-
Violin Sonatas (violin: Leonidas Kavakos, piano: Enrico Pace) Ludwig van Beethoven 1vo1e
This joyous set of Beethoven's sonatas takes its place among the very best.
-
Schubert Edition Vol. 7: Erlkönig (baritone: Matthias Goerne; piano: Andreas Haefliger) Franz Schubert 3i6p5r
The pair exhibits a refined style on these illuminating performances.
-
The Rape of Lucretia (conductor: Oliver Knussen; Aldeburgh Festival Ensemble) Benjamin Britten f288
A deeply affecting experience that ought to win the opera many new irers.
-
Cantatas vol. 51 (Bach Collegium Japan; conductor: Masaaki Suzuki) Johann Sebastian Bach 2w3x47
Fluently stylish and idiomatic, these performers live and breathe Bach's music.
-
Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (Books I and II) (feat. piano: András Schiff) Johann Sebastian Bach 3na6m
Schiff transcends all questions of instrumentation to deliver a pure experience.
-
Don Giovanni (Ildebrando D'Arcangelo; Mahler Chamber Orchestra; conductor: Yannick Nezet-Seguin) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 68663u
The most exciting and consistently well-sung Don Giovanni to appear for several years.
-
The Beethoven Journey: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 (feat. piano: Leif Ove Andsnes; Mahler Chamber Orchestra) Ludwig van Beethoven 1p4x6h
The first step on what seems to be a joyous journey for the Norwegian pianist.
-
Piano Concertos Nos. 9 & 21 (feat. piano: Mitsuko Uchida; The Cleveland Orchestra) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 6d6n44
Uchida's measured approach reaps rewards, capturing the joy in this life-affirming music.
-
Violin Concertos / The Hebrides (violin: Alina Ibragimova; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; conductor: Vladimir Jurowski) Felix Mendelssohn 1v1w1i
Ibragimova’s svelte, unforced violin tone is just right.
-
La Finta Giardiniera (Freiburger Barockorchester; Rene Jacobs) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 8236
An overwhelmingly joyous of one of Mozart’s lesser-known operas.
-
Symphonie Fantastique (Scottish Chamber Orchestra; conductor: Robin Ticciati) Hector Berlioz 4b726q
Demands to be heard by all lovers of Berlioz's best-known orchestral work.
-
Prague / A Summer’s Tale (BBC Symphony Orchestra; conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek) Josef Suk 2g4oc
Bělohlávek and the BBC SO make a powerful case for this intense work.
-
Cello Concerto Edward Elgar 326x17
A sumptuously recorded new Elgar collection which is impressive throughout.
-
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (conductor: Simon Rattle; Berliner Philharmoniker) Anton Bruckner 423070
Rattle’s new finale is a resounding success, full of boundary-pushing harmonies.
-
A vividly atmospheric and engrossing remake.
-
Alceste (soprano: Lucy Crowe; tenor: Benjamin Hulett; bass-baritone: Andrew Foster-Williams; Early Opera Company; conductor: Christian Curnyn) George Frideric Handel 6r6x5c
The incomplete ‘incidental music’ for Alceste, conducted with liveliness and sensitivity.
-
Vivaldi: Sacred Works for Soprano and Concertos Florilegium 4c2j25
An effectively programmed and well-recorded Vivaldi collection.
-
Ein Deutsches Requiem (feat. conductor: John Eliot Gardiner; soprano: Katharine Fuge; baritone: Matthew Brook; Monteverdi Choir; Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique) Johannes Brahms 6s4y2f
A carefully considered, mature and generally persuasive recording.
-
Berg & Beethoven: Violin Concertos (Isabelle Faust; Orchestra Mozart; Claudio Abbado) Various Artists 485f17
Well matches the angst-ridden Berg of the 30s with Beethoven's 19th century romanticism.
-
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (conductor: Marek Janowski; Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin; Rundfunkchor Berlin) Richard Wagner 2n296o
A winning Mesitersinger that more than holds its own with any in the catalogue.
-
Duo Sonatas (violin: Rachel Podger viola: Jane Rogers) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Haydn 6d2773
A warm ambience pervades this highly recommended album.
