Gramophone Editor's Choice: October 2022 | The best new classical recordings
Monday, September 12, 2022
Editor Martin Cullingford selects the most outstanding albums reviewed in the October issue of Gramophone
Recording of the month
‘Arias’
Jonathan Tetelman ten Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra / Karel Mark Chichon
DG
‘The most exciting tenor discovery to come my way since the appearance of Jonas Kaufmann,’ writes critic Mark Pullinger. What more can I add to that except to encourage you to discover him too!
JS Bach ‘Harpsichord Concertos, Vol 3’
Il Pomo d’Oro / Francesco Corti hpd
Pentatone
A fascinating series continues with Francesco Corti joined by colleagues – including on a second harpsichord – for Volume 3. Scintillating playing, and excellently recorded.
‘Secret Love Letters’
Lisa Batiashvili vn Philadelphia Orchestra / Yannick Nézet-Séguin
DG
Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto receives a beautifully coloured performance here – just part of a compelling album from the superb Lisa Batiashvili.
Del Cinque Sonatas for Two and Three Cellos
Ludovico Minasi, Cristina Vidoni, Teodoro Baù vcs et al
Arcana
Ermenegildo Del Cinque proved a joyous discovery for our esteemed critic – and for me too – thanks to this excellent advocacy.
F & F Mendelssohn Chamber Works
Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective
Chandos
Another superb album from the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, with a real rarity, and steeped throughout in a highly engaging collaborative spirit.
Prokofiev. A & N Tcherepnin Piano Works
Alexander Gadjiev pf
AVI-Music
Alexander Gadjiev – the second-placed pianist at last year’s Chopin Competition – further enhances his reputation with an adventurous and brilliantly played Russian programme.
Senfl Choral Works
Singer Pur; Ensemble Leones
Oehms
Singer Pur offer us a vivid and characterful programme of works by Ludwig Senfl, drawing on the Swiss Renaissance composer’s sacred and secular music for a highly engaging album.
Wolf Italienisches Liederbuch
Carolyn Sampson sop Allan Clayton ten Joseph Middleton pf
BIS
Carolyn Sampson and Allan Clayton’s ability to embody and communicate characters is well matched here in Wolf by the equally poetic pianist Joseph Middleton.
‘Lieder’
Matthias Goerne bar Daniil Trifonov pf
DG
More superb lieder from another singer of intelligence and insight, baritone Matthias Goerne, his partner here in Schumann, Brahms, Berg and others the renowned virtuoso Daniil Trifonov.
Lampe The Dragon of Wantley
Sols; The Brook Street Band / John Andrews
Resonus
A delightful piece of 18th-century comic opera heritage, The Dragon of Wantley couldn’t ask for a better introduction to modern audiences than John Andrews’s lively performance.
DVD/blu-ray
Bruckner Symphony No 5, etc
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Christian Thielemann
Unitel Edition
Christian Thielemann, a deeply commitment Brucknerian, in splendid filmed performances with the Vienna PO.
Reissue/archive
Brahms Symphonies
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / William Steinberg
DG
‘One to buy and relish’ writes Rob Cowan of this 1960s Brahms cycle by William Steinberg, recorded with the Pittsburgh SO and now excellently offered again by DG.
You can read the reviews of all of these albums – and many more – in the October issue of Gramophone magazine and in our Reviews Database. Explore our subscription packages to find out more
