Ferrucio Busoni: Elegies (Chandos)
British pianist Peter Donohoe’s recital is a perfect pick-me-up for Covid gloom
Hans Werner Henze: The Sea Betrayed (Capriccio)
I was completely absorbed by this opera as a sound production — maybe one day I’ll get to see the whole show
Brahms 4th symphony, MacMillan Larghetto for orchestra
The Larghetto’s organic optimism transcends present woes and looks to bright eternity
High-voltage Haitink recalled
Bernard Haitink, who died last month, was a conducting master
Renaud Capucon: Un violon à Paris (Warner Classics)
Taken together, it’s not the kind of music you want to hear in isolation
Paul Hindemith: Mathis symphony (Naxos), Clarinet concerto (Orfeo)
When asked “which Hindemith should I try first?”, I’m lost for an answer
London Nights (Capriccio)
Intelligent and well played though it is, Franziska Lee’s album of Londonoid piano pieces can’t make a bad sonata better
Emily D’angelo: A n ar gei a (DG)
This debut album is a treat for the senses and a tonic for tired tastes
Spare us the skintight sonata
If Yuja Wang were to strip everything right down to the music, she could be a sensation
Shani Diluka: The Proust Album (Warner)
His concerto is a rag-and-bone man’s barrow trundling down a Haussmann boulevard