Composers and musicians are storytellers in many ways. One obvious example would be opera, represented in last month's reviews by works composed by Monteverdi, Handel, Verdi, Falla, and Michael Gordon. The music Jon Deak created to accompany the narration of stories is another one. Hector Berlioz's popular Symphonie fantastique tells of "an episode in the life of an artist" and was recently conducted by Philippe Jordan. Schubert's Winterreise tells a story over the course of 24 songs; Ian Bostridge just released his third recording of the famous song cycle. Sample our latest reviews to find many more tales.






Ildar Abdrazakov, Orchestre Métropolitain, Yannick Nézet-Séguin - Verdi
Deborah Artman, Bang on a Can, Daniela Candillari - Michael Gordon: Acquanetta
Christopher Atzinger - Piano Music of John Knowles Paine
Barrocotout - Henri-Jacques de Croes: La Sonate Égarée
Markus Becker, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Constantin Trinks - Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 70: Pfitzner, Braunfels
Sarah Bob - …nobody move…
Claire Booth, Christopher Glynn - Edvard Grieg: Lyric Music
Ian Bostridge, Thomas Adès - Winterreise
Harriet Burns, Graham Johnson - Songs of Brahms, Vol. 8
William Christie, Les Arts Florissants - Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea
Lucy Crowe, Mary Bevan, Bridget Cunningham - Handel's Queens: Cuzzoni & Faustina
Jon Deak, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Marin Alsop - Jon Deak: Symphonic Tales
Dulces Exuviae - Josquin: Adieu mes Amours
Vladimir Feltsman - Franz Schubert: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 5
Gabriel Feltz, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra - Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Gerald Finley, Julius Drake - Schubert: Schwanengesang; Brahms: Vier ernste Gesänge
Edward Gardner, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Mendelssohn in Birmingham, Vol. 5: Overtures
Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky Orchestra - Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos 4 & 5
Franz Halász - J.S. Bach: The Lute Suites
Pauline Kim Harris, Spencer Topel - Heroine
Marina Heredia, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Pablo Heras-Casado - Manuel de Falla: El sombrero de tres picos; El Amor Brujo
Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Alina Ibragimova, Cédric Tiberghien - Brahms: Violin Sonatas
Sharon Isbin, Pacifica Quartet - Souvenirs of Spain & Italy
Philippe Jordan, Wiener Symphoniker - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Lélio
Christiane Karg, Matthias Goerne, Daniel Harding - Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
Elizabeth Kenny - Ars longa: Old and new music for theorbo
Klenke-Quartett - Mozart: String Quartets
David Lively, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Steven Sloane - Joseph Marx: Romantic Piano Concerto; Castelli Romani
Peter Mikula, Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, Kirk Trevor, Michael Rohác - Dan Locklair: Symphony No. 2 'America'
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Los Angeles Recording Arts Orchestra, John Williams - Across the Stars
New York Polyphony - Francisco de Peñalosa: Lamentations
Thibault Noally, Les Accents - Bach & Co.
Orlando Consort - Machaut: The Single Rose
Raphaël Pichon, Pygmalion - Libertà!
Ivo Pogorelich - Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Opp. 54 & 78; Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 Op. 36
Carlos Miguel Prieto, Orchestra of the Americas - Copland & Chávez: Pan-American Reflections
Michael Schönheit, Collegium Vocale Leipzig, Merseburger Hofmusik - Johann Sebastian Bach: Hohe Messe in H-moll BWV 232
Leif Segerstam - Beethoven: Christus am Ölberge; Elegischer Gesang
Hanna Shybayeva - Tangos for Yvar
Paul Smith - Reflections
Solistenensemble Stimmkunst, Kay Johannsen - Rejoice: Vocal Music by Kay Johannsen
Spirit of Gambo, Freek Borstlap - John Jenkins: Consort Music for Viols in Five Parts
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips - Josquin: Missa Mater Patris; Bauldeweyn: Missa Da pacem
Antoine Tamestit, Masato Suzuki - J.S. Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord
Osmo Vänskä, Minnesota Orchestra - Mahler 1
Rolando Villazón, Klaus Florian Vogt, Yannick Nézet-Séguin - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Andrea Vivanet - Andrea Vivanet plays Karol Szymanowski Piano Works
Wu Wei, Holland Baroque - Silk Baroque