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The classical & audiophile reviews archive, since 1991.
Since 1991 as a classical specialist, now a running archive of recording reviews, new pressings, reissues, and the odd rediscovery.
Classical & audiophile reviews, from a working archive
This is where the classical and audiophile reviews archive lives, every review mmmusic has ever run, old and new, searchable by composer, artist or title. The classical reviews go back to the shop's own 1990s beginnings, real classical CD reviews from working critics; the audiophile reviews cover newer pressings and reissues worth a proper listen. Browse classical and audiophile reviews below, or use the search box to jump straight to a specific classical CD review.
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12 Violin Concertos, Op. 4, "La Stravaganza"
Vivaldi, Rachel Podger, violin; Arte dei Suonatori
200 Years of the Music of Versailles: A Journey to the Heart of French Baroque
Various (Lully, Charpentier, Rebel, Mondonville, Rameau and others), William Christie, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Christophe Rousset, Hervé Niquet, Philippe Pierlot, Christophe Coin and others
24 Preludes
Rachmaninov, Steven Osborne, piano
Absolute Jest / Grand Pianola Music
John Adams, San Francisco Symphony / Michael Tilson Thomas, John Adams; Marc-André Hamelin, Orli Shaham, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Synergy Vocals
Adelaide di Borgogna
Rossini, Majella Cullagh, Bruce Ford, Jennifer Larmore; Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Chorus / Giuliano Carella
Akhnaten
Philip Glass, Anthony Roth Costanzo, J'Nai Bridges, Zachary James, Dísella Lárusdóttir; The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus / Karen Kamensek
Albrecht Mayer in Venice: Works by Vivaldi, Albinoni, Platti, Marcello & Lotti
Various (Vivaldi, Albinoni, Platti, Marcello, Lotti), Albrecht Mayer, oboe; New Seasons Ensemble
All-Night Vigil
Rachmaninov, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Paul Hillier
An Orkney Wedding & Other Works
Maxwell Davies, Sean Shibe, guitar; Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Ben Gernon
Arcadia
Various (Scarlatti, Gasparini, Pasquini, Marcello and others), Andreas Scholl; Accademia Bizantina / Dantone
Arias
Mozart, Magdalena Kožená, mezzo-soprano; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Simon Rattle
Bach & Liszt
J.S. Bach / Liszt, Lise de la Salle, piano
BariTenor
Various, Michael Spyres, tenor/baritone; Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra / Marko Letonja
Bartók, Ligeti, Veress, Eötvös: Works for Violin & Viola
Bartók / Ligeti / Veress / Eötvös, Nurit Stark, violin and viola
Born
Edie Hill, Michael Gilbertson, The Crossing / Donald Nally
Brandenburg Concertos
J.S. Bach, Concerto Italiano / Rinaldo Alessandrini
Britten & Korngold Violin Concertos
Britten / Korngold, Vilde Frang, violin; Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra / James Gaffigan
Britten on Film: Night Mail, Coal Face & Other Film Scores
Britten, Simon Russell Beale (narrator); Mary Carewe; Birmingham Contemporary Music Group / Brabbins
Canciones Españolas
de Falla / Granados / Rodrigo, Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano; Anthony Spiri, piano
Candide
Bernstein, Jerry Hadley, June Anderson, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda; London Symphony Orchestra Chorus; London Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Bernstein
Cantatas
J.S. Bach, Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Kammerorchester Basel
Cantatas, Vol.29
J.S. Bach, Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki
Carmina Burana
Orff, Sally Matthews, Lawrence Brownlee, Christian Gerhaher; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Simon Rattle
Cello Concerto / Falstaff
Elgar, Heinrich Schiff, cello; Graham Salvage, bassoon; Hallé Orchestra / Mark Elder
Cello Concerto No.1
Shostakovich, Han-Na Chang; London Symphony Orchestra / Pappano
Cello Concertos
C.P.E. Bach, Nicolas Altstaedt, cello; Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen
Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Kiss on Wood; Northern Skies
