Glinka: Grand Sextet & Dvořák: Piano Quintet
Haiou Zhang (piano), Hába Quartett, Ioan Cristian Braica (double bass)
'Dvořák’s A major quintet may be fairly well known, but Haiou Zhang and the Hába Quartett find a real depth and lyricism in it that makes this recording a serious contender, up there with those by better-known groups. I’ll be honest, though – for me the major draw on this recording is the Glinka, which is simply an absolutely joyous piece, effectively a chamber piano concerto. If you’re feeling a bit glum with the nights drawing in, and the wind and rain and everything, I prescribe a dose of Glinka’s Grand Sextet.' (David Smith)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Christopher Tyler Nickel: Concerto For Piccolo & Concerto For Four Wagner Tubas
Sarah Jackson (piccolo), Oliver de Clercq, Laurel Spencer, Valerie Whitney, Holly Bryan (Wagner tubas), Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra, Clyde Mitchell
'Two pretty left-field choices on this concerto double-bill from Christopher Tyler Nickel. The piccolo works brilliantly against the powerful orchestra, though Nickel often uses spikily spare textures so that soloist Sarah Jackson doesn’t need to deploy her instrument’s most piercing tones. The slow movement in particular is utterly gorgeous – a very ‘rich and strange’ soundworld. The concerto for four Wagner tubas sits in a more lyrical place, with a distinct hint of Respighi in the slow movement and a concluding Allegro in a celebratory, foot-stomping D major.' (David Smith)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Adèle Hugo: Mélodies sur des poèmes de Victor Hugo
Sandrine Piau, Axelle Fanyo (sopranos), Karine Deshayes, Isabelle Druet (mezzos), Laurent Naouri (baritone) et al; Orchestre Victor Hugo, Chœur de l'Opéra de Dijon, Jean-François Verdier
'This lovely, predominantly wistful recital presents fourteen songs by Victor Hugo's youngest child (who was confined to institutions for half of her long life owing to mental ill health), recently rediscovered in manuscript and sensitively orchestrated by Richard Dubugnon. The street-urchin Gavroche's three ditties from Les Misérables are done with an ideal mix of insouciance and pathos (the moment when his little voice is suddenly snuffed out brings one up short) by Anaïs Constans, while Sandrine Piau is on typically beguiling form in the La bohème-ish 'Chanson de Jean Prouvaire' as the poet-revolutionary looks back on happier times with his love.' (Katherine Cooper)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Rózsa: Violin Concerto - Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2
Roman Simovic (violin), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle, Kevin John Edusei
'Perhaps better-known for his scores for films such as Ben-Hur and Spellbound, Hungarian composer Miklós Rózsa was also a prolific composer of concert works, including the Violin Concerto recorded here by the London Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle. Stepping into the soloist’s spotlight is the orchestra’s leader, Roman Simovic, who offers a dazzling display of technical dexterity combined with an eloquent, impassioned range of expression. Alongside this is a concerto by Rózsa’s compatriot, Béla Bartók, with conductor Kevin John Edusei taking up the baton for an equally thrilling account of the Violin Concerto No. 2.' (James Longstaffe)
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Brett Dean: In spe contra spem and other works
Lawrence Power (viola), Emma Bell (soprano), Elsa Dreisig (soprano), Alban Gerhardt (cello), Bartosz Glowacki (accordion); London Philharmonic Orchestra, Enrique Mazzola, Hannu Lintu, Edward Gardner, Karina Canellakis, Vladimir Jurowski
'Everything on this generous compendium celebrating the Australian composer's residency with the LPO is worth your time, but the absolute stand-out is the title-work: a riveting operatic scena for two sopranos, dramatising the stand-off between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I with rather more historical accuracy than Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. The rival queens interact through correspondence rather than in person, with Emma Bell an imperious but guilt-wracked Elizabeth and Elsa Dreisig a dignified, vulnerable (and bilingual) Mary. The accordion concerto The Players, using material from Dean's opera Hamlet, is another dramatic tour de force.' (Katherine Cooper)
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Alexandre Kantorow plays Brahms and Schubert
Alexandre Kantorow (piano)
'Alexandre Kantorow completes his survey of the Brahms sonatas with this impressive performance of the Sonata No. 1 in C major, contrasting a melancholy tone in the Andante with crispness and clarity in the propulsive rhythms of the third and fourth movements. This is coupled with an energetic account of Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy and a selection of Lieder arranged by Franz Liszt, including a chilling reading of 'Die Stadt' from Schwanengesang and a moving 'Der Müller und der Bach' from Die schöne Müllerin.' (James Longstaffe)
Available format: SACD (ECOPAK)
She/Her: Music for Clarinet and Piano by 12 Female Composers
Maria Du Toit (clarinet), Vera Kooper (piano)
'Engaging repertoire for clarinet and piano, brilliantly played and with great ensemble work throughout. Ivy Priaulx Rainier’s Suite for Clarinet and Pianoforte sets a tone of imaginative exploration of the possibilities offered by these two instruments, and that continues right through to Solstice (Theresa Martin) which closes the album with a whispering pianissimo from Maria Du Toit that might redefine what you think the clarinet is capable of.' (Matthew Ash)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Jorge Bolet: The Complete Decca Recordings
Jorge Bolet (piano)
'A revisit of Bolet’s incomparable Liszt playing is always rewarding, and there’s accounts of the Chopin Ballades which eschew flashy bravura in favour of making the music speak. New to me are Bolet's recordings of Franck, where his poised subtlety and control combine with exquisite balance, phrasing and dynamic range. Neither technique nor intellect is ever in question with Bolet, the focus is always on musical communication.' (Matthew Ash)
Available format: 26 CDs
