Sibelius: Symphony No. 5; Two Serenades; Two Serious Melodies; Swanwhite
Christian Tetzlaff (violin), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Collon
'Nicholas Collon and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra offer a glorious recording of Symphony No. 5, full of great clarity that allows all of Sibelius’s scurrying string writing to be heard. Particularly pleasing is the third movement, where after an energised start, Collon’s thoughtful pacing of the climaxes ensures that the big horn moments are satisfying without peaking too soon. Also of interest is the relative rarity that is the Swanwhite Suite, compiled by Sibelius from music he had written for a 1908 production of the play by Strindberg, plus shorter works for violin and orchestra including a moving account by Christian Tetzlaff of the two “Earnest Melodies”.' (James Longstaffe)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Ukrainian Piano Quintets
Phoenix String Quartet, Violina Petrychenko (piano)
'This pair of Ukrainian chamber works represents the latest project in pianist Violina Petrychenko’s ongoing quest to bring the repertoire of her homeland to a wider audience. Vasyl Barvinsky’s astonishingly front-heavy quintet, comprising a lyrical twelve-minute movement and a four-minute one for the strings alone that’s almost like a coda, or even an extended ‘Amen’, has never been recorded before. Borys Liatoshynsky’s ‘Ukrainian’ quintet, reflecting the brief 1920s policy of korenizatsiya – promoting nationalities and ethnic identities within the Soviet Union – is a more dramatic and impassioned work, in which the composer’s interest in folk music is ever present in the background.' (David Smith)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Judith Weir: In the Land of Uz & Amy Beach: The Canticle of the Sun
Yale Schola Cantorum, David Hill
'Weir brings the story of Job to life with great economy and imagination in this taut, gripping cantata from 2017, scored for mixed chorus, narrator, tenor soloist and small ensemble: memorable touches include the plaintive solo viola representing Job's alter-ego, the jarring saxophone accompanying his well-meaning but tone-deaf 'comforters', and the clarion trumpet which heralds the voice of God (itself embodied by tuba, organ and low male voices). Beach's radiant 1924 setting of a text by St Francis of Assisi is sung with full-throated ardour, with an outstanding contribution from soprano soloist Juliet Ariadne Papadopoulos.' (Katherine Cooper)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The Panufnik Legacies IV
London Symphony Orchestra, Jack Sheen
'The LSO Helen Hamlyn Panufnik Composers' Scheme provides a powerful platform for young composers, and the Panufnik Legacies series of albums has consistently showcased interesting new music from composers to watch. This latest volume is no exception, offering a selection which demonstrates a diversity and originality of approaches that augurs well for the future of classical music. One of the composers also demonstrates promise as a conductor, across the whole programme.' (Matthew Ash).
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Transatlantic
Viv McLean (piano), Onyx Brass, John Wilson
'A splendid collection of works for brass ensemble from both sides of the Atlantic, including cornerstones of the brass quintet repertoire such as Joseph Horovitz’s Music Hall Suite, Malcolm Arnold’s Brass Quintet, and Leonard Bernstein’s fiendishly difficult Dance Suite, all performed magnificently by Onyx Brass. Sitting alongside these are several premiere recordings, including brief fanfares by Walton, Britten, and Vaughan Williams, and a more substantial Octet by Florence Price, for which the players are joined by pianist Viv McLean and conductor John Wilson.' (James Longstaffe)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Nei Giardini d'Amore
Carlo Vistoli, Hugh Cutting (countertenors), Les Arts Florissants, William Christie
'There's a wonderfully fresh, spontaneous energy to everything on this lovely Baroque album, which includes sonata movements by Handel, Caldara and Fontana as well as duets for two altos by Monteverdi, Steffani, Bononcini and Vivaldi. Heard together, Cutting and Vistoli sound like one vibrant unit, but emerge as very distinct personalities in their two solo cantatas - Vistoli chewing the scenery to great effect as Caldara's Medea conjures supernatural revenge on the perfidious Jason, Cutting (who won the Kathleen Ferrier Award in 2021) more elegant and restrained but no less engaging in Vivaldi's Cessate, omai cessate.' (Katherine Cooper)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Voces8 - Twenty
Voces8
'This is a delight from start to finish, and a wonderful experience whether you are new to Voces8 or an established fan. The variety but consistent quality of the chosen repertoire is engaging, and it's an album that defies you to do anything other than immerse yourself in the music. Highlights for me include exquisite interpretations of Gjeilo's Nothern Lights, Kate Rusby's Underneath The Stars, and Orlando Gibbons's O Clap Your Hands.' (Matthew Ash).
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Gwendeline Lumaret Plays Naji Hakim
Gwendeline Lumaret (cello), Naji Hakim (piano)
'This album of world premieres from Gwendeline Lumaret shows a side to Naji Hakim that may come as a surprise to listeners – predominantly known for his luscious organ and choral works in the French tradition of Langlais and Messiaen, this cello-focused album includes works by Hakim based on Egyptian and Syrian popular songs, as well as others drawing on the composer’s lifelong immersion in Catholic sacred music. Most are for unaccompanied cello – about as far from the symphonic colours of French organs as you can get – while the closing Levantine Variations, dedicated to Lumaret, are accompanied on the piano by Hakim himself.' (David Smith)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