MacMillan, Henri Demarquette, cello; Graham Scott, piano
Château de l'âme, Maan varjot, Offrande & True Fire
Kaija Saariaho, Faustine de Monès, Davóne Tines, Anssi Karttunen, Olivier Latry; Chorus of Radio France, French National Orchestra & French Radio Philharmonic
Christmas Cantatas, BWV 40, 91, 110, 121
J.S. Bach, Soloists; Monteverdi Choir; English Baroque Soloists / Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Christmas Music
Vaughan Williams, Sarah Fox, Roderick Williams; The Joyful Company of Singers, City of London Sinfonia / Richard Hickox
Christmas Oratorio
J.S. Bach, Schäfer; Fink; Güra; Finley; Gerhaher; Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Concentus Musicus Wien / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Clarinet Concertos
Copland / Aldridge, David Singer, clarinet, A Far Cry; The Shanghai Quartet
Coffee & Wedding Cantatas
J.S. Bach, Carolyn Sampson, Hiroya Sakurada, Stephan Schreckenberger; Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki
Complete Piano Trios
Brahms, Trio Wanderer; Christophe Gaugué, viola
Complete Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin, Volume 3
Mozart, Rachel Podger, violin; Gary Cooper, fortepiano
Complete String Trios
Hans Gál / Hans Krása, Ensemble Epomeo
Complete Symphonies
Prokofiev, London Symphony Orchestra / Valery Gergiev
Crystal Tears, Works by Dowland & his contemporaries
Various (Dowland, Byrd, Bennet, Ferrabosco, Johnson), Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Julian Behr, lute; Concerto di Viole
Dante
Thomas Adès, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale / Gustavo Dudamel
Das Lied von der Erde / Alto Rhapsody
Mahler / Brahms, Kathleen Ferrier; Richard Lewis; Hallé Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli (Mahler); Oslo Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra / Erik Tuxen (Brahms)
David
Francesco Conti, Marijana Mijanović, Simone Kermes, Sonia Prina, Furio Zanasi; Il Complesso Barocco / Alan Curtis
Death in Venice
Britten, Langridge; Opie; Chance; BBC Singers; City of London Sinfonia / Hickox
Dedication: Liszt, Schumann, Chopin
Liszt / Schumann / Chopin, Nicholas Angelich, piano
Der Rosenkavalier
Richard Strauss, Baker, Dernesch, Harwood; Scottish Opera Chorus, Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Gibson
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Mahler, Barbara Bonney, Matthias Goerne, Sara Fulgoni, Gösta Winbergh; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Riccardo Chailly
Diabelli Variations
Ludwig van Beethoven, Mitsuko Uchida, piano
Die schöne Müllerin
Franz Schubert, Konstantin Krimmel, baritone; Daniel Heide, piano
Die Zauberflöte
Mozart, Christoph Strehl, Dorothea Röschmann, René Pape, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Erika Miklósa; Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Claudio Abbado
Don Giovanni
Mozart, Johannes Weisser, Lorenzo Regazzo, Alexandrina Pendatchanska; Freiburg Baroque Orchestra / René Jacobs
Ein deutsches Requiem
Brahms, Dorothea Röschmann, Thomas Quasthoff; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berlin Philharmonic / Simon Rattle
Ein Heldenleben; Symphonic Fantasy on Die Frau ohne Schatten
Richard Strauss, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Christian Thielemann
Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony)
Richard Strauss, London Symphony Orchestra / Bernard Haitink
Elgar, Ligeti, Stravinsky, Wagner (DVD/Blu-ray)
Elgar / Ligeti / Stravinsky / Wagner, Sol Gabetta, cello; Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle
English Suites Nos. 1, 3 & 5
J.S. Bach, Piotr Anderszewski, piano
Epilogue from Wonderlawn & other works
Bryars, Mr McFall's Chamber
Esquisses, Op. 63
Charles-Valentin Alkan, Steven Osborne, piano
Études, Op. 10 & Op. 25
Frédéric Chopin, Yunchan Lim, piano
Felix Femina
Various (Scottish medieval polyphony), Canty, dir. Rebecca Tavener; William Taylor, clarsach
Fiddler Tam
Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie, Concerto Caledonia
Fiesta, Latin American works
Various (Revueltas, Carreño, Estévez, Márquez, Ginastera, Bernstein), Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela / Gustavo Dudamel
