Fresh instalments in two hotly-followed series this month - Kristian Bezuidenhout's seventh volume of Mozart and Mark Elder's luminous account of Vaughan Williams' haunting third symphony with the Hallé.
Grigory Sokolov's Salzburg Recital (his first recording for many years) also features, as do a pair of contrasting Bach releases. Piotr Anderszewski gives an unashamedly contemporary performance of three of the English Suites on the piano, while the Academy of Ancient Music under Richard Egarr breathe life into the four Orchestral Suites as only they can.
Recording of the Month
JS Bach: English Suites
Piotr Anderszewski
'This is a glorious disc. Simply glorious... at every turn, he harnesses the possibilities of the piano in the service of Bach; the result is a clear labour of love.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Editor's Choices
JS Bach: Orchestral Suites
Academy of Ancient Music/Richard Egarr
'He presents the Bach Suites as elevated chamber music...What I like about Egarr is the way middle voices are liberated and integrated into the overall texture...All in all, a feast of meaningfully understated musicianship. I loved it.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Veracini: Adriano in Siria
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi
'This live Vienna Konzerthaus recording crackles along with theatrical conviction; Europa Galante obviously relish strongly contrasted sequences of arias that are rich in virtuoso detail and pack plenty of theatrical punch.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Au Sainct nau
Ensemble Clément Janequin, Trio Musica Humana, Dominique Visse
'The ensemble continues to do what it does best but retains a freshness and questing spirit that sometimes eludes groups of comparable vintage, a sense of joyous music-making that marked them out from the start and which they've never lost.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vol. 7
Kristian Bezuidenhout
'Hearing the discs themselves, one can hardly take one's ears off the performances because they go so far inside the music and reverse much of what you thought you knew...Bezuidenhout's elastic tempi give him room to probe for meaning.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Chopin Etudes
Zlata Chochieva
'All I can say is that in each of the 27 studies Chochieva comes as close as anyone to how I hear the ideal performance in my head...No details are overlooked yet without drawing undue attention to them.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Penderecki: Chamber Works, Vol. 1
Roman Widaszek, Tadeusz Tomaszewski, Maria Machowska et al
'These fine performances have been excellently recorded at the European Music Centre in Lusławice, and heard together in this way cast an unusual and fascinating light on Penderecki's work. Highly recommended.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Mozart: Divertimenti
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Wind Soloists
'Like all the best ensembles in this music, they strike a nice balance between chamber-musical refinement and rustic earthiness...the lusty contredanse finales exude an impish glee. I fancy Mozart would have smiled in approval.'
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3
Hallé Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder
'Abetted by uncommonly articulate orchestral playing, the performance of the Pastoral Symphony evinces a glowing dedication, remarkable luminosity of texture, songful rapture and emotional clout that mark it out as a front-runner.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The Salzburg Recital
Grigory Sokolov
'It's an overused word, but he is inimitable. His Chopin Preludes, for example, have no time for the notion of a freely Romantic melodic line being kept in check by a Classical accompaniment...The Mozart is treasurable too.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
DVD
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
'Here we have something very special, and a good deal more than 'just another Mahler Ninth'...This Leipzig Ninth is Chailly off the leash, liberating the music in a way that is impassioned, positive, fitfully fractured and often ethereal.'
Available format: DVD Video
