Our collection of 25 further reviews, including unmissable Britten and Vasks

JS Bach Ein feste Burg, BWV 80; Mass in G minor

Soloists; Stuttgart Chamber Choir; Stuttgart Baroque Orchestra/bernius Carus 83.282

Invigorating, richly-textured performances of one of Bach’s most joyous cantatas in an ideal acoustic. The balance sometimes raises eyebrows. (OC) ★★★★

Bloch Violin Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Piano Sonata

Stark (violin), Pescia (piano)

Claves 50-1705

Nurit Stark’s sound is raw and agitated in the violin sonatas, but strangely rustic and effective, while Pescia’s Piano Sonata is pure in tone with superb voicing. (FP) ★★★★

Britten • Hindemith

Violin Concertos

Arabella Steinbacher (violin); Berlin Radio Symphony/vladimir Jurowski Pentatone PTC 5186 625

Steinbacher’s lithe playing, alive to both concertos’ volatilities, is matched by orchestral playing of depth and heart. (OC) ★★★★★

Chopin Etudes Opp. 10 & 25 Krzysztof Jab o ski (piano) The Fryderyk Chopin Institute NIFCCD

Jab on´ski’s tasteful, restrained performances bring out myriad colours and lines from Chopin’s masterpieces. The playing is impressively even. (OC) ★★★★

Danzi Concertos

Nareh Arghamanyan (piano), Aurélien Pascal (cello); Munich Co/griffiths

Sony Classical 88985361082

Mozart and Haydn enthusiasts will enjoy exploring these two elegant concertos by their little-known German contemporary Franz Danzi. Spirited performances of each help no end. ( JP) ★★★★ O Davis Spiral; Bacchus; Morpheus; Chillingham etc Kerenza Peacock (violin), Huw Watkins (piano); RPO/PAUL Bateman et al

Signum Classics SIGCD522

Slick, lyrical and bubbly, Davis’s concert music is a happy extension of his work for TV and film. Bacchus is a joyful pizzicato piece of mischief. (RF) ★★★★

Franck String Quartet;

Piano Quintet

Quatuor Danel; Jumppanen (piano) CPO 555 088-2

Meaty playing that brings out the angst in these knotty, chromatic works. The Quartet’s Larghetto has an expansive feel while the Quintet’s finale has a devilish abandon. (OC) ★★★★

Glass Complete piano etudes Jeroen van Veen (piano)

Brilliant Classics 95563

Glass’s love of repeated rhythmic and harmonic patterns is suited to the etude form. Van Veen can be heavy-handed, but this is a hypnotic listen. (FP) ★★★★

Handel Dixit Dominus

JS Bach Magnificat in D

Vox Luminis/lionel Meunier

Alpha Classics Alpha 370

The singers of

Vox Luminis are clear, warm and unfussy in these beautifully shaped performances of works by two Baroque masters. (RF) ★★★★

Janá ek • Debussy • Respighi Violin Sonatas

Ueda (violin), Rinaldo (piano)

Heritage HTGCD 190

Three sonatas written within three years of each other, but varying in character. Ueda and Rinaldo bewitch in the Janá ek and Debussy, but the Respighi could do with more fire. (JP) ★★★ Martin Bouquet of Flowers Novák Philharmonic Dances Soloists; Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir & Choir; Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra/tomá Netopil Supraphon SU 4220-2

An idiomatic performance of Bouquet of Flowers, an engaging cantata based on folk song, and displaying hints of Janácˇek and Stravinsky. (RF) ★★★★

Martin Early orchestral works Sinfonia Varsovia/ian Hobson

Toccata Classics TOCC 0414

The 1922 symphonic tryptic Vanishing Midnight and two smaller works all receive their CD debuts. Lyrical and measured performances. (FP) ★★★★

