Mentions in despatches include a recording of the rare final version of Bartók's The Wooden Prince from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Thomas Dausgaard on Onyx, 'a winning mix of limitless pianism, deep knowledge and visionary boldness' from Daniil Trifonov and his former teacher Sergei Babayan in Rachmaninoff on Deutsche Grammophon, and a Dream of Gerontius 'brimful of edifying delights and surprises' from Gabrieli and Paul McCreesh (with Nicky Spence in the title-role) on Signum.
Recording of the Month
Chopin: Études
Yunchan Lim (piano)
'His Chopin is as flexible and feather-light as it is fluent and fiery, as compelling in its sense of structure as in its relishing of detail. The whole experience radiates joyful, youthful exuberance.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Editor's Choices
The Blind Banister
Timo Andres (piano), Inbal Segev (cello), Metropolis Ensemble, Andrew Cyr
'Unsurprisingly perhaps, the inquisitive, explorative and dynamic approach one hears in Timo Andres’s piano-playing also comes through in his own music.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Bartók: The Wooden Prince, Divertimento, Romanian Folk Dances
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard
'You come away surer in the certainty not just of Bartók’s orchestral mastery but more importantly his big-heartedness.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Mendelssohn: Symphonies
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Paavo Järvi
'Tonal warmth and, where needed, weight go hand in hand with that essential Mendelssohnian quality of airy lightness.'
Available formats: 4 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Chausson: Concert & Lekeu: Violin Sonata
Gabriel Le Magadure (violin), Frank Braley (piano), Quatuor Agate
'Le Magadure, Braley and the Agate have set a new benchmark, because whether viewed individually or as a package, these readings are showstoppers.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Treasures
Trio Lirico
'This group – with their gorgeous tone, finely judged balances and quick reaction time – capture every shift in mood and colour with confidence and commitment.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Rachmaninoff for Two
Daniil Trifonov (piano), Sergei Babayan (piano)
'We’ve been treated to an original and exhilarating new reading of this wonderful repertoire – a kind of keyboard Regietheater – and even those who aren’t ultimately convinced will agree that this is an awe-inspiring show.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
'Lugansky deploys his technical magic less to wow the audience than to capture the depth and ambiguity of the dramatic moment.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin
Sergey Khachatryan (violin)
'The brilliant Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan treats us to yet another superb set of the Ysaÿe Solo Sonatas, vibrant, forceful, technically unsullied and played on Ysaÿe’s superb 1740 Guarneri del Gesù violin.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Nicky Spence (Gerontius), Anna Stéphany (The Angel), Andrew Foster-Williams (The Priest/Angel of the Agony), Polish National Youth Choir, Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh
'Even if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Elgarian with special loyalties to a particular interpretation, this CD is brimful of edifying delights and surprises worthy of repeated listening.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
None But the Lonely Heart
Tchaikovsky Songs staged by Christof Loy
'I found the whole thing tremendously moving, one of the very best things any opera company created during the pandemic.'
Available format: Blu-ray
