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Recording of the month

Bizet Les pêcheurs de perles

Sols; Lille National Orchestra / Alexandre Bloch

Pentatone

For all the fame of its renowned duet, Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers hasn’t been so well represented on record. This changes that, with a superb cast and brilliantly spirited playing throughout.

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Górecki Symphony No 3

Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrzej Boreyko

Dux

Made just two years after the famous Zinman recording but only now available, this is, writes a deeply moved Ivan Moody, ‘a masterly performance of a masterpiece’.

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Byrd ‘One Byrde in Hand’

Richard Egarr hpd

Linn

‘An outstanding celebration of Byrd as one of the first keyboard greats’ from a harpsichord player who holds the greatest love and respect for the composer’s music in all its forms.

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Vivaldi String Concertos. Viola d’amore Concertos

Accademia Bizantina / Ottavio Dantone

Naïve

To see Naïve’s excellent Vivaldi Edition powering ahead once more is cause for celebration, and this disc is another hugely enjoyable addition.

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Debussy Préludes, Book 2. La mer

Alexander Melnikov pf

Harmonia Mundi

Once again, a superb release from Alexander Melnikov which encourages us to listen to the music afresh, in part thanks to his choice of instrument, but mostly due to his remarkable artistry.

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Prokofiev Violin Sonatas

Alexandra Conunova vn Michail Lifits pf

Aparté

From the bleak opening onwards, Alexandra Conunova and Michail Lifits convey complete immersion in this music’s range of force, colour and beauty.

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Suk Piano Works

Jonathan Plowright pf

Hyperion

Jonathan Plowright once again reminds us what a brilliant pianist he is, communicating at every stage of this recital of early works by Suk his evident affection for this music. Another fine addition to Hyperion’s piano catalogue.

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Benevolo Missa Si Deus pro nobis

Le Concert Spirituel / Hervé Niquet

Alpha

The sheer scale of this richly textured 17th-century music, captured in a perfectly spacious acoustic, is compelling from the very beginning. A fascinating project.

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Adams Doctor Atomic

Sols; BBC Symphony Orchestra / John Adams

Nonesuch

John Adams’s score, propulsive and mysterious at turns, powerfully leads us through yet another striking opera exploring the moral dilemmas thrown up by modernity, all brilliantly performed.

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Handel ‘Finest Arias for Base Voice, Vol 2’

Christopher Purves bar Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen

Hyperion

Five years on since Vol 1, another well-deserved Editor’s Choice for a singer whose versatile and characterful voice is perfectly matched to this Handelian feast.

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DVD / Blu-ray

Mozart Lucio Silla

Sols; Teatro Real, Madrid / Ivor Bolton

BelAir Classiques

It’s primarily for the fascinating staging by director Claus Guth that Hugo Shirley recommends that all interested in Mozart’s early operas should seek out this release.

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Reissue / Archive

Beethoven Complete String Quartets

Budapest Quartet

Sony Classical

‘Among the best complete cycles of Beethoven quartets from the period’, writes Rob Cowan.