Finest Arias for Base Voice
Handel, Christopher Purves, bass; Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen
French Bassoon Works
Various (Grovlez, Fauré, Boutry, Dutilleux, Bitsch, Debussy), Karen Geoghegan, bassoon; Philip Edward Fisher, piano
Garden of Early Delights
Various (Van Eyck, Fontana, Castello, Marini, Ortiz, Dowland), Pamela Thorby, recorder; Andrew Lawrence-King, harp
Germanico
attrib. Handel, Sara Mingardo, Maria Grazia Schiavo, Laura Cherici, Franco Fagioli, Magnus Staveland, Sergio Foresti; Il Rossignolo / Ottaviano Tenerani
Goldberg Variations
J.S. Bach, Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
Goldberg Variations / Diabelli Variations / The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski, Igor Levit, piano
Götterdämmerung
Wagner, Astrid Varnay, Wolfgang Windgassen; Bayreuth Festival Chorus & Orchestra / Joseph Keilberth
Gradus ad Parnassum
Various (Palestrina, Fux, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Clementi, Debussy), Jean Rondeau, harpsichord
Gramophone Editor's Choice
August 2015
Great Sonatas
Beethoven, Rudolf Serkin, piano
Harold en Italie
Berlioz, Tabea Zimmermann, viola; London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis
Horowitz in Hamburg, The Final Concert
Various (Mozart, Liszt, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann), Vladimir Horowitz, piano
Il duello amoroso: Secular Cantatas
Handel, Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Hélène Guilmette, soprano; Accademia Bizantina / Ottavio Dantone
Im Chambre Séparée (The Operetta Album)
Various (Viennese operetta), Barbara Bonney, soprano; Ronald Schneider, piano
Images / Estampes / Masques / L'Isle joyeuse
Debussy, Noriko Ogawa, piano
In Portrait (Some Memories of a Quiet Magician)
Various (Beethoven, Bach, Sarasate, Paganini and Milstein's own arrangements), Nathan Milstein, violin; Georges Pludermacher, piano, a Christopher Nupen film
Inventions & Partita
J.S. Bach, Janine Jansen, violin; Maxim Rysanov, viola; Torleif Thedéen, cello
Israel in Egypt, HWV54 (arr. Mendelssohn)
Handel / Mendelssohn, Lydia Teuscher, Julia Doyle, Hilary Summers, Benjamin Hulett, Roderick Williams; The King's Consort / Robert King
Ivanhoe
Sullivan, Janice Watson, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Toby Spence, Peter Wedd; BBC National Orchestra of Wales / David Lloyd-Jones
Jenůfa
Janáček, Karita Mattila, Anja Silja, Jorma Silvasti, Jerry Hadley; Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Bernard Haitink
Job: A Masque for Dancing
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrew Manze
Káťa Kabanová
Leoš Janáček, Corinne Winters, Evelyn Herlitzius, David Butt Philip; Vienna Philharmonic / Jakub Hrůša, dir. Barrie Kosky
Knotwork
McGuire / Piazzolla / Fitkin / Dubois / Uhl, Fell Clarinet Quartet
L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3
Vivaldi, Rachel Podger, violin/director; Brecon Baroque
La Clemenza di Tito
Mozart, Magdalena Kožená, Rainer Trost, Hillevi Martinpelto; Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Chorus / Sir Charles Mackerras
La Donna del Lago
Rossini, Carmen Giannattasio, Kenneth Tarver, Patricia Bardon, Gregory Kunde; Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Maurizio Benini
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
Offenbach, Felicity Lott, Sandrine Piau, Yann Beuron, François Le Roux; Choeur des Musiciens du Louvre, Les Musiciens du Louvre / Marc Minkowski
La Mer
Debussy, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Simon Rattle
La Pasionaria
Valentina Montoya Martínez / Astor Piazzolla and others, Valentina Montoya Martínez with Mr McFall's Chamber
La Strada, Concerto Soirée, Il Gattopardo
Rota, Benedetto Lupo, piano; Orquesta Ciudad de Granada / Josep Pons
Late String Quartets
Beethoven, Takács Quartet
Les Illuminations; Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings; Nocturne
Britten, Ian Bostridge, tenor; Radek Baborák, horn; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Simon Rattle
Letter(s) to Erik Satie
Erik Satie, Bertrand Chamayou, piano
Letters for the Future
Jennifer Higdon / Kevin Puts, Time for Three; The Philadelphia Orchestra / Xian Zhang
