Baroque

Leclair Violin Sonatas on Naxos

A simply lovely disc, beautifully performed

Piano

Andreas Haefliger plays Ravel, Bartók and Ammann

Stimulating programming from Haefliger for this trio of delights!

Baroque

Dresden Vespers: Johann David Heinichen

One of the delights of exploring the byways of repertoire is discoveries such as this. On the Belgian label Accent, Jaroslav Thiel along with the Ensemble Polyharmonique and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra peresent a simply glorious selection of church works by Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729) that grouped together form the

Beethoven

Furtwängler conducts Beethoven 9 (Bayreuth)

If this is your first Beethoven Ninth Symmphony - what a way to start!

String Quartet

American Art Quartet plays Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven

Wonderful performances, beautifully remastered and presented, with highly informative booklet notes from Tully Potter

Sulllivan

Sullivan - Gilbert = Incidental Music

Sullivan's music is simply a delicious banquet of delight. This disc lavishes the music with love, and who could ask for more? A bargain

Sounds of Eden: Joyce DiDonato's powerful, beautiful project

From prison reform, the plight of refugees and the need for music education for all, Joyce DiDonato has dedicated herself to creating projects that challenge and galvanise the public. Step forward her latest initiative, EDEN. This album is at the centre of the project, which also includes a tour of

Verdi

Rigoletto from Florence, with Camarena & Salsi

One of Verdi's greatest works, Rigoletto can and should leave an undelbile mark on the listener

A Winter's Journey: Winterreise from Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu

This is a major new Winterreise, ofering  a complete rethink of the piece from baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu. Originally, this post was to ome in tandem with a review of Appl and Baillieu's Wigmore Hall recital (Friday, February 18, 2022). Metereological reasons prevented attendance at

An eBay miracle: Le Manuscrit de Madame Théobon

Listening to the release straight through offers real solace from the trials and travails of the modern world

Organ

B-A-C-H: Anatomy of a Motif

A remarkable set, both informative, and musically satisfying

Schumann

Schumann Symphonies revealed anew

There are no booklet notes per se to this release; instead, we have five-minute talks by Norrington hismelf. What we do have written down is the approach used here: non-vinrato, orchestral layout (antiphonal for both strings - with a row of dounle-basses at the back - and for brass), for

Filling out Bruce Liu's Chopin journey

Previously, we at Classical Explorer reported on Bruce Liu's debut Deutsche Grammofon [https://www.classicalexplorer.com/chopin-competition-winner-bruce-lius-debut-disc/] disc; here's a complementary disc from the Chopin Institute in Poland - If you refer to that post, you can hear  the Chopin E minor Concerto that closes this

Orchestral

Hail, Caledonia!

80 minutes of glorious entertainment!

Contemporary

The Music of Ondřej Adámek

Two highly significant World Premieres caught for posterity

Carlo Alessandro Landini's Missa novem vocum

A modern setting of the Mass today. Continuing an age-old tradition of devotion,  award-winning Milanese composer Carlo Alessandro Landini (born 1954) Offers a piece that, therefore, sets itself up against the great geniuses of the pass (Beethoven, Verdi, Mozart and a million others). There is a definite purity to Landini&

Purcell Fantazias on BIS

There is an aura of mystery around some pieces. Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue) is one such; Purcells' set of viol Fantazias is another. They were entered into a manuscript entitled  "The Works of Hen Purcell, Anno. Dom. 1680". While much

French Baroque

Lalande's Grands Motets from Harmonia Mundi

This 80-minute disc surely represents a major stage in our admiration and understanding of Lalande

French horn

Cor basse: A Low Horn and Piano Recital

"Cor basse" - low horn. In this enterprising recital issued by Harmonia Mundi, Teunis van der Zwart and Alexander Melnikov play on authentic instriments, offering a tribute to Giovanni Punto (1746-1803), a player described un the promotional material as "now unknown". As recently as at least

Weber's rare gems: Six Violin Sonatas

This disc offers a fabulous way to expand one's knowledge and admiration of Carl Maria von Weber: it would be hard to imagine performances finer than these

News

News Item: London Chamber Orchestra launches LCO New

Details on the London Chamber Orchestra's Emerging Composer Scheme

Italian Baroque

Rare Bassani: Affetti Canori

The young Cremonese soprano Anna Piroli is clearly a name to watch

Chamber

Auftakt: Trio Vision in Beethoven, Brahms and Hans Gál

What better way to spend a Sunday than with some chamber music performed at the highest level? This is a lovely litle programme ("Auftakt" means "Prelude," or "Upbeat" in teh musical sense. so I hope there's more to come!). Here,  two towering

Paganini

Paganini Quartets for Strings & Guitar

Lesser-known works can sometime be revelatory ... Paganini's Quartets for Strings and Guitar fit snugly into that category

Mozart

Mo3art arias, Lady Gaga-ish, from soprano Elsa Dreisig

Released today, this is double celebration of three triplicities: three "Da Ponte" operas (Cosí fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro andDon Giovanni) and three "opera serie" (Idomeneo, Lucio Silla and La clemenza di Tito). If you're wondering about the "Lady Gaga" reference