Recent Classical Highlights

If you are looking for something familiar and yet not quite familiar, there is a lot from which to choose in this last batch of new releases our reviewers checked out. Much of it is music that has been around for a long time, but not often performed, by diverse composers such as Alberto Hemsi, Hans Rott, Ruth Gipps, and Erwin Schulhoff. Leon Botstein (pictured) uncovers symphonic music by Americans George Frederick Bristow and William Henry Fry. And then there's music by well-known composers that is rarely heard, such as Dvorak's tone poems for piano -- played by Leif Ove Andsnes -- or Liszt's sacred choral works. What will you discover?

Roberto Alagna, Aleksandra Kurzak, Andreas Scholl, Morphing Chamber Orchestra - Arvo Pärt: Stabat Mater; Fratres; Summa; Spiegel im Spiegel; Etc.
Benjamin Alard - Johann Sebastian Bach: The Complete Works for Keyboard, Vol. 7 - Orgelbüchlein
Marin Alsop, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra - Schumann (re-Orchestrated by Mahler): Symphony No. 1 'Spring'; Symphony No. 2
Leif Ove Andsnes - Dvorák: Poetic Tone Pictures
ARC Ensemble - Chamber Works by Alberto Hemsi
Joe Auckland, Matt DeMerritt, Nick Revel - Julian Brink: Utility Music
Zuill Bailey, Santa Rosa Symphony, Francesco Lecce-Chong - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Cello Concerto & Other Works
Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, Marie Perbost, Ensemble Les Surprises, Marc Mauillon - An Unexpected Mozart
Leon Botstein, The Orchestra Now - Classics of American Romanticism: Bristow, Fry
Martyn Brabbins, BBC Symphony Orchestra - Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos 6 & 8
The Brodsky Quartet, Laura van der Heijden - Schubert: String Quintet; Quartettsatz
Semyon Bychkov, Czech Philharmonic - Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Sarah Cahill - The Future Is Female, Vol. 2: The Dance
Simon Callaghan - Complete Piano Music: Rebecca Clarke, William Busch
Cappella Romana, John Michael Boyer - Heaven and Earth
Renaud Capuçon - Vivaldi: Les 4 Saisons; Chevalier de Saint-George: Concertos
Julien Chauvin, Le Concert de la Loge - Vivaldi: Concerti per violino X 'Intorno a Pisendel'
Vicky Chow - Philip Glass: Piano Etudes, Book 1
Nicholas Collon, Pekka Kuusisto, Tomas Nuñez, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra - Thomas Adès: Märchentänze
James Conlon, Artists from the Colburn School - Shapeshifter: Music of Erwin Schulhoff
Grace Davidson - Sacred Chants: Hildegard von Bingen
Departure Duo - Immensity Of
Jan Willem de Vriend, NDR RadioPhilharmonie - Emilie Mayer: Symphonies 3 & 7
Daniel Dodds, Festival Strings Lucerne - Mozart: Haffner Serenade
Barry Douglas - Schubert: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 6
Dover Quartet - Beethoven Complete String Quartets, Vol. 3: The Late Quartets
Dunedin Consort, John Butt - Bach: Orchestral Suites BWV 1066-1069
James Ehnes, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis - Berg: Violin Concerto; Three Orchestral Pieces; Piano Sonata; Passacaglia
Mahan Esfahani - Bach: Italian Concerto BWV 971; French Overture BWV 831
Amanda Lee Falkenberg, Marin Alsop, London Symphony Orchestra - Amanda Lee Falkenberg: The Moons Symphony
Marcus Farnsworth, Sakari Oramo, Huw Watkins, BBC Symphony Orchestra - Richard Causton: La Terra Impareggiabile
Feininger Trio - Brahms, Korngold: Piano Trios
Vilde Frang, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Berlin, Pekka Kuusisto - Beethoven, Stravinsky: Violin Concertos
Nelson Freire - Memories: The Unreleased Recordings 1970-2019
Rumon Gamba, BBC Philharmonic - Ruth Gipps: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2
I Giardini - Caroline Shaw: The Wheel
Andrew Gourlay, London Philharmonic Orchestra - Parsifal Suite
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Kirill Gerstein, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Marie-Christine Zupancic - Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7; Flute Concerto No. 1
Hilary Hahn - Eclipse
Clare Hammond - Hélène de Montgeroult: Études
Barbara Hannigan, Raoul Steffani, Rolf Verbeek, Camerata RCO - Sehnsucht: Berg, Mahler - Live in Rotterdam
Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent - Beethoven: Christus am Ölberge
Stephanie Houtzeel, Tomasz Konieczny, Wiener Akademie Orchester, Martin Haselböck - Liszt: Legends of the Saints, Vol. 1
Jakub Hrůša, Bamberger Symphoniker - Hans Rott: Symphony No. 1; Mahler: Blumine; Bruckner: Symphonisches Präludium
Alina Ibragimova - Telemann: Fantasias for Solo Violin
Sophie Kauer, Cate Blanchett - Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture Tár
Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tézier, Antonio Pappano - Insieme: Opera Duets
Angélique Kidjo, Martin Achrainer - Africa Sings
Kyiv Chamber Choir, Mykola Hobdych - Valentin Silvestrov: Maidan
Benjamin Levy, Orchestre de Cannes - Croisette: Opérettes des Années Folles
Paul Lewis - Schubert: Piano Sonatas D. 537, 568 & 664
Andrea Marcon, La Cetra - Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro di Natale
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pablo Ferrández - Brahms: Double Concerto; Clara Schumann: Piano Trio
Benyamin Nuss - Unite!: Frederick Rzewski - Piano Works
Víkingur Ólafsson - From Afar
Lisette Oropesa, Joyce DiDonato, Il Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev - Handel: Theodora
Lisette Oropesa - Rossini & Donizetti: French Bel Canto Arias
Steven Osborne - Debussy: Early and Late Piano Pieces
Antonio Pappano, Accademia di Santa Cecilia - Rossini: Messa di Gloria
Rachel Podger - Tutta sola
Parker Ramsay - The Street: Nico Muhly & Alice Goodman
Sir Simon Rattle, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Runkfunk - Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 9
Gil Rose, Eliot Fisk, Boston Modern Orchestra Project - John Corigliano: To Music
Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5; Pohjola's Daughter
Bayard Rustin - Bayard Rustin: The Singer - Negro Spirituals, Lute Songs & More
Nadia Shpachenko - Lewis Spratlan: Invasion - Music and Art for Ukraine
The Sixteen, Fretwork - Byrd: Psalmes, Songs & Sonnets 1611
Takács Quartet - Haydn: String Quartets Opp 42, 77 & 103
La Tempête, Simon-Pierre Bestion - Nocturne: Rachmaninov Vespers, Byzantine Hymns
Michael Torke - Time
Bramwell Tovey, BBC Concert Orchestra - Poulenc: Les Animaux modeles; Sinfonietta
Villiers Quartet - Delius, Smyth: String Quartets
Marina Viotti, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset - A Tribute to Pauline Viardot
Roderick Williams, Hallé, Mark Elder - A Shropshire Lad: English Songs Orchestraed by Roderick Williams
Roderick Williams, Vasari Singers, Jeremy Backhouse - Vaughan Williams: Five Mystical Songs and other British Choral Anthems
John Wilson, Sinfonia of London - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3; Vocalise; The Isle of the Dead
Haochen Zhang, Philadelphia Orchestra, Nathalie Stutzmann - Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos
Krystian Zimerman - Karol Szymanowski: Piano Works