Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin
Mozart: Gran Partita - Wind Serenades K. 361 & 375
A rare historically-oriented performance of Mozart's big partitas shows the possibilities of authentic instruments in this repertory.
Alina Ibragimova
Paganini: 24 Caprices
A superb set of Paganini Caprices, recorded during the coronavirus pandemic, manages to be inward despite all of the fireworks.
Andris Nelsons / Boston Symphony Orchestra
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1, 14 & 15; Chamber Symphony in C minor
This volume of Nelsons' Shostakovich survey with the Boston Symphony explores music from opposite ends of the composer's life.
András Schiff / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Johannes Brahms: Piano Concertos
Historically oriented Brahms piano concertos from Schiff are often revelatory.
Arcadia Quartet
Weinberg, Vol. 1: String Quartets Nos. 2, 5, and 8
The first release in a new cycle captures Weinberg's debt to Shostakovich and, perhaps, the reverse influence.
Christopher Herrick
Northern Lights: Organ of Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, Norway
A delightful, exciting recital from a cathedral organ in northern Norway.
Ehnes Quartet
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 12 Op. 127; String Quartet No. 14 Op. 131
Rich, expressive late Beethoven that emphasizes the futuristic quality of the music.
Emmanuelle Bertrand / Pascal Amoyel
Brahms: Sonatas & Liebeslieder for Cello and Piano
Absolutely lovely Brahms in a melody-oriented style celebrates the long artistic partnership of cellist Bertrand and pianist Amoyel.
Ferenc Snétberger / Keller Quartet
Hallgató
A unique program of music that revolves around works by guitarist Ferenc Snétberger, powerfully executed.
Gidon Kremer / Madara Petersone / Daniele Gatti / Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Violin Concerto; Sonata for Two Violins
A major statement in violinist Kremer's long career of championing Weinberg's music.
Hilary Hahn / Mikko Franck / Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Paris
An extraordinary outing from Hahn, not stereotypically Parisian but Parisian nonetheless.
Igor Levit
On DSCH
Beautifully shaped Shostakovich Preludes & Fugues, paired with Ronald Stevenson's epic tribute Passacaglia on DSCH.
Indre Petrauskaite
Mozart: Solo Piano Works
An exceptionally absorbing collection of Mozart piano works in minor keys, with a strong Beethovenian flavor.
Isabelle Faust / Alexander Melnikov / Jean-Guihen Queyras / Freiburger Barockorchester / Pablo Heras-Casado
Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Piano Trio Op. 36 (Symphony No. 2)
A splendid historically oriented Beethoven performances with touches of the humor that is so often missed in his music.
Isabelle Faust / Alexander Melnikov
Mozart: Sonatas for Fortepiano & Violin, Vol. 3
Superb ensemble work from Faust and Melnikov in this historical-instrument reading of Mozart's mature violin sonatas.
James Ehnes
Ysaÿe: Sonatas for Solo Violin
A superb traversal of the technically brutal Ysaÿe sonatas for solo violin, recorded in Ehnes' home.
Jean Rondeau
Melancholy Grace
A bold, compelling release by a young harpsichordist that focuses on two Renaissance conceptions of melancholy.
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Haydn: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 9
An especially exuberant item in Bavouzet's superb Haydn sonata cycle.
Jean-Guihen Queyras / Tabea Zimmermann / François-Xavier Roth / Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote; Till Eulenspiegel
Lively and warm Strauss features standout playing from star soloists.
John Wilson / Sinfonia of London
English Music for Strings: Britten, Bliss, Bridge, Berkeley
Works close to each other in time display an astonishing range of instrumental sound and mood.
Julian Bliss / James Baillieu
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas Op. 120; 4 Ernste Gesänge, Op. 121
A wonderfully sensitive traversal of the Brahms clarinet sonatas, with Bliss' arrangement of the Four Serious Songs.
Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective
American Quintets: Amy Beach, Florence Price, Samuel Barber
Little-known and worthy chamber works by women composers frame a fine recording of Barber's Dover Beach.
Klenke-Quartett / Nicola Jürgensen / Stephan Katte
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet; Horn Quintet
A lovely, perfectly balanced performance of these quintets on historical-style instruments.
Krzysztof Meisinger
Elogio de la Guitarra
An exceptionally virtuosic album of Spanish, Italian, and Argentine guitar works satisfies with commanding presence.
Lan Shui / Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Russian Spectacular: Mussorgsky, Balakirev, Borodin
Album of Russian favorites in the classic mold marks the full coming of age of the Singapore Symphony.
Lise Davidsen / Edward Gardner / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Sibelius: Luonnotar; Tapiola; Spring Song
Beautifully etched Sibelius, with a star turn by soprano Davidsen.
