Our collection of 25 short reviews includes Reich, Rachmaninov and a Requiem

Bacewicz Piano Works

Morta Grigaliunaite (piano)

Piano Classics PCL10183

Bacewicz’s style ranges from the lyrical to the deeply introspective. The Second Sonata is the highlight, although the Children’s Suite’s dark simplicity is beguiling. (OC) ★★★★

JS Bach Sonatas

Renaud Capuçon (violin),

David Fray (piano)

Warner Classics 9029550578

Fray and Capuçon have opted for an old-fashioned approach here – modern instruments, full vibrato, plenty of rubato. Not the snappiest of performances, however. (OC) ★★★

Elfman Violin Concerto etc

Sandy Cameron (violin) et al

Sony Classical 19075869752

Plenty of Elfman’s trademark quirk and zeal on display here in a heady Piano Quartet and gutsy Violin Concerto. Both demand to be taken seriously and they should be. (MB) ★★★★

Fauré • Debussy • Poulenc Choral Works

Ensemble Aedes; Les Siècles et al Aparté AP201

Three gorgeous choral works with period-appropriate instruments, let down somewhat by the mix. A warmer blend would have enhanced these otherwise excellent interpretations. (FP) ★★★

Hekemma Dido & Aeneazz

Eric Vloeimans (trumpet); Calefax Pentatone PTC5186758

Purcell’s famous opera gets jazzed up for wind quintet, trumpet, bass and drums, then played with wit, swagger and sophistication. This is simply wonderful stuff. (JP) ★★★★★ Janá ek • Ligeti

String Quartets

Belcea Quartet Alpha Classics Alpha 454 You’ll either love or hate the Belceas take on Janá ek. Their performances are gutsy, rustic, raw, relentless, pushing tempos and rubatos to extremes. It’s thrillingly strange. (RF) ★★★★★

Kar owicz Violin Concerto etc Alena Baeva (violin) et al

The Fryderyk Chopin Institute NIFCCD 067 Live performances of two substantial works that don’t get played as often as they might. There is plenty of pizzazz here, but also a fair few rough edges. ( JP) ★★★

Leighton • Martin

Masses for Double Choir

Choir of King’s College, London/joseph Fort Dephian DCD34211

Leighton’s Mass is scintillating; voices could do with being more alert. Martin’s, equally fine, could also benefit from more urgency. Fort brings out some expressive singing, nonetheless. (OC) ★★★

R Palmer Piano Works

Adam Tendler (piano)

New World Records 80809-2

Tendler champions a US composer who was considered one to watch in the late ’40s. These piano pieces written from 1938-84 stray beyond mere exercise and occasionally dazzle. (MB) ★★★

Prokofiev • Stravinsky • Tchaikovsky Piano Works Alexander Ullman (piano)

Rubicon RCD1029

The young pianist shows what he’s made of on this debut disc of ballet music for piano. Beautifully delicate playing, with vibrant colours and the excellent Rubicon recorded sound. One to watch.

(FP) ★★★★ Rachmaninov The Isle of the Dead; Symphony No. 1 Lpo/vladimir Jurwoski LPO-0111 The rocking of the boat, the lapping of the waves… Jurowski’s Isle of the Dead unerringly beckons us to our final fate. The playing is first-class. (RF) ★★★★

Reich Clapping Music; Pulse etc Colin Currie Group et al

Colin Currie Records CCR0003

Reich played by Reich experts. Despite a slightly flat acoustic, there is real depth to every clap, hit and note. The live recording lifts the drama – you feel right on the edge of every beat. (FP) ★★★★

Saint-saëns String Quartet No. 1; Piano Quintet Op. 14

Quatuor Girard et al B Records LBM 018 Youth and experience meet in this fascinating programme – the late Quartet wrestles with tradition; the Quintet has a young man’s confidence. Passionate, soulful playing, but silly case and booklet design. (OC) ★★★★

Schubert Chamber Works

Cremona Quartet et al Audite 23.443

An unexpected emphasis here, an unusual moment of phrasing there: the Cremona Quartet are unpredictable, but never mannered in these Schubert chamber masterpieces. They capture the profound beauty of both works.

(RF) ★★★★

Shostakovich Chamber Works Artemis Quartet; Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano) Erato 92029554076

This a deeply personal project for the Artemis Quartet, as the booklet notes sensitively outline. They play Shostakovich utterly naturally, and the Piano Quintet with Elisabeth Leonskaja is a highlight. (RF) ★★★★ Beatam

Choral works by Bairstow et al The Choir of York Minster

Regent REGCD522

With composers Edward Bairstow and Francis Jackson among its former choirmasters,

York Minster has an admirable musical heritage. The current choir celebrates it in style. (JP) ★★★★

Deep Light: Clarinet Masterpieces Works by Weber, Finzi et al

Cristo Barrios (clarinet), Andrew West (piano) IBS Classical IBS42018

What an exciting listen this is. Superb programming of clarinet works by primarily English and German composers, with intimate sound and fabulously controlled playing. (FP) ★★★★

If Works by Nyman & Purcell Fretwork; Iestyn Davies (counter-tenor) Signum Classics SIGCD586 67.51

Davies’s vocal, Fretwork’s cut and thrust and Nyman’s singular vision are seemingly perfect bedfellows. This is beautifully melancholic and, by turns, delightfully spare. (MB) ★★★★

In Circles Works by Brahms et al Amy Dickson (saxophones) et al

Sony Classical 19075944692

Dickson shows the saxophone is capable of subtlety and great beauty. Earthy, woody tones abound in this beguiling folk-inspired programme, with added didgeridoo. (MB) ★★★★★

Inland Piano works by Dessner, Nyman, Bryars, Vasks et al

Vanessa Wagner (piano) Infine IF1050 Contemporary piano miniatures, some better than others. Gavin Bryars’s Ramble on Cortona stands out; the opening, eerie Für Fritz is spellbinding. The sound is a little close and muffled. (OC) ★★★

Momentum

Works by Poulenc, Mattsson et al Erica Nygard (f lute) et al Alba ABCD 439 The opening Poulenc works surprisingly well with the organ, but my attention wavered in the other works. The flute line is sumptuous throughout. (FP) ★★★

Music from New Zealand for Two Guitars Works by John Psathas, Jack Body and Anthony Ritchie Jane Curry, Owen Moriarty (guitar) Naxos 8.579041

Though the composers featured here are antipodean, they also reveal inf luences from Europe, South America and Africa. The result is stylistically varied and very enjoyable. (JP) ★★★★

The Music of King’s Choral Works The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge King’s College Recordings KGS0034 Stephen Cleobury looks towards the sunset of his long reign at King’s with a disc that, frolicsome Monteverdi and celebratory Scheidt aside, consists largely of songful serenity. (JP) ★★★★

Sonatas for Two Violins Without Bass Works by Guillemain et al Johannes Pramsohler, Roldán Bernabé (violin) Audax ADX 13714

Inspired by two violinists who tried to quell a riot in Lyon in 1744, these vivacious performances ‘touch the heart and charm the soul’ as the originals did. (RF) ★★★★

Transforming Traditions

Works by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart & Giuliani

Noemi Gyori (flute),

Katalin Koltai (guitar)

Genuin GEN 19640

Enchanting new transcriptions for an ideal instrumental pairing. Best served with a cup of tea, which apparently sustained the pair during recordings! (MB) ★★★★ Reviewers: Michael Beek (MB),

Oliver Condy (OC), Rebecca Franks (RF),

Freya Parr (FP), Jeremy Pound ( JP)