RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge & other songs Nicky Spence (tenor), Julius Drake (piano), with Timothy Ridout (viola) & the Piatti Quartet [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Apr/2022 ] 'a performance of On Wenlock Edge which, in its thrilling assurance, strength of imagination and rapt instinct, inclines me to rank it alongside the very finest I know.' Gramophone Editor's Choice May 2022 |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Piano Sonatas D664, 769a & 894 Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Apr/2022 ] 'It is his noble humility in the face of greatness and beauty that makes these among the most touching Schubert performances I have ever experienced.' Gramophone Editor's Choice May 2022 |
DONIZETTI / GOUNOD / VERDI / ROSSINI / MEYERBEER / MASSENET / GODARD
Pene Pati Pene Pati (tenor) / Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Emmanuel Villaume [ Warner Classics / Warner / CD - released 25/Mar/2022 ] "A generosity of spirit not always to be taken for granted with tenors is in constant evidence on Pene Pati's debut album…His voice certainly has the colour for both the French and Italian repertoire presented here" BBC Music Choice of the Month May |
ALEXANDER SCRIABIN
Scriabin: Mazurkas Andrey Gugnin (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 4/Mar/2022 ] Scriabin clearly responded to the passionate and emotionally charged nature of the mazurka, qualities shared by all twenty-three of the exquisite miniatures recorded here. |
CARLO GESUALDO / THOMAS TALLIS / etc
Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park [ Hyperion / CD - released 4/Mar/2022 ] "...The Gesualdo Six can build up intense and resonant climaxes, their voices are never forced...In sum, these are accounts of haunting beauty - warmly recommended." BBC Music Choral & Song Choice April 2022 |
FRANCESCO CAVALLI / CHRISTOPH GRAUPNER / FRANZ TUNDER etc
Celebration of Life in Death Anna Prohaska; La Folia Barockorchester; Robin Peter Müller [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 25/Feb/2022 ] Constantly in search of eclectic and meaningful programmes, the soprano Anna Prohaska here celebrates 'life in death'. An ambitious programme, conceived with Robin Peter Müller and his ensemble La Folia, which takes us on a journey across the... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Dualità EmÅ‘ke Baráth (soprano) / Ensemble Artaserse, Philippe Jaroussky [ Warner Classics / CD - released 18/Feb/2022 ] "She provides a sonic feast: rich bottom-register timbre, brilliant yet voluptuous top notes and a pure core that energises even her longest lines." BBC Music Opera Choice April 2022 |
GIOACCHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Three Early Operas: Ermione / La Donna del Lago / Bianca e Falliero Gregory Kunde, Carmen Giannattasio, Douglas d'Angus, Patricia Bardon, Majella Cullagh, Jennifer Larmore / David Parry, Maurizio Benini (conds) [ Opera Rara / 8 CD Box Set - released 18/Feb/2022 ] Opera Rara presents a new Opera Rara Classics boxset with a limited edition of three sought-after opere serie by Gioachino Rossini, performed by international bel canto champions. Now remastered to the best audio quality. |
CAVALLI / VIVALDI / CESTI / STRADELLA / SARTORIO / LEGRENZI / etc
Ian Bostridge - Tormento d'amore Ian Bostridge (tenor), Cappella Neapolitana, Antonio Florio [ Warner Classics / CD - released 18/Feb/2022 ] With the 10 arias on Tormento d'amore, Ian Bostridge demonstrates the important place that the tenor voice held in Italian opera from the mid-17th to the mid-18th century - often thought of as the era of the castrato. |
LEOŠ JANÁCEK / ZOLTÁN KODÁLY / ANTONÍN DVORÁK / VITESZSLAVA KAPRÁLOVÁ
Pohádka - Tales from Prague to Budapest Laura van der Heijden (cello) Jâms Coleman (piano) [ Chandos / Hybrid SACD - released 18/Feb/2022 ] The label début of the Exclusive Chandos Artist Laura van der Heijden explores the rich musical heritage of Bohemia. |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Goldberg Variations Jean Rondeau (harpsichord) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 11/Feb/2022 ] "An ode to silence" is how harpsichordist Jean Rondeau has described Bach's Goldberg Variations. "I feel they were written for silence, in the sense that they take the place of silence." |
MARIUS NESET
Neset: Manmade / Windless / Every Little Step / A Day in the Sparrow's Life Marius Neset (saxophone) / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 11/Feb/2022 ] Born in Bergen in 1985, the Norwegian saxophonist and composer Marius Neset has earned countless nominations and awards for his performances and recordings, and has performed with jazz musicians all over the world. |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Letter to Kamilla: Music in Jewish Memory Mosaic Voices [ Chandos / CD - released 11/Feb/2022 ] Mosaic Voices are the Resident Choir at the New West End Synagogue, in London. The synagogue, designed in 1877 by the Scottish architect George Audsley, is a masterpiece of Victorian architecture, known for its beautiful choral acoustic. |
PAUL SCHOENFELD / FRANK BRIDGE / AMY BEACH / FLORENCE PRICE / AARON COPLAN / etc
From Brighton To Brooklyn Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano) [ Chandos / CD - released 7/Feb/2022 ] "…Urioste's playing is nuanced and committed, while Poster impresses with his joyous fantasy, tonal range and versatility." International Piano |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas - Vol 11 (Sonatas Opp 106 & 111) Angela Hewitt (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 4/Feb/2022 ] "Her playing has great energy and also plenty of light and shade....This is an outstanding disc." Musicweb recommended June 2022 |
W. A. MOZART / RICHARD STRAUSS
Mozart / Strauss: Oboe Concertos Cristina Gómez Godoy (oboe) / West Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim [ Warner Classics / CD - released 4/Feb/2022 ] "Godoy's tone is rich and velvety, and ideally suited to the ecstatic, songful outpouring of Strauss's 1945 Oboe Concerto." BBC Music Concerto Choice April 2022 |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Cantatas Nos 35 & 169 Iestyn Davies (counter-tenor), Carolyn Sampson (soprano), John Mark Ainsley (tenor), Neal Davies (bass) / Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen (conductor) [ Hyperion / CD - released 4/Feb/2022 ] Both of these cantatas may have been written for an outstandingly gifted boy alto in Bach's Leipzig, but-listening to these peerless accounts-it's impossible to believe he could have approached Iestyn Davies's flawless technique. |
JONATHAN DOVE / JUDITH WEIR / MATTHEW MARTIN
Dove, Weir & Martin: Choral works Westminster Abbey Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor), Peter Holder (organ) [ Hyperion / CD - released 4/Feb/2022 ] A diverse selection of works, many written to commemorate state occasions in Westminster Abbey itself, by three composers who demonstrate a particular affinity for choral music. |
W. A. MOZART
Elsa Dreisig - Mozart X 3 Elsa Dreisig (soprano), Basel Chamber Orchestra, Louis Langrée [ Erato / CD - released 28/Jan/2022 ] Elsa Dreisig credits Mozart with being the composer who first inspired her to become a professional singer. Now the French-Danish soprano pays him tribute with an album devoted entirely to arias from his operas. |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Rocking Horse Road Jacqui Dankworth and the Brodsky quartet [ Chandos / CD - released 28/Jan/2022 ] Jacqui Dankworth is one of the most highly regarded and celebrated vocalists in the UK. The Sunday Times called her 'One of our finest singers, regardless of category' |