-
Duo Sonatas Volume 5 (Duo Amadè; violin: Catherine Mackintosh; fortepiano: Geoffrey Govier) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 5b6x3g
The duo’s individualistic, historically informed approach can be extremely illuminating.
-
Flute and Harp Concerto / Sinfonia Concertante for Winds (Orchestra Mozart; conductor: Claudio Abbado) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart n6e4m
Some of the most satisfying and energising performances you will ever hear.
-
Ezio (Il Complesso Barocco / Alan Curtis) Christoph Willibald Gluck 5t6nl
Showcases its singers’ virtuosic displays – and what a cast this is.
-
Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione - 12 concerti, Op. 8 (The Avison Ensemble; violin: Pavlo Beznosuik) Antonio Vivaldi q47
A delightful new set which showcases The Four Seasons’ startling originality.
-
Symphonies Nos. 39 and 40 (Orchestra Mozart; Claudio Abbado) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 12c3c
An album that absolutely demands to be heard.
-
Agrippina (conductor: René Jacobs; Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin) George Frideric Handel 38682n
This Agrippina is a triumph, unhesitatingly recommended.
-
Keyboard Concertos (piano: Alexandre Tharaud) Johann Sebastian Bach 5u6c5y
Very much a pianist’s take on these wonderfully life-affirming concertos.
-
Piano Sonatas Vol.3 (piano: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet) Joseph Haydn 6x2813
Insightful recordings which considerably further the cause of greater Haydn appreciation.
-
Chamber Vespers The Gonzaga Band 2m3r8
A wealth of great invention and craftsmanship to be appreciated.
-
Guillaume Tell (conductor: Antonio Pappano; orchestra: Orchestra dell'Accademia Santa Cecilia) Gioachino Rossini 2g4p3h
A new recording that ought to win Rossini’s last operatic word many new fans.
-
Stabat Mater Gioachino Rossini t1yv
A splendid new of Rossini’s dramatic, art-defining work.
-
Keyboard Music Vol.2 (fortepianist: Kristian Bezuidenhout) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 704k69
Bezuidenhout really does Mozart’s solo piano music the fullest justice.
-
A Worcester Ladymass Trio Mediaeval 511p3t
An absolute delight that has been worth the wait.
-
I Puritani (Conductor: Vittorio Gui; The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; The Glyndebourne Chorus) Vincenzo Bellini 3w611c
A fitting tribute to the phenomenal career of Joan Sutherland.
-
Ottone in Villa (Il Giardino Armonico; director: Giovanni Antonini) Antonio Vivaldi 1312y
It’s not the first recording of Ottone in Villa, but it will be hard to beat.
-
Violin Concertos (feat. violin: Rachel Podger; Brecon Baroque) Johann Sebastian Bach 2n36z
No one will go wrong with this invigorating album.
-
Piano Concertos 22 and 25 (feat. piano: David Fray; conductor: Jaap van Zweden; Philharmonia Orchestra) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 6l732u
A recommended release, recorded with clarity and natural balance.
-
Debussy Piano Music Volume IV: 12 Études (piano: Pascal Rogé) Claude Debussy 465r4f
Packed with remarkable insights that will entrance connoisseurs of the Études.
-
Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 Johannes Brahms 5az4h
An idiosyncratic offering a wealth of authoritative insight.
-
Duo Sonatas Vol. 3 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 4d33d
Full of variety and invention, this is delightful music calculated to have wide appeal.
-
Die Zauberflöte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 3m1o2p
Jacobs’s is a game-changer: we will never listen to this the same way again.
-
Mass in B Minor Johann Sebastian Bach j2v6m
Lovers of this great work will find much to appreciate.
-
Orphée et Eurydice Christoph Willibald Gluck 55326u
Despite some shortcomings, the poignancy of the music shines through here.
-
Mackerras lavishes these magnificent works with love and commitment.
-
Ivanhoe Sir Arthur Sullivan 706l44
Makes a compelling case for a work that deserves a modern audience.
-
The Farewell Concerts Alfred Brendel 3a2c1
A welcome coda to his towering recorded legacy.
-
Die Schöpfung (comp: René Jacobs; orch: Freiburger Barockorchester) Haydn 1k2sy
Jacobs’s impeccable Creation is fresh and often illuminating.
