Our collection of 25 further reviews this month features a flurry of festive fare

Beethoven String Quartets

Elias String Quartet

Wigmore Hall Live Whlive0092/2 Vibrant, alert, brilliant Beethoven from the Elias String Quartet in their fifth volume of the complete cycle, recorded live at the Wigmore Hall. It’s a series you’ll want on your shelves. (RF) ★★★★

Rhett Brewer The Thaw

The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra/ Stephen Hussey, et al

HP Recordings HP3300001

This disc, although lively and dramatic, sadly misses the mark. The swelling violins, wordless singing and electronic accompaniment feel too predictable, the transitions clumsy. (FP) ★★

John Joubert Piano Concerto; Symphony No. 3

BBC National Orchestra of Wales/ William Boughton Lyrita SRCD.367 Martin Jones is scintillating in Joubert’s spiky Piano Concerto, with its flashes of Prokofiev; the Symphony No. 3 is terrifically characterful. (OC) ★★★★

LE Larsson Symphony No. 3, etc Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra/ Andrew Manze CPO 777 673-2

Swedish composer Larsson’s music is richly scored, huge in scale and full of interesting harmonic twists. The Symphony will appeal to newcomers, but the bleak Adagio is my highlight. (OC) ★★★★

Pater Peccavi Works by Morago, Lôbo, Fernandez et al

The Marian Consort/rory Mccleery Delphian DCD34205

Exemplary one-toa-part performances of Portugueses Renaissance repertoire, much of which will be unfamiliar to many. The singing is as impassioned as it is effortlessly elegant. (JP) ★★★★ Steve Reich Drumming

KUNIKO Linn CKD 582

KUNIKO performs all 13 parts of Reich’s minimalist work herself, using multi-tracking to great effect. It is dynamic and less aggressive than other versions; a very calming listen. (FP) ★★★★

Schreker The Birthday of the Infanta (Suite), etc

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Joann Falletta Naxos 8.573821

Stirring, sumptuous performances show off Schreker’s lush scoring and vivid orchestral picturepainting. You may, though, shed a few tears: the Infanta’s birthday is not a happy occasion. ( JP) ★★★★

N Schwartz • Broadstock Orchestral Works

Synchron Stage Orchestra/kevin Purcell, et al Divine Art DDA 25165 Evocative and tuneful music from Schwartz and Broadstock, with the former’s given a top drawer reading by some of Vienna’s finest players. A disc I’d definitely spin again. (MB) ★★★★

Stravinsky Le sacre du printemps; L’oiseau de feu

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Mariss Jansons BR Klassik 900168

Two perennial classics in a live recording. The Rite is rather less feverish than I would like, but still a masterful performance under Jansons. (MB) ★★★★

Wesley Confitebor tibi, etc Portsmouth Choral Union, et al Priory PRCD 1186

An exact contemporary of Haydn’s The Creation, Wesley’s work is pleasant but decidedly unmemorable. An unwieldy-sized chorus and bathroom-like recorded sound don’t help its cause here. (JP) ★★ Advent Live Works by Britten, Gibbons, et al

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge/andrew Nethsingha

Signum SIGCD535

Sung with typical St John’s verve and character, this superbly programmed collection will take your Advent listening in unexpected, but entirely apposite, directions. (JP) ★★★★

Cantique de Noël Works by Berlioz, Gounod, Saint-saëns, et al Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge/geoffrey Webber, et al Delphian DCD34197

Pleasingly familiar tunes, en français, beautifully sung and richly accompanied. This is very much what Christmas music should be. (MB) ★★★★

Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain Folk Carols

Apollo’s Fire/jeannette Sorrell, et al Avie AV2396

A zinging crosscultural celebration that takes us from memories of Christmas Eve in Old Ireland to Christmas morning in Appalachia. (RF) ★★★★

The Darkest Midnight

Papagena

SOMM Recordings SOMMCD 0189

A disc of stark contrasts; the largely bleak (midwinter) programme is enlivened by moments of welcome warmth and light. (MB) ★★★

Songs

Direct Message Works by Maxwell-davies, Enescu, et al Matilda Lloyd (trumpet), John Reid (piano) Orchid Classics ORC100089 Matilda Lloyd’s debut is a dynamic showcase of established and newly composed trumpet repertoire. A very engaging listen. (FP) ★★★★ An Ely Christmas Carols

The Girl Choristers and Lay Clerks of Ely Cathedral Regent REGCD527

Some terrific arrangements and original carols here – a refreshing break from the usual seasonal offering. The girl choristers produce a beautiful, blended sound. (OC) ★★★★

Folkjul II: A Swedish Folk Christmas Hymns and Chorales St Jacobs Chamber Choir, et al BIS-2334 Put on some warm knitwear and pop this disc in for the ultimate Swedish Christmas. The joyful, jaunty mix of hymns and chorales, with a folk twist, is sure to make you smile. (RF) ★★★★

A German Christmas 17th-century music

Margaretha Consort Naxos 8.551398 Christmas in 17th-century Germany was clearly musically rich. This neatly performed programme contrasts intimate ensemble-work with more dramatic congregational items. (OC) ★★★

Music for Windy Instruments Sounds for the Court of James I The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble Resonus RES10225

Is the title of this album an allusion to the king’s reported flatulence? I do hope so. The florid music, by English and European composers, is deftly, thrillingly performed. (OC) ★★★★

The Mystery of Christmas Greek Kalanda by Cilia Petridou Jenni Harper, Lesley-jane Rogers, Alison Smart (sopranos), et al

Divine Art dda 25186

Simple settings for soprano and piano that reveal their composer’s Greekcypriot heritage. One for those who prefer a more restrained Christmas. (JP) ★★★

The Nutcracker and I

Music by Tchaikovsky

Alexandra Dariescu (piano), et al Signum Classics SIGCD542

The perfect Christmas disc for tiny humans. A narrator tells the story of the Nutcracker over Dariescu’s sensitive playing. A really thoughtful set of illustrated programme notes, too. (FP) ★★★★

Prism I Works by Beethoven, Shostakovich and JS Bach

Danish String Quartet ECM 2561

The first album in a series, linking Bach to Beethoven and other composers. Shostakovich is first up, in a performance that’s fragile, fierce and piercing. The Beethoven is robust. (RF) ★★★★

Snow Queens Seasonal and Winter Music

Juice Vocal Ensemble

Resonus Classics RES10224

With voices as sharp and bright as winter sun on snow, Juice Vocal Ensemble’s seasonal album sparkles. There’s a lot of new music to explore here, including pieces by Emily Hall and Alison Willis. (RF) ★★★★

Star of Wonder Christmas Carols Chor Leoni/erick Lichte

CHOR LEONI CLR 1809

A set of unusual arrangements of traditional Christmas carols, varying in their success. The piano accompaniment somewhat lets the performances down – the a cappella pieces are much more powerful. (FP) ★★★

Twelve Piano Prisms

Piano works by Tanya Ekanayaka Tanya Ekanayaka (piano)

Grand Piano GP785

Ancient melodies and modern musicality combine in this vivid and imaginative pianistic exploration from the composer/ pianist. (MB) ★★★ Reviewers: Michael Beek (MB),

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