Manfred Honeck / Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
A fresh, kinetic, and thrilling Beethoven's Ninth from Honeck and his increasingly well-drilled Pittsburghers.
Metamorphosen Berlin / Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt
Very British: Elgar, Britten, Warlock, Jenkins
A program of music from Great Britain by the Metamorphosen Berlin, featuring recording premieres of arrangements by the group's conductor.
Michael Waldrop
Time Frames
Michael Waldrop's fourth album features the marimba in a fusion of chamber music and jazz.
Michelle DeYoung / Brian Jagde / Liping Zhang / Long Yu / Shanghai Symphony Orchestra / Shenyang
Gustav Mahler, Xiaogang Ye: The Song of the Earth
A worthy "Song of the Earth" paired with a contemporary Chinese setting of the same poems in Mandarin.
Olivier Latry
Liszt: Inspirations
An extraordinary realization of Liszt's rather neglected organ works on the new instrument at the Philharmonie de Paris.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra / Brad Mehldau
Variations on a Melancholy Theme
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Brad Mehldau perform a colorful arrangement of “Variations on a Melancholy Theme.”
Parker Quartet / Kim Kashkashian
Kurtág: Six Moments Musicaux; Officium Breve; Dvořák: String Quintet Op. 97
A chamber program shot through with memorials and mentorship, with a superb performance of Dvořák's String Quintet, Op. 97.
Renaud Capuçon / Bertrand Chamayou / Edgar Moreau
Saint-Saëns: Sonates & Trio
Well-acquainted players bring out the sparkling melodies and fresh formal ideas of Saint-Saëns' chamber music.
Robert Trevino / Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa
Americascapes: Loeffler, Ruggles, Cowell, Hanson
Virtually unknown pieces of symphonic Americana turn out to be lively and contemporary in the hands of conductor Trevino.
Sonya Bach
Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No. 2; Preludes Op. 23 Nos. 4, 5 & 6; Moments Musicaux Op. 16/1-6
A splendid, variegated Rachmaninov recital from a pianist in the classic Russian school.
Steven Isserlis / Connie Shih
Music from Proust's Salons
Beautifully performed thematic album by Isserlis goes beyond superficial connections.
Sueye Park
Journey Through a Century
A virtuosic survey of mostly 20th century solo violin works, brilliantly performed by Park.
Théotime Langlois de Swarte / William Christie
Générations: Senaillé, LeClair - Sonates pour violon et clavecin
Marvelous "generations" of Baroque music performance, with fascinating sonatas of little-known composer Senaillé.
Vadim Repin / Andris Nelsons / Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Sofia Gubaidulina: Dialog: Ich und du; The Wrath of God; The Light of the End
Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig celebrate Gubaidulina's 90th birthday with rousing performances of three later-life works.
Valencia Baryton Project
Haydn: Baryton Trios - Treasures from the Esterháza Palace
A superb recording by the Valencia Baryton Project of Haydn's rarely heard baryton trios.
![Nino Rota: Chamber Music [Alpha]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=EUnCmUfO_e7Mmi--fcsnIN_M69_UI9rrJSVvWL2-yAg=&f=4)
Various Artists
Nino Rota: Chamber Music [Alpha]
Gorgeous rediscoveries of little-known chamber music by Rota from a group of crack Berlin Philharmonic players.
Various Artists
Kalevi Aho: Solo, Vol. 1
The inaugural volume of BIS' survey of Aho's Solo compositions offers a welcome look at these complex works.
Viktoria Mullova / Alasdair Beatson
Beethoven: Sonatas 4, 5 & 7
Extraordinary Beethoven violin sonatas, animated not only by deep, pandemic-era reflections but by a new edition of the music.
Vladimir Jurowski / Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie
Excellent sound engineering captures the brilliant orchestration of Strauss' epic Alpensinfonie.
Vladimir Jurowski / Judith Howarth / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Anne Schwanewilms
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 'Symphony of a Thousand'
Gigantic performance, even by the standards of the "Symphony of a Thousand," brings tremendous excitement and transcendence.
William Youn
Schubert: Piano Sonatas II
Quiet, detailed Schubert sonatas capture many subtle structural touches and internal connections.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Philadelphia Orchestra
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1; Symphonic Dances
Rachmaninov's First by Nézet-Séguin honors the long Philadelphia Rachmaninov tradition while adding a fresh outlook.
Yeol Eum Son
Kapustin
A much-needed overview of music by this unique Russian composer who fused jazz and classical music.
Yo-Yo Ma / Emanuel Ax
Hope Amid Tears: Beethoven Cello Sonatas
Late-career mastery from Ma and Ax brings a delightful sense of meditative conversation and deep structural insight.
