Classical Highlights for March 2025

A few of the notable releases we reviewed this past month seemed to have a theme: lesser-known music. The complete nocturnes of John Field, newly recorded by Alice Sara Ott (pictured), seem to only appear on albums once a decade or so. Another work rarely heard in its entirety is the ballet Pulcinella by Stravinsky, recently recorded by Gustavo Gimeno and the Toronto Symphony. Then there are a few fresh-sounding, very approachable works by mid-20th century French composer Fernande Decruck. Other new releases include new music by Shawn E Okpebholo, Wynton Marsalis, and Toivo Tulev, and favorites by Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, and much more.

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Apollo’s Fire / Jeannette Sorrell – Le Tre Soprano: The Three Ladies of Ferrra
Benjamin Appl- Lines of Life: Schubert & Kurtág
Matthew Aubin, Jackson Symphony Orchestra – Fernande Decruck: Concertante Works, Vol. 2
Jordan Bak, London Mozart Players, Howard Griffiths- Ignaz Pleyel: Symphonies 18 & 21; Viola Concerto
Gabrielle Barkidjija, Bryan Murray, Shavon Lloyd- Daron Hagen: Everyone, Everywhere; An Irish Airman Foresees His Death; The Bixby Letter
Jader Bignamini, Detroit Symphony Orchestra – Wynton Marsalis: Blues Symphony
Ian Bostridge, Saskia Giorgini- Twilight: Schumann Songs
Renaud Capuçon – Richard Strauss
Renaud Capuçon, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Daniel Harding – Sibelius, Barber: Violin Concertos
Cécile Chaminade – Cécile Chaminade and Her Contemporaries play Chaminade
Claire Chase, Cory Smythe, Katinka Kleijn, Seth Parker Woods – Anna Thorvaldsdottir: Ubique
Seong-Jin Cho, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons – Ravel: The Piano Concertos
Les Cris de Paris, Geoffroy Jourdain – Strana armonia d’amore
María Dueñas- Paganini: 24 Caprices; Berlioz, Cervelló, Kreisler, Ortiz, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Wieniawski
Vincent Dumestre, Le Poème Harmonique- Monteverdi Testamento: Vespro della Madonna 1643
Lidia Fridman, Omar Montanari, Felix Krieger- Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari: Il Segreto di Susanna
Véronique Gens, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Hervé Niquet – Iphigenie en Tauride: Desmarest, Campra
Rhiannon Giddens, Paul Sánchez, Karen Slack – Shawn E Okpebholo: Songs in Flight
Boris Giltburg- Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; The Isle of the Dead
Gustavo Gimeno, Toronto Symphony Orchestra – Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Le Baiser de la Fée
Nathan Granner, Melody Moore, Dennis Doubin – Gordon Getty: Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Bernard Haitink, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks- Dvorák: Symphony No. 7
Samuel Hasselhorn, Ammiel Bushakevitz- Franz Schubert: Licht und Schatten
Theo Hoffman, Steven Blier, Kunal Lahiry- Schubert/Beatles
Stephen Hough, The Hallé, Mark Elder- Stephen Hough: Piano Concerto “The World of Yesterday”; Sonatina Nostalgica; Partita
Gaétan Jarry, Ensemble Marguerite Louise- Charpentier: Missa Assumpta est Maria
Paavo Järvi, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich- Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
Jerusalem Quartet- Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 2, 7 & 10
Victor Julien-Laferrière, Orchestre Consuelo – Tchaikovski: Suites 1 & 2
Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, Karim Sulayman – Reynaldo Hahn: Piano Quintet; Songs; Piano Quartet
Ernst Kovacic, Michael Gielen, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra- Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Op. 19; Violin Concerto No. 2
Kate Liu- Beethoven: Op. 110; Brahms: Sonata No. 3

Magdalena Consort, Fretwork, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, Silas Wollston- In Chains of Gold: The English Pre-Restoration Verse Anthem, Vol. 3
Andrea Marcon, La Cetra Basel – Vivaldi: Arsilda
Johannes Moser, Xuefei Yang – Songs of Joy and Sorrow
Mystery Sonata – AEQUORA
Nevermind- Bach: Goldberg Variations
Alice Sara Ott – John Field: Complete Nocturnes
Parlando, Ian Niederhoffer – Censored Anthems
Alain Planès – Satie

Simon Rattle, Chor & Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks – Joseph Haydn: Die Schöpfung
Christine Rice, John Findon, Nicholas Collon- Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Fatma Said- Lieder
Vannina Santoni, Julien Dran, Jean-Marie Zeitouni – Jules Massenet: Grisélidis
Vannina Santoni- Par amour
Gerd Schaller, Philharmonie Festiva- Bruckner 3, Version 1877
Benjamin Schmid, Salzburg Wind Philharmonie, Hansjörg Angerer – Friedrich Gulda, Kurt Weill: Konzerte für Violine und Blasorchester
Abel Selaocoe – Hymns of Bantu
La Serenissima, Adrian Chandler- Vivaldi: Opus 8 Vol. 1 – The Four Seasons & other concertos
Oleg Shebeta-Dragan, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Anna Skryleva – Oleg Shebeta-Dragan
Nicky Spence, Julius Drake, Piatti Quartet – Fauré: La bonne chanson & other songs
Karl-Heinz Steffens, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra- Christian Sinding: The Symphonies
Adam Tendler- Inheritances
Lana Trotovsek, Maria Canyigueral- Prokofiev Milestones, Vol. 2
TSOY Samson Tsoy- Inmost Heart
Roman Válek, Czech Ensemble Baroque- Tuma: Vesperae
Jac van Steen, Ulster Orchestra- Falla: The Three Cornered Hat; Nights in the Gardens of Spain; Seven Spanish Folk Songs
Various Artists- Bruckner: From the Archives, Vol. 6
Various Artists- Lei Liang: Dui
Various Artists – Reiko Füting: distantViolinSound
Various Artists – Toivo Tulev: Dawn, Almost Dawn
Orion Weiss- Arc III: Brahms, Schubert, Debussy, Dohnányi, Ligeti, Talma
Sonya Yoncheva, Olga Zado – George
Michael Zaugg, Axios Men’s Ensemble, Pro Coro Canada- Benedict Sheehan: Ukrainian War Requiem