Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Catriona Morison (mezzo), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Choir, Pueri gaudentes, Semyon Bychkov
Following acclaimed recordings of Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5, Bychkov continues his Mahler cycle from Prague with the first work by the composer which he ever encountered: back in 2022, he recounted how he wandered into a rehearsal of Symphony No. 3 at the Academic Glinka Capella in St Petersburg (then Leningrad) as a schoolboy and found himself 'suddenly in the middle of the most unbelievable sound-world, like nothing I’d ever experienced before'. Previous instalments in the series have been praised for Bychkov's combination of 'intelligent pacing and great-hearted warmth' (The Times on No. 5) and the 'superlative individual and collective quality in every orchestral department' (BBC Music Magazine on No. 2).
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Ravel: Fragments
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
The French pianist's contribution to this year's Ravel anniversary is a postscript of sorts to his acclaimed survey of the complete piano works in 2016, which was described by Gramophone as a set of 'revelatory performances of breathtaking beauty and incomparable power'. The programme features Chamayou's own transcriptions of the Pièce en forme de Habanera, 'Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis' and 'Chanson de la mariée', and several tributes to Ravel by other composers - including Arthur Honegger's Hommage à Ravel, Betsy Jolas's Signets, Ricardo Viñes's Menuet spectral, and Xavier Montsalvatge's Elegia a Maurice Ravel.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Clara & Robert Schumann: Music for Clarinet and Piano
Julian Bliss (clarinet), James Baillieu (piano)
Four years on from their recording of Brahms's clarinet sonatas and Vier ernste Gesänge, Bliss and Baillieu team up again for a programme of music by the Schumanns, including Bliss's own transcriptions of Robert's Adagio and Allegro Op. 70, Clara's Three Romances Op. 22 and a selection of Lieder by both composers. The programme also features Robert's Fantasiestücke Op. 73, originally composed for the clarinet (although sometimes appropriated by violinists and cellists).
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Grace Williams: Missa Cambrensis
April Fredrick (soprano), Angharad Lyddon (mezzo), Robert Murray (tenor), Paul Carey Jones (bass-baritone), Dr Rowan Willliams (narrator), BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales, Côr Heol y March, Adrian Partington
Premiered at Llandaff Cathedral in 1971, Williams's Missa Cambrensis was dedicated to her friend Nancy Elizabeth Jenkins (who died shortly before the score was finished); Williams incorporates her 1955 Carol Nadolig ('A Christmas Carol' on a text by Welsh poet and politician Saunders Lewis) and the spoken text of The Beatitudes (in Welsh) into the Latin Mass setting. Reviewing a rare live performance of the work in 2016, The Guardian noted that 'the combination of Celtic melancholy, moments of serenity and the sheer monumentality of the music was strong'; this is the piece's world premiere recording.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Lalo, Saint-Saëns & Sarasate: Works for Violin & Orchestra
James Ehnes (violin), BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena
Following his recent Sibelius album from Bergen, Ehnes moves into warmer climes by teaming up with Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena for two works dedicated to the great virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate: Lalo's Symphonie espagnole from 1874 (which was one of the inspirations for Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto several years later) and Saint-Saëns's Violin Concerto No. 3 from 1880. Sarasate's own concerto fantasy on themes from Bizet's Carmen rounds off the programme.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Momentum 2
Liya Petrova (violin), Alexandre Kantorow (piano), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Duncan Ward
The first instalment of Petrova's Momentum project (released in 2023) coupled Respighi's Violin Sonata with the Walton Violin Concerto was an Editor's Choice in Gramophone, whilst BBC Music Magazine declared that 'both these performances mark Petrova out as an exceptional talent'; this sequel pairs Korngold's Violin Concerto with Strauss's sole Violin Sonata (composed in 1887, shortly after he met his future wife Pauline de Ahna). Petrova took First Prize at the Carl Nielsen competition in 2016, and has since been praised for her 'effortless virtuosity' (The Strad) and 'ripe and silvery' sound (The Times).
