintet certainly provides enough of interest to encourage me to look out for the other volumes in this series [BSt]

An unusual and welcome pairing [DHa]

More wonderful and neglected piano music, impeccably played [JWe]

Enduringly powerful music receiving performances of remarkable skill and insight [NB]

An important example of the rich artistic legacy of the Elder/Hallé partnership [MC]