January 2023

A decent performance but no text for the narration is a hindrance [SB]

A lovely Celtic inflected collection of rarities [DMD]

Macfarren’s 1864 ballad-chamber-pastoral-Opera da Camera for four singers [JW]

A striking set of guitar studies heard in an excellent performance [GPu]

A brilliant disc to cherish and to share [SA]

Pristine delivers this classic Barbiere in an airy and better-balanced revision, free of hiss and noise [MZ]

Two great English renaissance composers are juxtaposed, with outstanding results [GH]

A disc primarily for admirers of Saint-Saëns and 19th century ballet [RMay]

A very interesting production, both historically and musically [JV]

The Nightingale Quartet continues its admirable Holmboe cycle [JW]

A striking new Rigoletto from the Royal Opera House, strongly cast and very well conducted [RWe]

A glorious documentation of the high standards of the ensemble at the Royal Stockholm Opera more than 80 years ago [GF]

A perfect disc to become acquainted with the viola d’amore and Ariosti’s sonatas [JV]

Pioneering full-length accounts of Tchaikovsky’s ballets that will appeal to Doráti’s many admirers [RMay]

Assured and attractive music by a major figure in the history of the flute, well played and recorded [GPu]

Two impressive new works by this versatile musician [SB]

An absorbing smorgasbord of music, from grade pieces for tyros to major recital works [JF]

Nowowiejski’s concertos, heard in premiere recordings, leave a puzzling impression [JW]

The Grøndahl legacy series reaches volume 7 with a question mark or two [JW]

Wonderful playing and the disc is worth buying for the Masques alone [SB]

A valuable recording of neglected repertoire [DC]

A commanding recording of Louis Glass’s (occasionally) problematic Fourth Symphony [JW]

An absorbing cross-section of vocal works composed over a period of four decades [JF]

A vivid rollercoaster approach, the listener smarting on the front row stalls [MG]