This month’s set of reviews features soundcapes, landscapes, dreams and duets

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1; Tragic Overture

Alexander Melnikov (piano); Sinfonieorchester Basel/ivor Bolton Harmonia Mundi HMM902602

For his performance of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto, Melnikov plays an 1859 Blüthner piano – an instrument contemporary with the premiere of the work. The final track is an unexpected joy: the overture to Éliza by Cherubini, a composer Brahms greatly admired. (FP) ★★★

Avner Dorman Dialogues of Love Grand Rapids Symphony et al

Node Records 859749043171

The title might sound syrupy, but Dorman’s pair of large-scale works here are wide ranging and really rather thrilling. Composed for chorus and orchestra, Dialogues of Love sweeps you up, spins you round and leaves you breathless; the Variations is a rollercoaster in itself. (MB) ★★★★

Philip Moore Organ Works

Stephen Farr (organ)

Resonus RES10284

There’s plenty of drama in these works by Philip Moore, performed by his Guildford Cathedral successor, Stephen Farr. It’s

St Albans Cathedral’s instrument that’s on display here, though, handled with precision – but it occasionally could be more playful. (FP) ★★★

Nico Muhly Throughline

San Francisco Symphony et al

SFS Media Digital SFS0081

Written during lockdown to showcase the individual players of the San Francisco Symphony, Throughline is an everchanging journey of varying musical styles, with one section written using artificial intelligence. The constant gear shifts are surprisingly effective. (FP) ★★★

Arvo Pärt Stabat Mater

Bavarian Radio Choir; Munich Radio Orchestra/ivan Repu i et al

BR Klassik 900335

Pärt’s Stabat Mater is heard here alongside works for string orchestra, with the composer’s trademark fluid, meditative style captured perfectly by the Munich Radio Orchestra, who deliver a deeply emotive performance with thick, rich textures. (FP) ★★★★

R Schumann

Organ Works, Opp 56 & 60

Jens E. Christensen (organ)

OUR Recordings 6.220675

JS Bach is the inspiration behind these two sets of organ works by a composer not often associated with the instrument. Jens Christensen brings no little imagination to them here, but they the music itself can sound very clunky at times. (JP) ★★★

Oliver Searle Pilgrim of Curiosity Carla Rees (baroque flute);

RSNO Wind Ensemble

Delphian DCD34270

The first complete album by the Glasgow-based composer features works for wind ensemble, all of which are colourful and vivid. Faith, Hopes and Charity, performed by Carla Rees, shows the vast potential of contemporary repertoire played on period instruments. (FP) ★★★

Vangelis Juno to Jupiter Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) et al Decca 485 5028

No stranger to making music inspired by the cosmos, here Vangelis reflects on Nasa’s ongoing ‘Juno’ survey of Jupiter and its moons. Electroacoustic lines are blurred, as they always are with the king of ambient music. A pleasingly familiar sound, with added gravitas from Gheorghiu. (MB) ★★★

Carly Paoli & Friends

Songs by Various Composers

Carly Paoli (soprano) et al

Abiah ABIAHRCD1

This is fast becoming a guilty pleasure. No questioning Paoli’s vocal chops, which she flexes in this collection of crowd pleasers with some notable duet partners. The pairings with Noah Stewart and Tony Hadley stand out, and the arrangements and orchestral playing are top notch. (MB) ★★★

Dream Valley Works by Rodney Bennett, R Clarke, Quilter et al Sophie Rosa (violin), Ian Buckle (piano) Rubicon (digital only) DRC1090

I’ve been thoroughly enchanted by this set of short works. There’s nothing miniature about the impact of this music, though. Each casts its spell with a sense of controlled emotion, sweet melancholy and great beauty. Angela Morley’s lyrical Rêverie is just one highlight. (MB) ★★★★★

Face(s) à face(s) Works by Gershwin, Gainsbourg et al Romain Leleu Sextet

Harmonia Mundi HMM905344

Thanks to some canny work by the sound engineers, the potentially lopsided combination of trumpet and string quintet works surprigingly well. Leleu himself brings a charming lilt to these familiar works . ( JP) ★★★

Freak Out Works by William Bolcom, James Macmillan et al Tom Bell (organ)

Regent REGCD540\

Bell puts the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook’s mighty chapel organ through its paces with a programme of 20th- and 21st-century works designed to showcase what it can do. This is in equal parts brilliant and a bit bonkers. Bolcom’s Black Host is not for the faint-hearted. (MB) ★★★

Historical Fiction Works by Handel, Gibbons, Dowland et al Christian Forshaw (saxophone),

Grace Davidson (soprano) et al

Integra Records ING 1006

Baroque and Renaissance works for an ‘imagined state occasion’, arranged in Forshaw’s signature instrumentation of saxophone, voice and organ. There’s an epic quality to the earlier tracks and the links between them are enlightening. (FP) ★★★

Ink Works by Ravel, Debussy et al Merz Trio

Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0148

The Merz Trio create a flavour of September 1914 as Ravel finishes his Piano Trio. A dynamic performance of that work is surrounded by pieces and arrangements of things he might have encountered, plus poetry and diary entries from the period. Entrancing. (MB) ★★★★

The Lockdown

Works by Piazzolla and Prokofiev Maya Levy, Hrachya Avanesyan (violin) Rubicon RCD1080

Two violinists respond to lockdown concert cancellations by turning their apartment into a recording studio, with impressive results. Though it’s quite an austere listen, the combination of composers works well, and it’s immaculately played. ( JP) ★★★★

Nightlight

Works by Mozart, Scriabin, Schubert, Bill Evans et al

Cordelia Williams (piano)

SOMM Recordings SOMMCD 0639 Ranging from Mozart to Bill

Evans, this superbly programmed recital explores night and its uncertainties and fears… but with a peaceful ending. Williams is as at home in the wilder moments of Scriabin as she is serenading us with Schumann. ( JP) ★★★★

Northscapes Works by Kaija Saariaho, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, P teris Vasks et al

Ieva Jokubaviciute (piano)

Sono Luminus DSL-92251 00:00 mins This first album from the Lithuanian pianist is striking on a number of levels. Jokubaviciute navigates the sharp corners and deep recesses of these evocative works not just with impressive technical skill, but with a lot of soul as well. A visceral debut.

(MB) ★★★★

Notes for the Future

Works by Jeremy Dutcher, Bella Bellow, Marlon Williams et al Yo-yo Ma (cello) et al

Sony Classical (digital only) G010004612526C

Yo-yo Ma’s latest panglobal musical journey gathers together friends from across five different continents in an album of many different musical styles. The overall mood is largely mournful and contemplative, though there are several moments of haunting beauty. (JP) ★★★★

Regards de femmes Piano Works by Farrenc, Beach et al

Marie Catherine Girod (piano)

Mirare MIR574

Alongside familiar names such as Clara Schumann and Ethel Smyth, several less familiar composers are showcased here. With a focus very much on finesse and melodic charm than raw virtuosity, it’s a very likeable collection, well worth exploring. (JP) ★★★★

Sounds of America

Works by Barber, Copland and Bernstein

Park Avenue Chamber Symphony Recursive Classics RC3139941

A collection of all the classics, from Barber’s Adagio for Strings to Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite. Despite an entertaining programme and energetic moments, it needs a little more precision and zing, particularly in the West Side Story Symphonic Dances. (FP) ★★ Reviewers: Michael Beek (MB), Freya Parr (FP), Jeremy Pound ( JP)