Lieder
Richard Strauss, Jonas Kaufmann, tenor; Helmut Deutsch, piano
Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
Rachmaninov, Choir of King's College, Cambridge / Stephen Cleobury
Live in Ramallah: Symphony No.5 / Sinfonia Concertante, K297b
Beethoven / Mozart, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra / Daniel Barenboim
Luonnotar (Orchestral Songs)
Sibelius, Soile Isokoski; Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra / Segerstam
Mass for 5 Voices
Byrd, Dunedin Consort
Matthew Passion
J.S. Bach, Dunedin Consort & Players / John Butt
Media Vita
Sheppard, Stile Antico
Memories of Childhood, Souvenirs d'Enfance: Musique Russe
Various (Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Glinka, Rubinstein, Scriabin, Shostakovich and others), Brigitte Engerer, piano
Miracles of Notre-Dame
Gautier de Coincy, The Harp Consort / Andrew Lawrence-King
Mirror
Tõnu Kõrvits, Anja Lechner, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Tõnu Kaljuste
Mirrors
Ravel, Rachmaninov, Tailleferre, Dutilleux, Chin, Andres, Waley-Cohen, George Xiaoyuan Fu, piano
Missa Maria Zart
Jacob Obrecht, Capella Pratensis / Stratton Bull
Moon, Sun & All Things, Baroque Music from Latin America
Various (Padilla, Capillas, Araujo, Hernández and others), Ex Cathedra / Jeffrey Skidmore
Music for Strings
Vaughan Williams, Howells, Delius, Elgar, Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta
Bartók, Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Mackerras
My American Story: North
Various (Tatum, Gershwin, Copland, Young/Evans, Adams, Corigliano, Grusin, Newman, Bates, Soule/Trifonov, Cage), Daniil Trifonov, piano; The Philadelphia Orchestra / Yannick Nézet-Séguin
New Seasons: Handel for Oboe & Orchestra
Handel (arr. Andreas Tarkmann), Albrecht Mayer, oboe; Sinfonia Varsovia
New York Youth Symphony
Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman, New York Youth Symphony / Michael Repper; Michelle Cann, piano
Ninna Nanna, Lullabies
Traditional / Arvo Pärt and others, Montserrat Figueras, soprano; Jordi Savall, Andrew Lawrence-King, Paul Badura-Skoda and others
Nuits d'été / Shéhérazade / Cinq Mélodies populaires grecques
Berlioz / Ravel, Bernarda Fink; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Kent Nagano
O Clap Your Hands: A Century of Inspiration
Bairstow, Jackson, Leighton, Stanford, Vaughan Williams and others, Choir and Organ of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh / Michael Harris; Peter Backhouse, organ
Oberon
Weber, Hillevi Martinpelto, Jonas Kaufmann; Monteverdi Choir, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique / John Eliot Gardiner
Oedipus Rex
Stravinsky, Dowd; Johnson; Herincx; Sadler's Wells Opera Chorus; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Davis
On Christmas Night: Carols from St Giles' Cathedral
Traditional and contemporary carols, Choir of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh
Opera Arias
Various (Mozart, Berlioz, Massenet, Donizetti, Bellini, Gounod, Dvořák, Puccini), Anna Netrebko, soprano; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Gianandrea Noseda
Opera Arias
Various, Anna Netrebko, soprano; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Noseda
Opera Proibita, Arias by Handel, A. Scarlatti & Caldara
Handel / A. Scarlatti / Caldara, Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano; Les Musiciens du Louvre / Marc Minkowski
Orchestral Music from Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal
Wagner, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Claudio Abbado
Orchestral Works
Maurice Ravel, Sinfonia of London / John Wilson
Parnasso in Festa
Handel, Carolyn Sampson, Lucy Crowe, Diana Moore; The King's Consort / Matthew Halls
Peer Gynt (complete incidental music)
Grieg, Alex Jennings, Haydn Gwynne, Sir Derek Jacobi, Dietrich Henschel, Inger Dam-Jensen, Sophie Koch; Le Motet de Genève; Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Guillaume Tourniaire
Petite Symphonie à Cordes / Chamber Symphony Op.118a
Ravel / Shostakovich, Scottish Ensemble / Clio Gould
Piano Concertos
Grieg / Schumann, Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Mariss Jansons
