Editor's Choices include 'characterful and stimulating' Walton from Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on Deutsche Grammophon, 'wonderfully done' early Puccini from cover-star John Wilson and Sinfonia of London on Chandos, and a 'fresh and exhilarating' Messiah from the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Peter Whelan on Linn.
Recording of the Month
JS Bach: Johannes-Passion
Julian Prégardien (Evangelist), Huw Montague Rendall (Jesus), Christian Immler (Pilate), Ying Fang (soprano), Lucile Richardot (mezzo), Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Étienne Bazola (baritone), Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon
'You feel it in the gut like few other accounts, alongside unalloyed human observation and unyielding quality. Pygmalion have now served us with a trilogy of Bach masterpieces throwing down the gauntlet for our times.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Editor's Choices
Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Paavo Järvi
'What I really like about Järvi's Mahler is his acute understanding of the musical language and most especially its volatility. He's really in sync with those dramatic volte-faces, be they driven by tempo or dynamics or both.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel
'This wonderful score is such a good fit for Dudamel's sleek Los Angeleans...Dudamel is terrific is the fight sequences - all flashing rapiers and keen rhythm.'
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Puccini: Orchestral Music
Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
'It's all wonderfully done, as one might expect. Wilson, who made his operatic debut with Madama Butterfly at Glyndebourne in 2016, is an excellent Puccinian, conducting with a mix of passion and finesse that proves well-nigh ideal.'
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Szymanowski: Symphony No. 4
Szymon Nehring (piano), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop
'I admire the restraint, elegance and bravura of the orchestral playing under Alsop's baton. She finds a new way of reading this Dionysian score with much focus on detail, thus creating an orchestral backdrop for the soloist that allows him to shine.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Walton: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Orb and Sceptre
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kazuki Yamada
'Orb and Sceptre makes a cracking curtain-raiser...the Second Symphony represents another unbridled success, the CBSO sounding excitingly up for the task in a reading of tangible conviction and splendid impetus.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Bach on Nine Strings
Mario Brunello, Mauro Valli (violoncello piccolo)
'Even without bow on string, such as in the [Fifth] Suite's Sarabande, Brunello and Valli mysteriously shape melodic contours in pizzicato that somehow seem to resonate not just in plucked vibration but also in empathy and lovesickness; it's divine.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Mozart: Sonatas For Fortepiano & Violin, Vol. 4
Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (fortepiano)
'As early reviews pointed out, these sonatas are true democratic duos. One of the many delights here is the instinctive ease with which the players slip from protagonist to accompanist, and back again. Balance throughout is impeccable.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Handel: Messiah
Hilary Cronin (soprano), Helen Charlston (mezzo), Alexander Chance, Nathan Mercieca (countertenors), Guy Cutting (tenor), Frederick Long, Edward Grint (bass-baritones); Irish Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Peter Whelan
'This fresh and exhilarating Dublin performance dispels decades of overblown Messiah baggage. A vivid and captivating recording, highly recommended.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Nico Muhly: No Resting Place
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
'There's no doubt that former chorister Muhly not only understands his forces but is excited and energised by their expressive potential, which he tests and teases to wonderfully contrasting effects.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Video Choice
Bach: Johannes-Passion
Linard Vrielink (Evangelist), Nicolas Brooymans (Jesus), Moritz Kallenberg (tenor), Halidou Nombre (baritone), Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal, Tölzer Knabenchor, Gaétan Jarry
'Such is the power of this performance that I'm tempted to suggest that this St John Passion offers a unique addition to the modern Bach discography.'
Available format: Blu-ray + DVD Video
