Classical Reviews
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John Wilson conducts orchestral works by Ravel
28th Jan 2022
The latest album from Sinfonia of London and John Wilson presents a dazzling collection of orchestral works by Ravel, including La valse and Pavane pour une infante défunte alongside premiere recordings of the original versions of Ma Mère l'Oye and Boléro.
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Paul Lewis plays Brahms
21st Jan 2022
The British pianist's interpretations of the final four sets of solo piano works are a revelation, capturing all of the poetry and drama of the music and often emphasising its kinship with Debussy and Rachmaninov.
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Brahms: Late Piano Works
Paul Lewis (piano)
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Locke consort works from Fretwork
14th Jan 2022
The acclaimed consort mark the 400th anniversary of Matthew Locke's birth with a selection of his consort works from the twilight of the English consort tradition.
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Grieg from Lise Davidsen and Leif Ove Andsnes
7th Jan 2022
The two Norwegians do their countryman proud in a programme which includes Haugtussa, Five Songs by Otto Benzon, and the Six Songs Op. 48.
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Grieg
Lise Davidsen (soprano), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
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Marc-André Hamelin plays CPE Bach
31st Dec 2021
The Canadian pianist's Midas touch is everywhere in evidence on this programme of sonatas and rondos, many of which reveal the composer's delight in the new expressive possibilities offered by early pianos.
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Presto Personal Favourites from 2021
24th Dec 2021
Recordings from Igor Levit, Ensemble Diderot and Will Liverman & Paul Sánchez feature among the editorial team's individual picks of the year.
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Byrd and Bull from Kit Armstrong
17th Dec 2021
The American pianist makes the case for considering the two Tudor virginalists William Byrd and John Bull as the founding fathers of the solo piano genre.
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The Visionaries of Piano Music
Kit Armstrong (piano)
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Scenes from the Kalevala - Finnish Orchestral Music
10th Dec 2021
Dima Slobodeniouk conducts the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in a quartet of compositions inspired by the great Finnish nineteenth-century work of epic poetry, the Kalevala.
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Scenes from the Kalevala
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Dima Slobodeniouk
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Christmas Recordings from Fretwork and Christiane Karg
3rd Dec 2021
The viol consort is joined by mezzo Helen Charlston for an Elizabethan Christmas, whilst Karg and her regular recital partner Gerold Huber offer a beautifully-plotted programme of Lieder and mélodies with a seasonal theme.
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Pelléas et Mélisande from Jonathan Nott and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
26th Nov 2021
The world premiere recording of the British conductor's own tone-poem on Debussy's opera is coupled with Schoenberg's suite from 1905, to illuminating effect.
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Pelléas et Mélisande
Orchestre de La Suisse Romande, Jonathan Nott
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Cecilia Bartoli - Unreleased
19th Nov 2021
The Roman mezzo is in electrifying form in a programme of operatic and concert-arias by Haydn, Mysliveček, Mozart and Beethoven with the Kammerorchester Basel, recorded back in 2013.
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String Quartets by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn from the Takács Quartet
12th Nov 2021
Fiery, dramatic performances from the Takács Quartet of two string quartets by Felix Mendelssohn alongside a thrilling account of the quartet by his sister, Fanny.
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Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets
Takács Quartet
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MUSE from Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason
5th Nov 2021
The siblings' contrasting musical personalities complement one another quite beautifully in sonatas by Barber and Rachmaninov, plus a well-chosen selection of songs by both composers.
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Baroque fireworks from Bojan Čičić and the Illyria Consort
29th Oct 2021
The violinist and his ensemble present four virtuosic concertos, showcasing the legacy of Vivaldi's incredible panache as a performer as well as the earliest origins of what would eventually become the solo violin caprice.
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Philippe Jaroussky & Thibaut Garcia: À sa guitare
22nd Oct 2021
The French countertenor and guitarist join forces for an eclectic, beguiling programme ranging from Dowland to Barbara, whilst Jaroussky's younger label-mate Jakub Józef Orliński dazzles in sacred baroque works with Il Pomo d'Oro.
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Marin Alsop conducts Leonard Bernstein's Candide
15th Oct 2021
Marin Alsop conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in a new recording of Leonard Bernstein's comic operetta based on Voltaire's satirical novella, in a performance that is full of dry wit, absurd humour, and stirring optimism.
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Emily D'Angelo - Enargeia
8th Oct 2021
The young Canadian-Italian mezzo makes a bold debut on Deutsche Grammophon with music by Hildegard von Bingen, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Sarah Kirkland Snider and Missy Mazzoli.
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Americascapes from Robert Trevino and the Basque National Orchestra
1st Oct 2021
Four different voices from the melting-pot of early twentieth-century America come together to create a fascinating snapshot of a time of great change and innovation, ranging from melodious Romanticism to uncompromising atonality.
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Americascapes
Basque National Orchestra, Robert Trevino
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Michael Spyres - Baritenor
24th Sep 2021
The maverick American singer mixes tenor and baritone repertoire with joyful (but historically-informed) abandon, ranging from Donizetti's stratospheric Tonio to his namesake in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.
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Liszt from Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch
17th Sep 2021
The long-term Lieder partners are absolutely in their element on a recital which delivers both drama and delicacy in spades.