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Beyond
Peter Moore (trombone), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Redmond
Three of the five works on this collection of world premiere recordings are distilled from recent operas: the 'Three-Piece Suite' from Thomas Adès's Powder Her Face (1995), the 'Liar Suite' from Nico Muhly's Marnie (2017), and the suite from Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice (2020). Inspired by King Lear, Aucoin's Heath was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and premiered in 2023, whilst Jonathan Dove's Stargazer is described by the composer as 'a miniature ‘opera’ for the trombone'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Ukrainian Piano Concertos
Violina Petrychenko (piano), Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra, Volodymyr Syvokhip
Following recordings of solo piano works by composers including Levko Revutsky, Mykola Kolessa, Valentyn Sylvestrov and Viktor Kosenko, the Ukrainian pianist presents concertos by her compatriots Vasyl Barvinsky (1888-1963) and Viktor Kosenko (1896-1938). Petrychenko writes: 'Barvinsky's concerto enchants with its emotional depth and folkloric references, while Kosenko's composition shines through its perfect balance of lyricism and virtuosity.' She is currently Artistic Director of the Sounds of Ukraine Festival (founded in 2022), which will run in Cologne, Bonn, and Düsseldorf this autumn.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Noah Max: String Quartets
Sir Michael Morpurgo (narrator), Tippett Quartet
Described as 'a fizzing creative fuse' by The Sunday Times, the British-Austrian composer, poet and artist Noah Max's four string quartets draw inspiration from a range of sources, including the paintings of Juan Miró, the sculptures of Barbara Hepworth, Jean Giono's 1953 allegory The Man Who Planted Trees, and John Boyne's novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (which Max set as a chamber opera several years ago). Classical Source recently welcomed this collection of world premiere recordings as 'a fascinating release that repays repeated listening'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Haochen Zhang plays Beethoven & Liszt
Haochen Zhang (piano)
The Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang came to international prominence in 2009, when he shared the Gold Medal at Van Cliburn International Piano Competition with Nobuyuki Tsujii; his fifth album for BIS couples Beethoven's monumental 'Hammerklavier' Sonata (which, coincidentally, 'Nobu' has also recently recorded for Deutsche Grammophon) with Liszt's Piano Sonata. Liszt was an early champion of the 'Hammerklavier', playing the work at the Salle Érard in Paris in 1836: Berlioz described his interpretation as 'the ideal performance of a work reputed to be unperformable'.
Available Format: SACD
Bach: The Art of Fugue
Albert Cano Smit (piano)
This is the debut album from 28-year-old Spanish-Dutch pianist Albert Cano Smit, who took first prize at the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 2017 and later gave the first performance of Stephen Hough's Partita for Piano, which was commissioned by the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation (the world premiere recording of the piece, performed by the composer, was released on Hyperion last week). Can Smit writes: 'I remember hearing the opening notes of The Art of Fugue for the first time, and being captivated by the impression that an entire universe was slowly being revealed through the work'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Angel of Peace
Sarah Sexton (violin), The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
This collection of choral works celebrating tranquillity takes its title from a newly-commissioned piece by Will Todd (I Shall be an Angel of Peace), setting a text by Ben Dunwell which was inspired by the words of Cardinal John Newman. The album also includes Anna Clyne's Orbits (a setting of Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Robert Bly), Arvo Pärt's Da pacem Domine, Tribute to Caesar and Magnificat, John Taverner's O splendor gloriae and Gaude plurimum, and Hildegard of Bingen Ave, generosa.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Weldon: The Judgment of Paris
Jonathan Brown (Paris), Anna Dennis (Venus), Kitty Whately (Pallas), Helen Charlston (Juno), Thomas Walker (Mercury); Academy of Ancient Music, Cambridge Handel Opera, Julian Perkins
In 1700 the Earl of Halifax offered a ‘Musick Prize’ of £210 for the best setting of William Congreve's libretto The Judgment of Paris, with John Weldon, John Eccles, Daniel Purcell and Gottfried Finger all throwing their hats into the ring: Weldon's entry was the winner, and receives its world premiere recording here following a performance at Trinity College, Cambridge in October 2023. The Times described the score as 'a string of catchy tunes, put over with irresistible verve', noting that 'fittingly, it is Anna Dennis’s sublimely radiant singing as Venus that steals the show'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