Piano Concertos
Medtner / Tchaikovsky, Yevgeny Sudbin, piano; São Paulo Symphony Orchestra / John Neschling
Piano Concertos 1 & 2 · Fantaisie
Widor, Markus Becker, piano; BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Thierry Fischer
Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Rachmaninov, Krystian Zimerman, piano; Boston Symphony Orchestra / Seiji Ozawa
Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (arr. for piano quartet)
Chopin, Tamami Honma, piano; Vilnius String Quartet
Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5
Beethoven, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano; Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2
Brahms, Nelson Freire, piano; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Riccardo Chailly
Piano Quintet / Schubert: Trout Quintet
Thomas Adès / Franz Schubert, Arditti Quartet; members of the Belcea Quartet; Thomas Adès, piano
Piano Quintet, Op. 1 / Clarinet Quintet, Op. 10
Coleridge-Taylor, Nash Ensemble
Piano Quintet, Op.81
Dvořák, Frank Braley, piano; Ensemble Explorations; Roel Dieltiens, cello
Piano Quintets
Gabriel Fauré, Eric Le Sage, piano; Quatuor Ébène
Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2
Bloch, Goldner String Quartet; Piers Lane, piano
Piano Sonata No. 1; Wanderer Fantasy
Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Alexandre Kantorow, piano
Piano Sonatas
Beethoven, Nelson Freire, piano
Piano Sonatas & Fantasias
Mozart, Lars Vogt, piano
Piano Sonatas D958–D960
Schubert, Murray Perahia, piano
Piano Sonatas Op.31
Beethoven, Paul Lewis, piano
Piano Sonatas Opp.13, 27/2, 31/2 & 57
Beethoven, Artur Pizarro, piano
Piano Sonatas Opp.54, 57, 78 & 90
Beethoven, Maurizio Pollini, piano
Piano Sonatas, Vol.2
Beethoven, Paul Lewis, piano
Piano Works
Karol Szymanowski, Krystian Zimerman, piano
Preludes
Chopin, Ingrid Fliter, piano
Préludes, Book 2
Debussy, Noriko Ogawa, piano
Préludes, Books 1 & 2
Debussy, Steven Osborne, piano
Profesión
Villa-Lobos, Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Ginastera and others, Sean Shibe, guitar
Rachmaninoff for Two
Sergei Rachmaninov, Daniil Trifonov, Sergei Babayan, pianos
Rachmaninov Variations
Rachmaninov / Trifonov, Daniil Trifonov, piano; Philadelphia Orchestra / Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Recital
Stravinsky / Ravel / Schubert / Clara Schumann, Viktoria Mullova, violin; Katia Labèque, piano
Requiem · Adagio & Fugue
Mozart, Susan Gritton; Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Chorus / Mackerras
Romance: The Piano Music of Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann, Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano; Elena Urioste, violin; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Holly Mathieson
Rough Magic
William Brittelle, Caroline Shaw, Eve Beglarian, Peter S. Shin, Roomful of Teeth
Sacred Arias & Cantatas
J.S. Bach, David Daniels, countertenor; The English Concert / Harry Bicket
Seraph (Trumpet Concertos)
Arutiunian / MacMillan / Zimmermann, Alison Balsom, trumpet; Scottish Ensemble (Jonathan Morton, leader); BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Lawrence Renes
Seven Last Words from the Cross; On the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin; Te Deum
MacMillan, Polyphony; Britten Sinfonia / Stephen Layton
Shéhérazade / Le Tombeau de Couperin
Debussy / Ravel, Anne Sofie von Otter, Alison Hagley; Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez
Sibelius & Glazunov: Violin Concertos
Sibelius / Glazunov, Esther Yoo, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra / Vladimir Ashkenazy
Sigla / Flounce / Sedecim
Lotta Wennäkoski, Sivan Magen, harp; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Nicholas Collon
Silent Noon
Various (Somervell, Quilter, Vaughan Williams, Gurney and others), Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone; Malcolm Martineau, piano
Silver Bow
Various (Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns, Shostakovich, Drdla, Paganini, Massenet, Kreisler, Sarasate), Katherine Bryan, flute; Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Jac van Steen
Since it was the Day of Preparation...
