- Klaus Tennstedt (conductor): The Complete Warner Classics Edition (Warner Classics)A seminal collection of recordings of the staple Romantic repertoire by a great conductor [RMo]
- David Oistrakh (violin, viola): Legacy (ICA Classics)(Déjà Review) Admirers of string players will warm to this DVD, and to the estimable performances preserved here [JW]
- Schaffrath: XII Soli per il cembalo (Brilliant Classics)These imaginative performances make an eloquent case for Schaffrath’s keyboard music [JV]
- Isabelle O’Connell (piano): Cocteau (Divine Art Records)A cleverly designed concept album featuring Les Six and friends [SB]
- Nancy Green (cello): Spanish & Latin Cello (Cello Classics)(Déjà Review) An enjoyable recording with wide appeal [ZT]
- 3 British Accordion Concertos (Toccata Next)Attractive, engaging British concertos for an unusual instrument [HC]
- Berlioz & Wagner: Orchestral Excerpts (SOMM Recordings)Beecham live at the Royal Festival Hall, galvanizing in Berlioz and Wagner [JW]
- Elgar from the Archives Vol 3: The Kingdom & Enigma Variations (SOMM)Valuable additions to the catalogue which expand our appreciation of composer and conductor [NB]
- The Chopin Traditions Vol 1 (Chopin University Press)Some excellent Chopin here but thin on documentation for such a promising series [RCh]
- Telemann: Concertos for recorder (arcantus)This disc displays all the qualities for which Telemann is famous [JV]
- O Virgo Benedicta: Music of Marian Devotion from Spain’s Century of Gold (Delphian)An auspicious debut disc from a fine British vocal consort [JQ]
- Leopold Stokowski (conductor) Chicago Debut Concerts (Pristine Audio)A little slice of Stokowskian debut history in these two discs [JW]
- Kaun: Symphony 2 & Sir John Falstaff – A Humoresque (cpo)Entertaining and transiently gripping but not compelling [RB]
- Tubin: The Early Years (Orchid Classics)Early Tubin translated with a conviction that lashes and flickers [RB]
- Romberg: Symphony of Saints (Resonus)Approachable, serpentine, valedictory [RB]
- Müller: Concertos for Clarinet and Orchestra (MDG)Doesn’t quite make it into the Classical clarinet pantheon [SV]
- Mozart: Don Giovanni (C Major)A fitfully interesting, ultimately disappointing Don Giovanni from Barrie Kosky [DHa]
- Bryars: Piano Concerto (Naxos)(Déjà Review) Wistful, often romantic and without flourish, and deeply intimate in reach [JW]
- Jill Crossland plays Mozart & Beethoven (Diversions)(Déjà Review) A consistent and well thought-out recital that grew on me with each listening [OL]
- Min Kwon (piano): America/Beautiful (Delos)An indispensable collection for those interested in American piano music [PRJ]
- Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets (cpo)Impressive Mendelssohn, and more so than you might expect [DC]
- Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos (Hyperion)Déjà Review) A triumph [IL]
- Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 3 (Orchid Classics)Caroline Shaw and Beethoven 3 bring Jonathan Biss’s ‘Beethoven /5’ project to a superb close [DHa]
- Zelenka & Handel: Choral Music (Prospero Classical)Outstanding performance of Zelenka’s little-known mass [JV]
- Wagner: Orchestral Music (Sony Classical)Another splendid vintage collection of Wagner overtures from two great pairs of American orchestras and conductors [RMo]
- Pelēcis: Chamber Music (SKANi)Simple, hypnotic, sweet and soothing [DJB]
- Czerny: Piano Music Vol 2 (Toccata Classics)Sparkling performances of Czerny’s brilliant duets [JF]
- Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Hallé)(Déjà Review) Strongly competitive in a hotly contested field [BW]
- Joplin: King of Ragtime (Danacord)This evergreen music would have benefited from a much simpler, more natural approach [PBW]
- Bach: St John Passion (Soli Deo Gloria)(Déjà Review) A splendid new account, which all devotees of Bach’s vocal music should try to hear [JQ]
- Elgar: Enigma Variations (Reference Recordings)Beautiful, clean recording and stylish performances, but is the orchestra large enough? [SV]
- Bach: Johannes-Passion (Alia Vox)Reflective and intimate [DF]
- Mozart: Symphony No.40; Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (Le Palais des Dégustateurs)The jury is still out on Maestro Carlos Païta [RMay]
- Cowie: Darkness into Light (Métier)Evocative, iridescent, masterfully performed chamber music [JF]
- Alwyn: Violin Concerto (Naxos)(Déjà Review) Some very impressive and often very romantic music [JF]
- Freddy Kempf (piano): Plays Rachmaninov, Bach, Ravel & Stravinsky (BIS)(Déjà Review) A perfect vehicle to showcase Freddy Kempf’s talents as a virtuoso pianist [RBe]
- Gál: The Right Tempo (Chamber Music) (Gramola)(Déjà Review) Beautifully documented, superbly played and sympathetically recorded [GH]
- Behzod Abduraimov (piano): Inferno (Alpha Classics)Hellish virtuosity meets refined musical grace [JF]
- Mahler: Symphony No 9 (Deutsche Grammophon)Sheer beauty of sound coupled with high drama in a stunning live performance [RMo]
- Manuel Tomadin (organ): Valvasone Organ Book (Da Vinci Classics)Recordings like these can make one addicted to early Italian organs and their repertoire [JV]
- Sibelius: Early Stereo Recordings, Vol 6 (First Hand Records)Some impressive performances in very impressive transfers [RB]
Reviews of Classical Music Recordings
