Classical Highlights for March 2026

We're back with classical music reviews! Thank you all for the kind and supportive messages after the passing of James Manheim last October; they were very appreciated. We have got a couple of new writers we think are very good, and we hope you do as well. Among their first pieces is an evaluation of Hans Zender's orchestration and elaboration of Schubert's Winterreise, sung by tenor Allan Clayton (pictured) with the Aurora Orchestra. Below are their initial reviews, plus some from one of our long-time staff editors, Keith Finke, who hopes to have more time to write this year as well.

March Classical Reviews

Giovanni Antonini, Il Giardino Armonico - Carissimi: Jonas; Monteverdi, Lasso
Yang Bao - Madlands
Jan Bartoš, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Petr Popelka - Beethoven, Reicha: Piano Concertos
Berliner Philharmoniker - Brahms 1
Katie Bray, Murray Grainger, Marianne Schofield, William Vann - In Search of Youkali: Songs of Kurt Weill
Karina Canellakis, London Philharmonic Orchestra - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique)
Chelys Consort of Viols, James Akers - Les âges du monde: French viol consort music through the ages
Allan Clayton, Aurora Orchestra, Nicholas Collon - Hans Zender: Schubert's Winterreise - A Composed Interpretation
Concerto Copenhagen - New Brandenburg Concertos: J.S. Bach - Organ Trio Sonatas Expanded
Ann Hallenberg, The Mozartists, Ian Page - Gluck Arias
Paul Hillier, Ensemble Stralo, Theatre of Voices - Peter Navarro-Alonso: In Flagrante Delicto
JACK Quartet, Jay Campbell, Rohan Dasika - Liza Lim: String Creatures
Paavo Järvi, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen - Schubert: Symphonies No. 7 & 4
The Kanneh-Masons - River of Music
Vincent Larderet - Ravel: Complete Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 2
Alexnader Malofeev - Forgotten Melodies
Kirill Petrenko, Wolfgang Koch, Daniel Behle, Berliner Philharmoniker - Schoenberg: Jacob's Ladder, oratorio
Quatuor Ébène, Belcea Quartet - Octets: Mendelssohn, Enescu
Donald Runnicles, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra - Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Tyshawn Sorey, Houston Chamber Choir - Tyshawn Sorey: Monochromatic Life (Afterlife)
Andrew Staples, Magdalena Kozená, Sir Simon Rattle - Mozart: Idomeneo
Mika Stoltzman - Crossing the Bar
Alexandra Whittingham - Letters from Paris
Michael Alexander Willens, Kölner Akademie - Friedrich Witt: Symphonies 1-3