MacMillan, Hebrides Ensemble, Synergy Vocals, Brindley Sherratt (bass)
Sir Charles Mackerras Conducts Janáček
Janáček, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Charles Mackerras
Six Operas: Rodrigo, Radamisto, Admeto, Fernando, Arminio, Deidamia
Handel, Il Complesso Barocco / Alan Curtis, with soloists including Joyce DiDonato, René Jacobs and Simone Kermes
Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27
Eugène Ysaÿe, James Ehnes, violin
Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27
Eugène Ysaÿe, Hilary Hahn, violin
Solitudes: Baltic Reflections
Various (Aho, Bružaitė, Kärki, Mononen, Mustonen, Pärt, Sallinen, Sibelius, Tüür, Vasks), Mr McFall's Chamber
Songs
Debussy, Christopher Maltman, baritone; Malcolm Martineau, piano
Songs ("Dissonance")
Sergei Rachmaninov, Asmik Grigorian, soprano; Lukas Geniušas, piano
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Various (Dvořák, Janáček, Martinů, Novák, Schulhoff, Eben), Magdalena Kožená; Malcolm Martineau, piano
Spellweaving, Ancient Music from the Highlands of Scotland
Traditional (Colin Campbell manuscript), Barnaby Brown, Bill Taylor, Clare Salaman
St Matthew Passion
J.S. Bach, Pygmalion / Raphaël Pichon
Stevenson: Piano Music Vol.1
Ronald Stevenson, Kenneth Hamilton, piano
Stevenson: Piano Music Vol.1 (Christopher Guild)
Ronald Stevenson, Christopher Guild, piano
String Quartet No. 2 (Haas) / String Quartet No. 2 'Intimate Letters' (Janáček)
Haas / Janáček, Pavel Haas Quartet; Colin Currie, percussion
String Quartet Op.96 "American"
Dvořák, Jerusalem Quartet; Stefan Vladar, piano
String Quartets by Debussy, Fauré and Ravel
Debussy / Fauré / Ravel, Quatuor Ébène
String Quartets by Opera Composers
Various (Wagner, Puccini, Respighi, Verdi, Humperdinck), Leipzig String Quartet; Ruth Ziesak, soprano
String Quartets Nos. 1-3 / Three Divertimenti
Britten, Belcea Quartet
String Quartets, D87, D804 "Rosamunde", D703 "Quartettsatz"
Schubert, Belcea Quartet
String Quartets, Op. 18
Beethoven, Takács Quartet
Symphonie Fantastique
Berlioz, French National Radio Orchestra / Sir Thomas Beecham
Symphonies 1–4 (complete)
Schumann, Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Robin Ticciati
Symphonies Nos. 1-7
Bax, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Handley
Symphonies Nos. 1-9
Beethoven, Barbara Bonney, Birgit Remmert, Kurt Streit, Thomas Hampson; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Symphonies Nos. 1–10 (Adagio) & Das Lied von der Erde
Mahler, Various soloists and choirs; Kölner Radio Symphony Orchestra / Gary Bertini
Symphonies Nos. 1–7
Sibelius, Berlin Philharmonic / Simon Rattle
Symphonies Nos. 3, 6 & 7
Sibelius, Minnesota Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä
Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
Carl Nielsen, Danish National Symphony Orchestra / Fabio Luisi
Symphony in A major; Concert Overture "From the Scottish Highlands"; d'Albert: Esther Overture
Lamond / d'Albert, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Martyn Brabbins
Symphony No. 1
Elgar, Staatskapelle Berlin / Daniel Barenboim
Symphony No. 2
Rachmaninov, Budapest Festival Orchestra / Iván Fischer
Symphony No. 3 / Bacchus et Ariane
Roussel, Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Stéphane Denève
Symphony No. 4
Bruckner, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Rattle
Symphony No. 5
Bruckner, Philharmonia Orchestra / Zander
Symphony No. 5
Prokofiev, Russian National Orchestra / Vladimir Jurowski
Symphony No. 7
Gustav Mahler, Bayerisches Staatsorchester / Kirill Petrenko
Symphony No. 8
Mahler, Christine Brewer, Soile Isokoski, Juliane Banse, Birgit Remmert, Jane Henschel, David Wilson-Johnson, John Relyea; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Simon Rattle
