This month’s selection includes neglected composers and rediscovered gems

JS Bach Complete Works for Keyboard, Vol. 3 Benjamin Alard (harpsichord, organ) Harmonia Mundi HMM 902457.59 Alard’s journey through Bach’s keyboard works here takes in Frenchinf luenced suites, chorale preludes, the great organ Passacaglia and more. The Frenchstyle instruments are as colourful as his playing. (OC) ★★★★

Casterede Flute Works Cobus du Toit (flute), Doreen Lee (piano) Naxos 8.574155 Surprisingly, it is the 12 Etudes that really shine in this recording. Cobus du Toit’s characterful playing is even and bright, but the recording quality could be a lot clearer. (FP) ★★★

Carlos Cipa Correlations (on 11 pianos) Carlos Cipa (pianos) Warner Classics 9029526754 An imaginative concept, this set of intuitively composed pieces explores the aural qualities and personalities of 11 different instruments. (MB) ★★★

Edward Cowie Clarinet Concerto; Concerto for Orchestra Alan Hacker (clarinet); Rlpo/howard Williams Metier MSV92108 Vibrant, fiery listening from 1984 and ’86 recordings brought together here. The brass and percussion sections don’t hold back, making for an exciting whirlwind of a listen. (FP) ★★★★

Dawson Negro Folk Symphony etc ORF Vienna Radio Symphony/ Arthur Fagen Naxos 8.55987 Despite its highly successful 1934 premiere, Dawson’s symphony soon fell into the obscurity typical of music by BME composers. A fine performance of a colourful and intriguing work. (FP) ★★★★

Fauré Piano works Alexandra Matvievskaya (piano) Artalinna ATL024 A lovely Fauré survey with some delicious Nocturnes. Maybe more overt emotional engagement, dynamic gradations and delicacy would have been good, but there’s much to enjoy. (OC) ★★★

Feinberg • Winterberg Chamber Works Nina Pissareva Zymbalist (violin), Christophe Sirodeau (piano) Melism MLSCD011 A convincing showcase of rediscovered works by a pair of neglected composers. Feinberg’s is perhaps the clearest and most engaging voice. Bracing performances. (MB) ★★★

Fibich Symphony No. 3 etc Janá ek Philharmonic Ostrava/ Marek Stilec Naxos 8.57412 Packed with joie de vivre, Fibich’s soundworld ranges from Mendelssohn and Brahms to his compatriots Dvor ák and Smetana. It’s engaging, enjoyable stuff, excellently played. ( JP) ★★★★

Philip Glass Music in Eight Parts Philip Glass Ensemble Orange Mountain Music OMM 6058 Glass’s Music in Eight Parts was performed a handful of times in 1970 before the manuscript went missing. Recently rediscovered, it receives its premiere recording with artists in isolation. (FP) ★★★★

Harty Songs Kathryn Rudge (soprano), Christopher Glyn (piano) SOMM SOMMCD 0616 Hamilton Harty’s folk-inflected songs, including the lovely ‘Cradle Song’, have an air of Stanford about them (both composers were Irish). Glynn’s fine, understated playing gives flight to Rudge’s rich, impassioned singing. (OC) ★★★★

Marais Badinages Mélisande Corriveau (viola da gamba), Eric Milnes (harpsichord) ATMA Classiques ACD 22785 The sweetness of phrasing and rhythmic energy here shows the French 18th-century viol genius as equal to Rameau or Couperin. (OC) ★★★★

Mendelssohn The First Walpurgis Night Kammerchor Stuttgart et al Carus CAR83503 Mendelssohn’s 1831 Goethe-inspired secular cantata is a thrilling ride, full of the composer’s expressive genius. A zestful performance, immaculately recorded – plus, the rare Oedipus in Kolonus. (OC) ★★★★

Mozart Piano Concertos Nos 11, 12 & 13 Alexander Schimpf (piano) et al Cavi-music AVI 8553112 Nimble mid-life Mozart piano concertos courtesy of a small string ensemble and beautifully articulated pianism. The acoustic is spacious, but not overly so. (OC) ★★★★

James Primosch Carthage etc The Crossing/donald Nally Navona NV6287 Texts ancient and modern inspire American composer Primosch’s six works here. The Grammywinning choir – heard in various iterations – goes at them with pep and precision. (MB) ★★★

R Strauss Macbeth; Tod und Verklärung etc Singapore Symphony Orchestra/lan Shui BIS BIS-2342 A feisty outing for Strauss’s comparively rarely heard Macbeth is the highlight of this disc. The Tod und Verklärung could do with being a little more boneshaking, though. (JP) ★★★

Michael Tilson Thomas From the Diary of Anne Frank etc San Francisco Symphony et al SFS Media SFS 0079 A pair of MTT’S own works, from 1990 and 2019 with charm and emotional depth. The orchestra sparkles in the Anne Frank piece especially. (MB) ★★★★

Ambience Works by Joe Hume, Bach et al Joe Hume (piano) Big Round Records BR8961 Chillout? With not a moment’s let-up on the sustain pedal and every note in the right hand thumped out – whether in Bach, Saint-saëns or Hume’s own compositions – there’s little chance of that. (JP) ★★

Cantos Sagrados Works by Macmillan, Musgrave, Tippett et al Nat’l Youth Choir of Scotland; Rsno/christopher Bell Signum Classics SIGCD604 This is terrifically programmed album, combining hardhitting Macmillan and quirky Musgrave with the more ethereal world of E envalds and Biebl. It is all finely sung too. ( JP) ★★★★★

Chaconne for the Princess Works by Handel, Leclair et al Jana Semerádová, Erich Traxler Supraphon SU42772 The best works here, dedicated to the 18th-century Princess Anne, are those played at a pace; the flute is a delightful breath of fresh air. (MB) ★★★

Journeyers Works by Kodály and Ravel Lidy Blijdorp (cello), Julien Brocal (piano) et al Rubicon RCD1049 An illuminating pairing of composers as Dutch cellist Blijdorp and various duet partners play a selection of their chamber works. Commendable virtuosic playing in the solo pieces. (FP) ★★★★

Nordic Connections Works by Grieg, Norman and Nystroem Göran Fröst (viola); Swedish Chamber Orchestra et al Daphne 1065

Ludwig Norman’s Viola Sonata, which enjoys its premiere recording here, is full of charm and lyricism, and is well complemented by the more familiar Grieg and Nystroem. ( JP) ★★★★

Pipers Works by Clarinet Factory Clarinet Factory Supraphon SU 6590-2

The clarinet ensemble is joined by acoustic and electronic instruments in this fun set of short pieces. Musical fusion is at the centre of the disc, some tracks more imaginatively delivered than others. (FP) ★★

Singing in the Dead of Night Works by Julia Wolfe, David Lang et al Eighth Blackbird Cedille CDR 90000 195

From thrillingly energetic to mesmerising and, at times, even a little bewildering, this is an imaginatively conceived and superbly played disc. Julia Wolfe’s title track is the pick. (JP) ★★★★

SOLAS Works by Haydn, Vinci et al Gerard Mcchrystal (saxophone), Christian Wilson (organ) First Hand Records FHR93

Who’d have thought the combination of sax and organ could be quite so enchanting? Mcchrystal makes the sopranino sax sing with sweet beauty in a wideranging programme. Quite lovely. (MB) ★★★★

Venice’s Fragrance Works by Vivaldi, Arrigoni et al Nuria Rial (soprano) et al DHM 886448273035

If this selection of arias is anything to go by, Venice’s fragrance is abundant with a heady musical perfume; hugely enjoyable, and the Vivaldi concertos are a sweet bonus. (MB) ★★★★ Reviewers: Michael Beek (MB), Oliver Condy (OC), Freya Parr (FP), Jeremy Pound (JP)