Early music leads the pack; Skelton’s Grimes at last; in praise of unknown composers; and Christmas cheer, anyone?

Skelton’s Grimes, captured at last for posterity, heads an outstanding recording.

A superbly played conclusion to an enterprising series.

The 80-year-old pianist curates his special favourites across a long career.

Edward Gardner and James Ehnes whip up a fine Hungarian goulash.

The British violinist talks about her new Szymanowski and Karłowicz album, Limelight’s Recording of the Month. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Little Delivers a lot: The British violinist is all shine in polished Polish concertos.

Every British conductor worth his or her salt has recorded the symphony, as have Solti, Barenboim, Slatkin, Ashkenazy and Sinopoli. The trick with Elgar, especially in this symphony, is to avoid lugubriousness and Gardner manages well getting the piece off to a quiet and measured start. The transition from the well-performed Scherzo into the slow movement is handled perfectly. However, after listening to Barbirolli’s beautifully nuanced recording, the ordinariness of this newcomer is clear. Sir John’s is the one to beat. Of the other performances I sampled all were of a very high standard. There is Boult, of course, and a splendid version from Mackerras and the LSO; he gets great feeling into the noblimente theme. Then there is the remarkable recording Colin Davis made with the Dresden Staatskapelle in 1997. The power of the German orchestra, its heft and discipline, is remarkable and it blows the competition out of the water. In this field, a new recording must stand tall and this one is a bit average. The Introduction and Allegro is long recognised as a virtuoso piece for string orchestra and there are no shortages of… Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already…

Steve Davislim's Tito will also be among the highlights to catch the ears of Aussie audiences.

Finley warms up Sibelius: Rautavaara's inspired orchestrations offer a rich tribute to the late master's late master.

Skelton's wild hunt puts the summer wind up another fine Gurre-Lieder.

At the centre of this engaging disc is a fresh and vibrant account of Janáček’s famous Glagolitic Mass, so named because the old church Slavonic text is written in Glagolitic characters, a precursor of Cyrillic script. This new recording enhances all the reasons why this work has remained a firm favourite with audiences since its premiere in 1927. The broad and colourful orchestral canvas (including a major part for organ) is vividly conveyed by the super audio engineering. Edward Gardner and his Bergen forces convincingly project the red-blooded and often emotional response to the text with well drilled orchestral playing and evocative singing by the chorus. Another major contribution is made by Australian Heldentenor Stuart Skelton who delivers the challenging tenor solos with unflinching confidence and surety. Skelton is well complemented by the attractive voice of American soprano, Sara Jakubiak. Mezzo Susan Bickley and bass Gábor Bretz acquit themselves in the smaller roles with distinction. Thomas Trotter deploys the Rieger organ of Bergen cathedral with finesse, especially in his quasi-Bacchanalian seventh-movement solo. Filling out the programme are the orchestral Adagio (c.1890), the Zdrávas Maria (Ave Maria) from 1904 and Otče náš (Our Father) from 1901, revised five… Continue reading Get…