Symphony No.11 "The Year 1905"
Shostakovich, Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Alexander Lazarev
Symphony No.2 "Resurrection"
Mahler, Maria Stader, Janet Baker; Choir of St. Hedwig's Cathedral, Berlin; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli
Symphony No.3
Mahler, Petra Lang, contralto; Prague Philharmonic Choir; Netherlands Children's Choir; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Riccardo Chailly
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' & Symphony No.8
Beethoven, Minnesota Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä
Symphony No.4, two 2004 recordings compared
Shostakovich, Kirov Orchestra / Valery Gergiev / Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra / Mariss Jansons
Symphony No.7
Mahler, London Symphony Orchestra / Valery Gergiev
Symphony No.7 "Leningrad"
Shostakovich, Kirov Orchestra; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra / Gergiev
Symphony No.9 "The Great"
Schubert, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Simon Rattle
The American Project
Michael Tilson Thomas / Teddy Abrams, Yuja Wang, piano; Louisville Orchestra / Teddy Abrams
The Art of Fugue
J.S. Bach, Angela Hewitt, piano
The Bartered Bride
Smetana, Gritton, Clarke, Robinson, Rose; Royal Opera House Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra / Mackerras
The Bolt
Shostakovich, Bolshoi Ballet; Orchestra of the Bolshoi State Theatre / Pavel Sorokin
The Cello Suites
J.S. Bach, Steven Isserlis, cello
The Club Album: Live from Yellow Lounge
Various (Bach, Benjamin, Brahms, Copland, Debussy, Gershwin, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, John Williams), Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; Lambert Orkis, piano; Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord; Mutter Virtuosi
The Cold Dancer: Contemporary String Quartets from Scotland
Dempster / Clapperton / Weir / Sweeney, Edinburgh Quartet
The Complete Keyboard Sonatas
Domenico Scarlatti, Scott Ross, harpsichord
The Complete Music for Piano Trio, Vol.1, Op.70 Trios & Allegretto WoO 39
Beethoven, The Florestan Trio
The Complete Piano Sonatas (Live 2010–11 Recordings)
Beethoven, Rudolf Buchbinder, piano
The Complete Solo Piano Works
Ravel, Seong-Jin Cho, piano
The Complete Works for Viola & Piano
Bowen, Lawrence Power, viola; Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano
The Concertos
Carl Nielsen, Danish National Symphony Orchestra / Fabio Luisi; Bomsori Kim, violin; Johnny Teyssier, clarinet; Ulla Miilmann, flute
The Dream of Gerontius
Edward Elgar, Anna Stéphany, Nicky Spence, Andrew Foster-Williams; Gabrieli Consort & Players, Gabrieli Roar, Polish National Youth Choir / Paul McCreesh
The Early Years; Maturity & Silence
Sibelius, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Vladimir Ashkenazy, dir. Christopher Nupen
The Enchanted Island
Various (Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau, Purcell and others, arr. Jeremy Sams), Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, Danielle de Niese, Plácido Domingo; Metropolitan Opera / William Christie
The Great Puccini
Giacomo Puccini, Jonathan Tetelman, tenor
The Incomparable Rudolf Serkin
Various (Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms), Rudolf Serkin, piano; Mstislav Rostropovich, cello; London Symphony Orchestra / Claudio Abbado
The Keyboard Concertos
J.S. Bach, Angela Hewitt, piano; Australian Chamber Orchestra / Richard Tognetti
The Late Quartets
Ludwig van Beethoven, Calidore String Quartet
The Planets · Asteroids
Holst, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Rattle
The Salieri Album
Salieri, Cecilia Bartoli; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Adam Fischer