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht Ensemble Allegria

Lawo LWC 1138

Not an obvious coupling, but a very effective one, with light-spirited Mozart placed in contrast with the darker shades of Schoenberg. Winning performances in both works, too. (JP) ★★★★

Penderecki Symphony No. 2 Dvo ák Symphony No. 7

Sinfonia Varsovia

Warner 9029573272

The Penderecki is the standout performance, with well-controlled playing by Sinfonia Varsovia. The Dvo ák occasionally requires more clarity. (FP) ★★★★

Poulenc • Ravel • Ferroud

Violin Sonatas

Ingolfsson (violin), Stoupel (piano) Accentus music ACC 30436

Robust and lyrical performances of the Poulenc and Ravel violin and piano masterpieces, while Pierre-octave Ferroud’s Sonata is a real find. (OC) ★★★★ Prokofiev

Romeo and Juliet; Cinderella Brussels Phil/stéphane Denève Deutsche Grammophon 481 6548

Pieces from the Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella suites are reimagined in a condensed narrative. Denève elicits a wonderful sound from the Brussels Phil. (FP) ★★★★

Saint-saëns Symphonic Poems Orchestre National de Lille/jun Märkl Naxos 8.573745

The Danse macabre will already be familiar to many, the likes of La Jeunesse d’hercule and Le Rouet d’omphale probably less so. Saint-saëns is on colourful form in this likeable disc. (JP) ★★★★

Vasks Laudate Dominum etc Latvian Radio Choir; Sinfonietta Riga/ Sigvards K¸lava

Ondine ODE 1302-2

At times impassioned, at times hauntingly still, Vasks’s atmospheric choral world is brilliantly showcased in performances that are as exquisitely balanced as they are perfectly paced. A stunning disc. (JP) ★★★★★

Weber Songs

Cigna (soprano), Sebastiani (guitar) Brilliant Classics 95323

There’s plenty of charm and character in Patrizia Cigna’s performances of these rarely heard, really rather lovely, songs. Sadly, there are intonation problems too. A shame. ( JP) ★★

Amor Fatale Rossini Arias

Marina Rebeka (soprano); Munich Radio Symphony/marco Armiliato

BR Klassik 900321

Marina Rebeka finds the emotional depths of Rossini in this programme of arias from operas including Otello, Guillaume Tell and La donna del lago. (RF) ★★★★

Finnish Violin Music Works by Leiviskä, Melartin and Raitio Kaaås Trio

Alba Records ABCD 410

Sibelius dominates the international reputation of Finnish music, but as this disc shows there’s plenty more. The performances are a little mixed. (RF) ★★★

Heritage and Landscape

Works by Paul Lewis

Belgian Studio Symphony,

Midland Phil etc/paul Lewis

EM Records EMR CD039

An encyclopaedia of clichés and pastiche, with generally forgettable orchestral meandering thrown in for good measure. Some wayward playing doesn’t help. (JP) ★

More Field Recordings

Works by Clayton, Kotche, Matthusen, Shaw, Smith et al

Bang on a Can All-stars

Cantaloupe CA21136

Composers respond to sounds they have recorded or discovered – an interesting experiment that yields a few gems, but generally speaking the pieces are quite off the wall. (OC) ★★★

Serenata Espan˜ola Granados, Albéniz, Soler, Malats, Guridi et al Xavier de Maistre (harp),

Lucero Tena (castanets)

Sony Classical 88985450452

In this gorgeous snapshot of Spanish musical history, harpist De Maistre makes works for guitar and harpsichord his own – joined by castanet master Lucero Tena. (RF) ★★★★

Tones & Colors Granados, Turina, Hensel, Debussy, JS Bach et al

Liza Stepanova (piano)

Concert Artist CAG120

A varied disc with extensive programme notes and elegant playing from Liza Stepanova, who explores the intersection of art and music. (FP) ★★★★

Reviewers : Oliver Condy (OC), Rebecca Franks (RF), Freya Parr (FP), Jeremy Pound (JP)