Among today's new releases, harpsichordist Andreas Staier elects to perform the second part of Bach's Wohltemperiertes Klavier as the initial recording of a planned diptych – a topsy-turvy decision, but rest assured that there's nothing disjointed about his confident, sonically adventurous performance. The LSO's principal horn, oboe and clarinet present Mozart concertos and wind chamber music; Trio con Brio Copenhagen take us on a journey from late-Romantic Russia to the depths of the Second World War through piano trios by Shostakovich and Arensky; and soprano Jeanine De Bique presents a series of twin reflections on operatic characters – Handel's version of Alcina contrasted with Broschi's, his Agrippina with Telemann's, and more.
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
Consummate Brucknerian Christian Thielemann leads the Wiener Philharmoniker in perhaps Bruckner’s most popular symphony – the mighty Romantic. A magical statement of the opening horn solo sets the tone for a performance full of life, with the entire section taking a starring role in the vivacious “Hunting Scherzo”.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Mozart: Wind Concertos
Timothy Jones (horn), Olivier Stankiewicz (oboe), Andrew Marriner (clarinet), London Symphony Orchestra, Jaime Martín
A collection of “hits” not to be missed – the LSO wind principals present some of Mozart’s best-loved concertos. The Horn Concerto K417, Oboe Concerto K314 and the immortal Clarinet Concerto K622 are supplemented by the Sinfonia Concertante K297b and a glorious performance of the Gran Partita K361 that enthrals from the very first chord.
Available formats: 2 SACDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2
Andreas Staier (fortepiano)
Kicked off with a forceful and majestic chord, Andreas Staier’s Part 2 of the Wohltemperierte Klavier starts as it means to go on – a full-fat, dramatic account through and through. Staier plays a reproduction of a harpsichord by Hass, who developed the instrument along organ-like lines with multiple manuals and registrations, and the result is a thrilling level of sonic variety far beyond what’s normally encountered in early keyboard performance.
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Schubert: Piano Sonatas II
William Youn (piano)
Korean pianist William Youn continues his project to record all of Schubert’s piano sonatas with Nos. 4, 18, 19 and 20. By turns nervous, playful, pompous and ruminative, it’s a tour de force that shows his intimate knowledge of all these works. The standalone Adagio in E major D612 also included is much more than a makeweight; it’s a miniature of great beauty that Youn treats no less seriously than the large-scale sonatas.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Shostakovich & Arensky: Piano Trios
Trio Con Brio Copenhagen
Trio con Brio Copenhagen offer committed accounts of three Russian trios; Shostakovich’s early Piano Trio No.1, encapsulating the heady emotions of a lovestruck teenager, is juxtaposed with his second, dating from 1944 and bearing the scars of twenty years of personal and social tragedies. Sandwiched between the two is the Romantic, melodious Trio No.1 of Anton Arensky, whose death in the year of Shostakovich’s birth represents a kind of handing-on of the musical torch.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Musica Ritrovata
Gianluca Verlingieri
Gianluca Verlingieri’s Musica Ritrovata showcases his century-spanning approach to chamber music – drawing in elements from other time-periods and giving them a contemporary twist. The title of his Ricercari on ‘Ave Maris Stella’, for instance, is evocative of the Renaissance, yet the instrumentation for vibraphone and piano is decidedly modern.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Mirrors
Jeanine De Bique (soprano), Concerto Köln, Luca Quintaville
On her debut solo album, the Trinidadian soprano presents a series of 'different reflections of the same character', including Cleopatra and Rodelinda via Handel and Graun, Alcina via Handel and Riccardo Broschi, Deidamia via Handel and Manna, and Agrippina via Handel and Telemann. De Bique's discography includes the title-role on Erato's Opus Klassik Award-winning DVD of Handel's Rodelinda from Opéra de Lille, released in 2019.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Handel
Barnaby Smith (countertenor), Mary Bevan (soprano), Illyria Consort, Bojan Čičić
Voces8’s Barnaby Smith strikes out as a Baroque soloist with this collection of Handel arias – the showstopping fireworks of Venti, turbini, the ever-popular Ombra mai fù, the heartbreaking Scherza, infida and more, rounded out with a selection of instrumental movements from Handel’s operas.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The Tree
Choir of St John's College Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha
After nearly two years of pandemic-stunted musical activity around the world, the choir of St John’s Cambridge strike an optimistic tone for the future with their latest album The Tree, centred around new growth but also looking back in gratitude to two former directors who have recently marked significant birthdays. Starting with extremely minimal textures – just one vocal line, initially – it gradually expands into an ever richer musical canvas, finally culminating in a grand reunion of several hundred friends and former members.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Moniuszko: Halka
Natalia Rubis (Halka), Capella Cracoviensis, Jan Tomasz Adamus
Moniuszko’s Halka – a tragic tale of love, loss and betrayal across class boundaries in 19th-century Poland – has long been a beloved cornerstone of the Polish operatic repertoire, but subject to successive revisions that have expanded the work’s initial concision and directness with additional material. The neglected original “Vilnius" version from 1848 receives a much-needed performance here from Capcella Cracoviensis, with Natalia Rubiś in the title role.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
