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Classical Highlights for August 2025


The highlights of previous month’s releases had been dominated by jap European and French music. Tõnu Kaljuste and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir latest recording of Arvo Pärt’s Berliner Messe is distinctive; as is an album of huge orchestral works by Valentin Silvestrov performed by Christopher Lyndon-Gee, considered one of Russian cello sonatas carried out by Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, and Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues performed by Yulianna Avdeeva. Quatuor Debussy and vibraphonist Franck Tortiller proceed the Ravel tributes with a jazzed-up interpretation of Le Tombeau de Couperin. A up to date of Ravel, Marcel Tournier, isn’t as well-known, however harpist Emmanuel Ceysson (pictured), offers us an ideal introduction to his music. Uncover extra in our present batch of critiques.

August Classical Opinions

Claudio Arrau – The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals: Pasadena, California, USA, 1977, 1981 & 1986

Yulianna Avdeeva – Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues Op. 87

Maya Beiser – Salt

Black Oak Ensemble – Dance of the Night time Sky

Florian Boesch, Malcolm Martineau – Brahms, Wolf: Lieder

Douglas Bostock, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim – British Music for Strings IV

Félicien Brut – L’Accordéoniste: Préludes, Valses & Envols

Camerata Øresund – In Wilhelmine’s footsteps: Music of the Bayreuth Courtroom

Karina Canellakis, Edward Gardner, Dima Slobodeniouk, London Philharmonic Orchestra – Tania León: Horizons; Raíces (Origins); Stride; Pasajes

Cantus – Fields of Surprise

Emmanuel Ceysson, Véronique Gens, Quatuor Voce – Pictures: Hommage à Marcel Tournier

Alpesh Chauhan, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 2; Marche slave; The Storm; Entr’acte, Waltz, and Polonaise from Eugene Onegin

Chiaroscuro Quartet – Joseph Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33/4-6

Chloe Chua, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Hans Graf – Mozart: Violin Concertos

Bojan Čičić, Illyria Consort – Heinrich Biber: Violin Sonatas – 1681

Fanny Clamagirand, Han Chen, Malmö Opera Orchestra, John Jeter – Worth: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and a pair of; Piano Concerto in One Motion; Dances within the Canebrakes

Jonathan Cohen, Arcangelo – Handel: Chandos Anthems (Anthems for Cannons) HWV248, 249b, 251b, 256a

Warwick Cole, Corelli Orchestra – William Hayes: Instrumental Music

Manfred Cordes, Europäisches Hanse-Ensemble – Musik der Hansestädte, Vol. 3: Musik aus dem alten Magdeburg

Cuarteto Casals – Dmitri Shostakovich: Full String Quartets, Vol. 2 – Nos. 6-12

Andrew Davis, Martyn Brabbins, BBC Philharmonic – King of Kings: J.S. Bach

Jan Willem de Vriend, NDR Radiophilharmonie – Emilie Mayer: Symphonies 4 & 6

Samantha Ege – Maestra: Julia Perry & Doreen Carwithen – Concertos

Olari Elts, Estonian Nationwide Symphony Orchestra – Erkki-Sven Tüür: Aeris

Ensemble Fashionable, Halle Orchestra, Jonathan Bloxham, Jonathan Morton – Hannah Kendall: Shouting Eternally into the Receiver

Raphaël Feuillâtre – Spanish Serenades

Gesualdo Six, Owain Park, Matilda Lloyd – Radiant Daybreak

Morta Grigaliunaite – Rautavaara: Full Piano Works

Owain Arwel Hughes, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Welsh Music for Strings

Léo Ispir, Luka Ispir – Ispir

John Jeter, Sara Swietlicki, Lindsay Grace Johnson, Jonas Samuelsson – Florence Beatrice Worth: Choral Works

Sean Jones, Nicholas Phan, Joseph Younger – Joel Puckett: Quick Tales in London

Tonu Kaljuste, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Concerto Copenhagen – Arvo Pärt: Lente

Parry Karp, BBC Nationwide Orchestra of Wales, Kenneth Woods – Ernest Bloch: Schelomo (Solomon) Hebraic Rhapsody; Suite for Viola and Orchestra