The Sky Shall Be Our Roof
Vaughan Williams, Sarah Fox, Juliette Pochin, Andrew Staples, Roderick Williams; Iain Burnside, piano
The Snow Queen
Hans Abrahamsen, Bayerische Staatsoper / Cornelius Meister
The Violin Sonatas
Brahms, Christian Tetzlaff, violin; Lars Vogt, piano
The Violin Sonatas
Brahms, Leonidas Kavakos, violin; Yuja Wang, piano
Tone Poems
Dvořák, Berliner Philharmoniker / Simon Rattle
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner, Deborah Voigt, Thomas Moser, Petra Lang, Peter Weber, Robert Holl; Chorus and Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera / Christian Thielemann
Tutta Sola
Various (Bach, Matteis, Vilsmayr, Westhoff, Tartini), Rachel Podger, violin
Vespers, 1610
Monteverdi, Gabrieli Consort & Players / Paul McCreesh
Viola Concerto (arr. Tertis) / Bloch: Suite for Viola and Orchestra
Elgar / Bloch, Timothy Ridout, viola; BBC Symphony Orchestra / Martyn Brabbins
Viola Sonatas, Op.120; Trio in A minor, Op.114
Brahms, Lawrence Power, viola; Tim Hugh, cello; Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano
Viola Works
Brahms, Maxim Rysanov, viola; Katya Apekisheva, Boris Brovtsyn, Jacob Katsnelson, Kristina Blaumane
Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky, Julia Fischer; Russian National Orchestra / Kreizberg
Violin Concerto / Violin Concerto No.3
Brahms / Mozart, Julian Rachlin, violin; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra / Mariss Jansons
Violin Concerto & Fiddle Dance Suite
Wynton Marsalis, Nicola Benedetti, violin; Philadelphia Orchestra / Cristian Măcelaru
Violin Concerto No. 1
Szymanowski, Nicola Benedetti, violin; London Symphony Orchestra / Daniel Harding
Violin Concertos
Bartók, Eötvös, Ligeti, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin; Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra / Peter Eötvös
Wagner & Strauss: Debut Recital
Wagner, R. Strauss, Lise Davidsen, soprano; Philharmonia Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen
Walking in the Dark
Various (Barber, Adams, Taylor, Brown Jr. Converse, Denny, traditional), Julia Bullock, soprano; Christian Reif; Philharmonia Orchestra
Waltzes / Valses Nobles et Sentimentales
Chopin / Ravel, Stephen Kovacevich, piano
When I'm Gone: Choral Works including Missa Brevis
Richard Allain, Hamilton; Owens; Laudibus; National Youth Choir of Great Britain / Mike Brewer
Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae)
Various (Bach, Platti, and original compositions by Abel Selaocoe), Abel Selaocoe, cello and voice
Who Are These Angels? / Miserere
MacMillan, Cappella Nova / Alan Tavener; The Sixteen / Harry Christophers
Winterreise, two 2004 recordings compared
Schubert, Ian Bostridge, tenor; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano / Matthias Goerne, baritone; Alfred Brendel, piano
Questions about the reviews
How far back do these classical CD reviews go?
To the shop's original run on Grindlay Street, 1991–2018. Where the original review text survived, it's reproduced with a real byline; where it didn't, the page says so and the text is freshly written from verified facts.
How are the reviews organized?
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Are these audiophile reviews or just classical criticism?
Both threads run through the collection. Straight classical criticism sits alongside coverage aimed more at sound quality and pressing/format, audiophile reviews in the narrower sense, depending on the release.
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Yes, the search box above matches against title, composer and artist together, so searching a surname like "Bach" or "Ólafsson" will surface every matching classical CD review.