Below is a list of all classical CD titles released in the last 120 days.
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings / Souvenir de Florence / Andante Cantabile United Strings Of Europe, Julian Azkoul [ BIS SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 2/Dec/2023 ] "So many inspired melodies, ravishingly harmonised, on a single disc...The inwardness of the 'Elegie' and the crescendos from pp to ff are superbly done." BBC Music Feb 2023 - Orchestral Choice |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Complete Songs Vol. 4 Alina Wunderlin (soprano), Kieran Carrel (tenor), Konstantin Ingenpaß (baritone), Urich Eisenlohr (fortepiano) [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Dec/2023 ] Brahms' early songs express an exuberance that may surprise those who are unfamiliar with this element of his music making. The Op. 6 set includes a Mediterranean-flavoured song in bolero rhythm and songs of hope and joy, displaying an apparent... |
FRANZ LISZT / DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor / Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor Angel Stanislav Wang (piano), with the Breton String Quartet [ Naxos Piano Laureate series / CD - released 1/Dec/2023 ] Angel Stanislav Wang, winner of the 63rd Jaén Prize International Piano Competition in 2022, presents his Naxos debut recital with a selection of works he performed during the competition. |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 19 and 25 [transcription by Ignaz Lachner] Alon Goldstein (piano) / Fine Arts Quartet, with Lizzie Burns [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Dec/2023 ] Ignaz Lachner's ingenious transcriptions show a complete grasp of Mozart's idiom, incorporating much instrumental detail and reinventing the music's underlying dramatic scheme within a chamber context. |
BRAHMS / ARENSKY / TCHAIKOVSKY / YEARDUMIAN / CHERUBINI / HAYDN / IBERT / etc
The Complete RCA Album Collection Anshel Brusilow Conducts the Chamber Symphony Of Philadelphia, with Lili Chookasian (contralto) [ Sony Originals / 6 CD Box Set - released 1/Dec/2023 ] "An orchestra of rare quality" - that's how High Fidelity described the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia, founded in 1966 by Anshel Brusilow, then concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra. |
ARCILA / OROZCO / BECERRA / ARDILA / BIGNEY / SUPA
Same River Twice - Works for Guitar Billy Arcila (guitar) [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Dec/2023 ] Billy Arcila, raised in Medellín, Colombia, has lived in the United States for over 40 years, where he teaches and performs as one of California's foremost guitarists. |
CASSADO / GRANADOS / CASALS / CASABLANCAS
Catalan Cello Works Dmitry Yablonsky (cello) Laia Martín (piano) [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Dec/2023 ] The cello was a vital part of Catalan musical expression in the first half of the 20th century. Pablo Casals as composer and cello virtuoso was its revolutionary force, and his student Gaspar Cassadó joined him in writing superb transcriptions. |
ANDREAS BAKSA / UROS KREK / BORIS PAPANDOPULO / FRIGYES HIDAS
Piccolo Concertos Francesco Viola, (piccolo) / Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim, Salvatore Percacciolo [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Dec/2023 ] The idea of a piccolo concerto might have seemed far-fetched at the beginning of the 20th century, but numerous composers have now expanded its role as the highest instrument of the orchestra into a true solo voice. |
ELIZABETH POSTON
Poston: Carols and Anthems Alexandra McPhee (soprano) Nina Vinther (mezzo) Ciaran Yeo (bass), etc / St Albans Cathedral Girls Choir, Lay Clerks of St Albans Cathedral [ Naxos / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] Elizabeth Poston's long and distinguished career included significant work for the BBC during the Second World War, where she performed as a respected pianist and later composed scores for numerous radio and television productions. Describing herself... |
PETER GRAHAM
Graham: Force of Nature Black Dyke Band, Nicholas Childs [ Naxos / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] Winner of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association's Ostwald Award for composition, Peter Graham is one of the leading brass band composers of his generation. |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
New Millennium The Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge / Andrew Nethsingha (director) [ Signum / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] "Contemporary music and Commissioning have been central features of the last fifteen years at St John's. It's been a joy to work with talented student composers, singers and instrumental- ists; my own musicianship has been greatly enriched by their... |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Mendelssohn: Piano Rarities Christopher Williams (piano) [ Naxos / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] Recent scholarship has brought numerous compositions by the excessively self-critical Mendelssohn into print and has ensured more accurate compositional dates for them. Many of these rare and little-known examples are encountered on this album. The... |
BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: String Quartets Vol. 1 Doric String Quartet [ Chandos / 2 CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] The Doric String Quartet is firmly established as one of the leading quartets of its generation, receiving enthusiastic responses from audiences and critics around the globe. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, the Quartet here embarks on a... |
GEORGES I. GURDJIEFF
Gurdjieff: Zartir The Gurdjieff Ensemble, Levon Eskenian [ ECM / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] The third album from Levon Eskenian's remarkable ensemble is its most adventurous to date. As well as reclaiming the music of esoteric teacher G. I. Gurdjieff for folk instrumentation, Zartir situates Gurdjieff in a tradition of Armenian bards and... |
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Schumann: Piano Quartet & Piano Quintet Isabelle Faust, Anne Katharina Schreiber, Antoine Tamestit, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Alexander Melnikov [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] In his Piano Quartet and Quintet, Schumann revisited the frameworks inherited from Schubert and Beethoven to create astonishingly innovative structures. Their grandiose musical and emotional gestures place these works among his supreme achievements.... |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos 5 & 6 Kammerakademie Potsdam, Antonello Manacorda [ Sony Classical / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] "Played on modern instruments but with a strong awareness of historical performance, the Fifth and Sixth show off the orchestra's taut ensemble playing, rhythmic discipline and sense of drama." BBC Music |
THOMAS WEELKES / WILLIAM BYRD
Tom & Will - Weelkes & Byrd: 400 Years The King's Singers & Fretwork [ Signum / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] 400 years ago, in 1623, England lost two of its greatest composers: William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes. In a pro- gramme marking this double anniversary, The King's Singers and Fretwork turn their focus to the bold personalities of these two men, Will... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Complete Organ Works Konstantin Volostnov (on the Röver organ (1898) of the Moscow Central Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists) [ Naxos / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] In contrast to the grand scale and public profile of his orchestral and choral works, Johannes Brahms saw the organ as an instrument 'for home use', and one in which he confided his most intimate feelings. |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Messiah (Complete oratorio) Lucy Crowe (soprano), Alex Potter (counter-tenor), Michael Spyres (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass), The English Concert & Choir, John Nelson [ Erato CDs + DVD / 3 CD/DVD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] The American conductor John Nelson, especially famed for his interpretations of Berlioz, conducted Handel's most celebrated oratorio at Coventry Cathedral in the heart of England in November 2022. |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Essence Marina Rebeka (soprano), Wroclaw Opera Orchestra, Marco Boemi [ Prima Classics / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] Marina Rebeka sings a selection of the most beloved opera arias of all time accompanied by the Wroclaw Opera Orchestra, under the baton of Marco Boemi. Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka is one of the leading opera singers of our time. Since her... |