Christina Landshamer, Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir, Justin Doyle, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Ludwig Mittelhammer – Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn: Sacred Music, Vol. 1

Will Liverman – The Dunbar/Moore Periods: Full Assortment

Julieth Lozano Rolong, João Araújo – Alma: Ibero-American Songs

Christopher Lyndon-Gee, Janusz Wawrowski, Lithuanian Nationwide Symphony Orchestra – Silvestrov: Symphony No. 8; Violin Concerto

Klaus Mäkelä, Orchestre de Paris – Berlioz, Ravel

Jaime Martín, Gävle Symphony Orchestra – Max Reger: 4 Tone Poems after Böcklin; Romantic Suite

Blair McMillen – Peter Scott Lewis: Pacific Triptych

Alexander Melnikov, Julia Lezhneva – Visiting Rachmaninoff: Chopin Variations; Romances

Choir of Merton School, Oxford; Benjamin Nicholas; Britten Sinfonia – Orchestral Anthems Vol. 2: Bairstow; Elgar; Eire; Stanford; Walton; Wesley

Miró Quartet, Kiera Duffy – Ginastera: String Quartets

Ikuyo Nakamichi, Ensemble Amideo, Michiyoshi Inoue – The Final Mozart: Piano Concertos 20 & 23

Susan Narucki, Curtis Macomber – György Kurtág: Kafka Fragments

New York Polyphony – Sky of My Coronary heart

Onyx Brass, John Wilson – Transatlantic

Sakari Oramo, BBC Synphony Orchestra – Bacewicz: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 – Symphony No. 2, Piano Concerto, Concerto for Massive Symphony Orchestra

Andreas Ottensamer, José Gallardo – Romanza

Evren Ozel, Jan Mrácek, Howard Griffiths – Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 “Jenamy” KV 271 & 12 KV 414; Violin Concerto No. 2 KV 211

Alexandra Papastefanou – J.S. Bach: The English Suites

Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque – Simply Biber

Karen Bentley Pollick, Lithuanian Nationwide Symphony Orchestra, John McLaughlin Williams – Concertos from the Caucasus, Vol. 1: Three Violin Concertos

Polyphony, Stephen Layton, Britten Sinfonia – Clive Osgood: English Folksongs

Quatuor Debussy, Franck Tortiller – Ravels: Quatuor à cordes; Ma mère l’oye; Les danses de Ravel

La Reveuse, Florence Bolton, Benjamin Perrot – London Circa 1760: J.C. Bach, C.F. Abel & Buddies

Christophe Rousset – François Couperin: Portraits

Tamar Sagiv – Shades of Mourning

Dario Salvi, Janácek Philharmonic Ostrava – Marschner: Overtures and Stage Music, Vol. 3

Konstantin Scherbakov – Liszt: Mozart and Donizetti Opera Transcriptions

Zina Schiff, Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Avlana Eisenberg, Valerie Stark – Alan Hovhaness: Concerto No. 2; Works for Violin and Piano

Andrè Schuen – Mozart

Elena Schwarz, WDR Sinfonieorchester – Elsa Barraine: Symphonies 1 & 2; Illustration symphonique pour Pogromes d’André Spire; La Mise au tombeau du Titien

Lahav Shani, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra – Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 “Scottish”

Julia Sinclair, Marijn Cinjee – Wind Takes Flight: Hildegard x Electronics

Tugan Sokhiev, Wiener Philharmoniker – Sommernachtskonzert Schönbrunn 2025

Nicky Spence, Dylan Perez – Sparks from Ashes

Curtis Stewart, Michael Repper – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Curtis Stewart – Seasons of Change

Synergy Vocals, Colin Currie Group, New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden – Steve Reich: Jacob’s Lader; Traveler’s Prayer

Marcel Tadokoro – Adolf von Henselt: Full Piano Études

Telegraph Quartet – Fringe of the Storm: Bacewicz, Britten, Weinberg

Tenebrae, Nigel Quick –

Alexandre Tharaud – Satie Discoveries

Nobuyuki Tsujii – The Verbier Debut Recital

Vilém Vlcek, Denis Linnik – Bohuslav Martinů: The Full Works for Cello and Piano

Xuefei Yang – Chapeau Satie

Zéphyros Winds – Desert Move

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