The highlights of this month’s new reviews seem to be mainly vocal releases, with a diversity of styles. Antonio Pappano, known for his opera conducting, leads an extraordinary live recording of Mendelssohn’s monumental oratorio Elijah. The women of the Corvus Consort (pictured) are joined by Louise Thomson for a variety of works specifically for female voices and harp. Conductor John Wilson follows in the footsteps of John Mauceri in re-constructing older musical, presenting a complete performance of Roger & Hammerstein’s Carousel. If you are looking for instrumental music, there are plenty of worthwhile choices here also.
Alamire, David Skinner, Stephen Farr, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts – William Byrd: The Great Service; English Anthems
Argento New Music Project, Ensemble Dal Niente, Wet Ink – Andile Khumalo: Tracing Hollow Traces
Claudio Arrau – Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes and Impromptus
Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Artefact Ensemble – Benedict Sheehan: Akathist
Yulianna Avdeeva – Chopin: Voyage
Sophie de Bardonnèche – Destinées
Daniel Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra – Mozart: The Complete Piano Concertos
Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, Jeremy Denk – Mendelssohn: Piano Trios
Célia Oneto Bensaid, Héloïse Luzzati, Shuichi Okada, Tanguy de Williencourt – Rita Strohl: Vol. 2, Musique de chambre
Emmanuelle Bertrand, Pascal Amoyel – Cello Dreams: Berceuses pour violoncelle et piano
Lotte Betts-Dean, James Girling, Ligeti Quartet – The Past & I: 100 Years of Thomas Hardy
Fabrice Bollon, Cantus Juvenum Karlsruhe, The Lily’s Project – Mussorgsky: Sorochintsï Fair; Salammbô Suite
Claire Booth, Ensemble 360 – Pierrot Portraits
Martyn Brabbins, Andrew Davis, BBC Symphony Orchestra – Anthony Payne: Visions and Journeys
Ronald Brautigam – Franz Schubert: Sonatas in A major, D 959 & B flat major, D 960
Lawrence Brownlee, Carlo Rizzi – Donizetti: Songs Vol. 1
Cappella Pratensis, Stratton Bull – Jacob Obrecht: Missa Maria zart
Calidore String Quartet – Beethoven: The Middle Quartets
Pablo Heras-Casado, Anima Eterna Orchestra – Anton Bruckner: 4
Castalian Quartet, Natalie Clein, Danny Driver – Brian Elias: Music for Strings
Chloe Chua, Rodolfo Barráez, Mario Venzago, Singapore Symphony Orchestra – Butterfly Lovers & Paganini
Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson – Welcome Joy: A Celebration of Women’s Voices
Anne Le Bozec, Marc Mauillon, Denis Raisin Dadre, Doulce Mémoire – Ronsard et la musique: Cueillez, cueillez votyre jeunesse!
Sébastien Daucé, Ensemble Correspondances – André Campra: Messe de Requiem
Grace Davidson, George Herbert – Rodrigo Ruiz: Venus & Adonis – A Song Cycle after Shakespeare
Romain Descharmes, Michael Halász – Fauré: Ballade, Op. 19; Fantaisie, Op. 111; Poulenc: Piano Concerto; Aubade
Sabine Devieilhe, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Purcell Choir, Orfeo Orchestra, György Vashegyi – Rameau: Les Boréades
Romain Dumas, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse – Jacques Offenbach: La Vie parisienne – Version Original Inétral 1866
Choral Scholars of University College Dublin, Desmond Earley, Solstice Ensemble – Chamber Music by James Joyce, Vol. 1
Christoph Eß, Sonja Gornik, Christopher Ward – Golden Horizon: Works for Horn and Orchestra by Richard Strauss
Alice Farnham, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Singers – Imogen Holst: Discovering Imogen
Kathleen Ferrier – Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde; Three Rückert Lieder
Vilde Frang, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Robin Ticciati – Elgar: Violin Concerto
Richard Galliano – Around Gershwin
Janna Gandelman, Laia Martín – Catalan Violin Works
Stewart Goodyear, Andrew Litton, BBC Symphony Orchestra – Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 2 & 3; Piano Sonata No. 7
Raphaela Gromes, Volodymyr Sirenko, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine – Dvorák: Cello Concerto
Marc-André Hamelin – Beethoven: Hammerklavier – Piano Sonatas Op 106 & Op 2 No 3
Eldbjørg Hemsing, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra – Anders Hillborg: Violin Concerto No. 2; Liquid Marble
Robert Hollingworth, I Fagiolini – Orazio Benevoli: Missa Benevola for Four Choirs; Carissimi: Jephte
Fenella Humphreys, BBC Philharmonic, Michael Seal – Adrian Sutton: Violin Concerto
Gundula Janowitz, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan – Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder; Tod und Verklärung; Metamorphosen
Jonas Kaufmann – Puccini: Love Affairs
Carlos Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker – Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Erich Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker – Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro
Igor Levit, Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann – Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Late Piano Works
Yuri Liberzon, Piotr Pakhomkin – Piazzolla: Music for Guitar
Daniel Lozakovich, Mikhail Pletnev – Grieg, Franck, Shor-Pletnev, Shostakovich
Alexander Melnikov – Shostakovich: The Preludes & Fugues
Simone Menezes, Ensemble K – Rimsky-Koraskov: Scheherazade, a Tale
Ingo Metzmacher, SWR Symphonieorchester – Igor Strawinski: Symphonien für Blasinstrumente; Agon; Variationen ‘Aldous Huxley in Memoriam’; Symphonie in C
MultiPiano Ensemble, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Ivor Bolton – Unplayed Stories … in 40 Fingers
Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra – Mendelssohn: Elijah
Pene Pati, Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Nessun dorma
Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem
Huw Montague Rendall – Contemplation
Siwan Rhys – Letting the Light In
Cut Circle, Jesse Rodin – Josquin: I. Motets et chansons
Mari Samuelsen – Life
Maria Callas, Tullio Serafin, Franco Corelli, La Scala Theater Orchestra – Bellini: Norma [1960 Studio]
Grigory Sokolov – Purcell & Mozart
Marek Štilec, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra – Wranitzky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 7
Teresa Stratas, Pierre Boulez – Berg: Lulu
Christiane Libor, Michael Weinius, Derek Welton, Joseph Swensen – Wagner/Swensen: Ring Odyssey
Neil Thomson, Emmanuele Baldini, Pedro Bittencourt, Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra – Claudio Santoro: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6
Trio Bohémo – Smetana, Schubert: Piano Trios
Various Artists – Kaija Saariaho: Maan Varjot; Chateau de l’Âme; True Fire; Offrande
Verdi Quartet – Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Complete String Quartets
Wojciech Waleczek – Liszt: Weihnachtsbaum
Xiayin Wang, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Ben Gernon – Schurmann: Piano Concerto; Gaudiana; Man in the Sky; Romancing the Strings
Judith van Wanroij, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Julien Chauvin – Gluck: Iphigénie en Aulide
Sarah Willis, Sarahbanda – Sarahbanda
John Wilson, Sinfonia of London – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel
