This month’s selection includes lockdown gems and a major Martynov premiere

Ed Bennett Psychedelia etc

RTE National Symphony NMC D257 This dramatic album of large-scale pieces reaches a transcendental climax in the title work, followed by a moment of calm in Magnetic for bass clarinet and prepared piano. (FP) ★★★★

Bernstein • Ginastera • Moussa Violin Concertos

Andrew Wan (violin) Analekta AN28920 From the spikiness of Ginastera to the genial wit of Bernstein and the eerie stillness of Samy Moussa, this is a refreshingly imaginative combination of rarities for violin and orchestra, played with real aplomb. ( JP) ★★★★★

Brahms Cello Sonatas etc

Luigi Piovano (cello), Antonio Pappano (piano) Arcana 475613

Good to hear Pappano back on the piano stool. He and Piovani, himself a consummate musician, prove fine partners in Brahms’s ultra-romantic Sonatas and yearning Romances. It’s all beautifully recorded. (OC) ★★★★

David Chesky The Abreu Danzas Orchestra of the 21st Century et al Chesky Records JD456

There’s colour and rhythm in Chesky’s portrait of a ‘Latin’ New York City, though the musical hustle and bustle is let down by oddly muted dynamics and a distant acoustic. (MB) ★★

Coates Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 BBC Philharmonic/john Wilson Chandos CHAN 20148

Coates may have a reputation as the king of light music, but much of the fare here is expertly crafted, including the harmonically and thematically rich suite The Enchanted Garden. Brilliant performances. (OC) ★★★★★

Debussy Sonatas and Piano Works Pixels Ensemble Rubicon RCD1063 Three of Debussy’s best-loved chamber works, performed with thrilling rhythmic alertness. Robert Orledge’s completions of three piano miniatures make this a fascinating release. (OC) ★★★★

Alexis Ffrench Dreamland

Alexis Ffrench (piano) et al

Sony 19439705272

There’s wonderfully old-school romance to some of these pieces. Ffrench whisks the listener along with wide-eyed lyricism, melodic heart and a delightful contemporary glow. (MB) ★★★★

Francis Jackson Organ Works Mark Swinton (organ)

Willowhayne WHR065

Jackson’s music has a strong English flavour – Sonatas Nos 5 & 6 are wonderful, while the miniatures, especially the Impromptu, are never less than a delight. Swinton is a terrific advocate. (OC) ★★★★

Vladimir Martynov Utopia London Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vladimir Jurowski LPO LPO0120

The premiere recording of Martynov’s Utopia symphony, which blends a vast orchestral minimalist soundscape with relentless homophonic choral singing influenced by Russian Orthodox chant. (FP) ★★★

Miyoshi Marimba Concerto, etc Kuniko (marimba), et al Linn CKD596 For her sixth recording with Linn, Kuniko pays tribute to one of Japan’s top 20th-century composers, Akira Miyoshi. The concerto with the Scottish Ensemble is particularly atmospheric, with light and buoyant interpretations throughout. (FP) ★★★

Melissa Parmenter Messapica Melissa Parmenter (piano), Harry Escott (cello) Globe Soundtrack & Score 00602435056296

In this evocative collection of pieces inspired by Parmenter’s Italian roots, the film producer-turned-composer conjures a beautiful atmosphere with piano, cello and sound effects. (MB) ★★★

Margaret Rizza Ave Generosa Gaudete Ensemble Convivium CR 056 Dubbed ‘A Musical Journey with the Mystics’, Rizza’s settings of sacred texts are something of a healing balm. Rich and soothing performances by the Gaudete Ensemble too. (MB) ★★★

Matthew Taylor

Symphonies Nos 4 & 5, etc

BBC NOW et al Nimbus NI 6406

If not consistently compelling, Taylor’s well-crafted symphonies contain plenty of characterful and imaginative writing, aided here by excellent performances. (JP) ★★★★

Weinberg Piano Quintet, etc Elisaveta Blumina (piano) et al Capriccio C5336

I am always bowled over by Weinberg’s sense of drama – as in this thrilling orchestral version of the Quintet. The Children’s Notebooks for piano are anything but child’s play. (MB) ★★★★

Edgar Allen Poe and the Harp Renié, Caplet and Bräm

Julia Wacker (harp) et al

Ars Produktion ARS38576

Be warned – the

Poe stories on this recording are read in German. Still, alongside them are three fascinating and varied pieces of music that display Julia Wacker’s virtuosity as a harpist. (JP) ★★★

Emotions Debussy, Nyman etc Gautier Capuçon (cello)

Erato 90295214043

Thanks to his daily streams, Capuçon is something of a lockdown star in France. Designed presumably as an accompaniment to these rather odd times, here is a charming if relentlessly melancholy pot-pourri. (OC) ★★★

Heaven Full of Stars Contemporary Choral Works Vasari Singers Naxos 8.574179

The Vasari Singers shimmer and shine in celebration of their 40th anniversary.

It’s a starry line-up of composers, too, including Gabriel Jackson and Roxanna Panufnik as two of the highlights. (MB) ★★★

In Paradisum Vangelis, Allegri etc Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Aparté AP228 The repertoire here doesn’t, I suspect, always show the choir at its best. A truncated Allegri Miserere is a very rocky ride; more forgiving works by Fauré, Stanford and Vangelis fare better. (JP) ★★

Labyrinth Works by Bach,

Chopin, Glass, Morricone et al Khatia Buniatishvili (piano)

Sony Classical 19439795772 Buniatishvili’s latest ‘easy-listening’ offering pairs Bach and Satie with

Cage and Ligeti. Thoughtful playing, but it could do with cleaner pedal work and a crisper recorded sound. (FP) ★★★

The Library, Vol. 2 Works by James Blake; Bob Chilcott etc

The King’s Singers Signum SIGCD635

A warming, comforting blend of popular and classical works taking in

The Beatles, James Macmillan and Disney. For the most part, this is a superb, dynamic display of close harmony. (FP) ★★★

Pan & Apoll

Water Music for Flute and Harp Antonia Schreiber (harp), Alja Velkaverh (flute) Hänssler HC 20041

A nicely thought-out Greek myth-inspired album of Debussy, Takemitsu and other less familiar composers. The players dance with vigour and float ethereally in equal measure. (JP) ★★★★

Romantic Dreams Quintets by Farrenc and Saint-saëns Ironwood ABC Classics ABC4819887

The Australian period instrument ensemble explores French Romantics, with sympathetic, lyrical accounts of quintets by Saintsaëns and a rather more memorable Farrenc. (FP) ★★★

Soul of Spanish Guitar Works by Albéniz, Gimenez, Tarrega et al Pablo Saínz-villegas (guitar)

Sony Classical 19439786732

Beautifully smooth accounts of classic Spanish guitar works, each very personal to Saínz-villegas. These are staples of the genre, played with passion and soul. (MB) ★★★★

Tanbou Kache 21st-century works by Haitian composers

Diana Golden (cello),

Shawn Chang (piano) New Focus FCR279 There’s a lot to enjoy in this admirable exploration of music by Haitian composers, not least Julio Racine’s lively Sonate à Cynthia. Occasionally, a more even recorded balance between piano and cello would help. ( JP) ★★★

Widor & Vierne at the Weiwuying Concert Hall Organ Works

Iveta Apkalna (organ)

Berlin Classics 0301421BC Accomplished, if straightforward, performances of the organ repertoire’s two greatest symphonies – the organ isn’t in the French Romantic mould, but there’s a sharpness and clarity to the sound. (OC) ★★★★

Reviewers: Michael Beek (MB),

Oliver Condy (OC), Freya Parr (FP), Jeremy Pound (JP)