Classical Highlights for July 2024

The albums of note this month found our reviewers covering both the unfamiliar and the familiar in new ways. Among the former are orchestrations of Brahms' music by later composers, conducted by Michael Stern. Among the latter is the third volume of Haydn's Piano Trios from Trio Gaspard (pictured). The ensemble always includes a new piece as well, that reflects on the original Classical-era music. Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, one of the earliest operas ever written, is also familiar, but Stéphane Fuget and his group Les Épopées give it an immediacy rarely heard. Finally, cellist Laura van der Heijden gives us a new, attractive, nature-themed concerto by Cheryl Frances-Hoad.

July Classical Reviews

Akropolis Reed Quintet - Are We Dreaming the Same Dream?
Rinaldo Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano - Stradella: Mottetti
Marin Alsop, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra - Margaret Brouwer: Rhapsodies
Alain Altinoglu, Frankfrut Radio Symphony - Florent Schmitt: La Tragedie de Salome; Chant Élégiaque
L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar - Wonder Women
Cecilia Bartoli - Casta Diva
Nicola Benedetti, Benjamin Grosvenor, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali - Beethoven: Triple Concerto
Donald Berman - Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord, Mass., 1840-1860"; The St. Gaudens ("Black March")
Claire Booth, Christopher Glynn - Arnold Schoenberg: Expressionist Music
Leon Botstein, The Orchestra Now - The Lost Generation: Apostel, Kauder, Busch
Dennis Brain, Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan - Mozart: Concertos pour Cor
Simon Callaghan, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Modestas Pitrenas - Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 87: Reinecke, Sauer
Bertrand Chamayou - Cage2
Elizabeth Chang, Steven Beck - Sonatas & Myths: Bartók, Szymanowski, Dohnányi
Helen Charlston, Guy Cutting, Rowan Pierce, Academy of Ancient Music, Choir of the Queen's College, Oxford, Owen Rees - How Are the Mighty Fallen: Choral Music by Giovanni Bononcini
William Christie, Justin Taylor - Conversation: Gaspard Le Roux - Suites pour deux clavecins
Johan Dalene, Eivind Ringstad, Ariel Lanyi, Alexandre Zanettam Howard Griffiths - Mozart: Sinfonia Concerante KV 364; Rondos KV 382 & 386; Horn Concerto No. 2 KV 417
María Dueñas, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel - Gabriela Ortiz: Revolución diamantina
Duo Yumeno - Daron Hagen: Heike Quinto
JoAnn Falletta, Nikki Chooi, Amy Porter, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra - Lukas Foss: Symphony No. 1; Renaissance Concerto; Three American Pieces; Ode
Michael Francis, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz - Beethoven: The Mahler Re-Orchestrations
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, His Majesties Sagbutts and Cornetts - Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine
The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park - Queen of Hearts
Saskia Giorgini - Debussy: Images
Barbara Hannigan, Bertrand Chamayou - Messiaen
Samuel Hasselhorn, Poznan Philharmonic, Lukasz Borowicz - Urlicht: Songs of Death and Resurrection
Janine Jansen, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Mäkelä - Sibelius, Prokofiev 1: Violin Concertos
Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective - Brahms & Contemporaries, Vol. 1
Otto Klemperer, Nicolai Gedda, Gundula Janowitz - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Mari Kodama, Momo Kodama, Karin Kei Nagano, Kent Nagano - Mozart & Poulenc: Double & Triple Concertos
Pavel Kolesnikov, Samson Tsoy - Franz Schubert, Leonid Desyatnikov
Magdalena Kožená, Czech Philharmonic, Simon Rattle - Czech Songs
Lorelei Ensemble - Christopher Cerrone: Beaufort Scales
Rory MacDonald, Royal Scottish National Orchestra - Our Gilded Veins
Antonello Manacorda, Kammerakademie Potsdam - Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies
Zubin Mehta, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra - Holst: The Planets
Juanjo Mena, Basque National Orchestra - Gabriel Erkoreka: Cello Concerto 'Ekaitza'; Tres Sonetos de Michelangelo; Piano Concerto 'Piscis'
Yehudi Menuhin, Edward Elgar - Elgar: Violin Concerto; "Enigma" Variations
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli - Ravel: Piano Concerto; Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 4
Alessandro Milani, Luca Ranieri, Nuova Orchestra Ferruccio Busoni, Massimo Belli - W.A. Mozart: Adagio and Fugue KV 546; Sinfonia Concertante KV 364; Symphony No. 27 KV 199
Mishka Rushdie Momen - Reformation
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Chamber Orchestra of Europe - Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies
Jakub Jozef Orlinski, Elsa Dreisig, Fatma Said, Stefan Plewniak - Gluck: Orfeo & Euridice
Tarmo Peltokoski, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen - Mozart Symphonies
Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque - The Muses Restor'd
Poor Clares of Arundel - My Peace I Give You
Christoph Poppen, WDR Radio Choir, Cologne Chamber Orchestra - Mozart: Mass No. 7 'Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis'; Missa Brevis in D major; Missa Brevis in B flat major
Julian Prégardien, Les Épopées, Stéphane Fuget - Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
Quartetto Adorno - Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Complete String Quartets
Rachel Redmond, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Peter Whelan - Rachel Baptist: Ireland's Black Syren
Martin Roscoe, Kathryn Stott, George Lloyd - George Lloyd: The Piano Concertos
Gil Rose, Sarah Brady, Gabriela Díaz, Boston Modern Orchestra Project - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Symphony No. 5
Skylark - Clear Voices in the Dark
Pierre Solot - Ernesto Lecuona: Piano Music
Michael Stern, Kansas City Symphony - Brahms: Reimagined Orchestrations
John Storgårds, Albert Dohmen, Estonian National Male Choir, BBC Philharmonic - Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 "Babiy Yar"; Arvo Pärt: De profundis
Gavin Sutherland, English National Ballet Philharmonic - Glazunov: Raymonda
Takács Quartet - Schubert: String Quartet in G major D887; String Quartet in B flat major D112
Robin Tritschler, Philip Higham, Malcolm Martineau, Sean Shibe - Songs for Peter Pears
Laura van der Heijden, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth - Bridge: Oration; Frances-Hoad: Earth, Sea, Air; Walton: Cello Concerto
Osmo Vänskä, Minnesota Orchestra - Mahler 3
György Vashegyi, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra - Jules Massenet: Werther (Version Baryton)
VOCES8 Foundation Choir & Orchestra - To Sing of Love
Konstanze von Gutzeit, Oliver Triendl, Christiane Silber - Maria Herz: Piano Concerto; Cello Concerto; Orchestral Works
John Wilson, Sinfonia of London - Kenneth Fuchs: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2
Kenneth Woods, English Symphony Orchestra, English String Orchestra - Robert Saxton: Scenes from the Epic of Gilgamesh
Guy Yehuda - Between Two Worlds: Prokofiev, Engel, Ben-Haim