Reissues

Hindemith Cello Concerto Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante Rautavaara Cello Concerto No. 1 SWR Music SWR19418CD (1971/75) 74:46 mins Fine radio recordings from Stuttgart and Badenbaden, encapsulating János Starker’s tantalising cool intensity and passionate restraint. ★★★★

Hindemith Violin Concerto Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1, Violin Sonata Alto ALC 1355 (1956-62) 73:48 mins David Oistrakh mines the expressive core of these elusive scores with scintillating flair, partnered dazzlingly by Kurt Sanderling, Paul Hindemith and pianist Vladimir Yampolsky. ★★★★★

Prokofiev • Rachmaninov • Kabalevsky Piano Concerto No. 3 Praga Digitals PRD 250 395 (1949-55) 82:23 mins Expertly transferred, Emil Gilels’s incandescent live accounts of the Rachmaninov and Prokofiev with Kondrashin transcend their sonic limitations, although the Kabalevsky is rather short on charm. ★★★

Alfred Campoli The Bel Canto Violin Vol. 5 Eloquence 482 5143 (1954-58) 114:04 mins (2 CDS) Alfredo Campoli’s cantabile eloquence and portamento-espressivo, with deeply committed support from Boult and the LPO in Elgar’s Concerto, and from the composer in Bliss’s Concerto. ★★★★