Transatlantic (Orchid)
Much of the appeal of this Covid-era recital by violinist Callum Smart and pianist Richard Uttley lies in the effort they invest to find common ground
Giya Kancheli: Poetry of Silence (Gramola)
Kancheli’s miniatures grip you by the throat and won’t let you do anything else until it’s over
John Luther Adams: The ‘Become’ trilogy (cantaloupe)
You will either feel very relaxed by the middle of the piece or you will throw things at the wall and say some very bad words
Prokofiev/Miaskovsky: Symphonies (LAWO Classics)
Norman Leberecht laments not being able to give the Oslo Philharmonic the five stars they deserve
The Russians aren’t coming
New music was not officially muted in the Soviet Union. It just got left at home, says Norman Lebrecht
Arvo Pärt: Works for Choir (Cugate Classics)
The 40 minutes of music on this album is alternately hypnotic and uplifting
Daniil Trifonov: Silver Age (DG)
This recording is an absolute must-hear, one of the summits of this difficult year
Tigran Mansurian: Con anima (ECM New Series)
You may find that Con anima is one of the best ways of spending the next 15 minutes of your life
Dear Mademoiselle (Alpha)
Mademoiselle was not much of a composer, too set on correct form to allow the flight of inspiration
No direction from directors
Music directors who fail to provide any direction in times of crisis