Lebrecht’s Album of the Week
Erno von Dohnanyi: My auntie (Capriccio)
Dohnanyi is as multicultural as they come — he must be due a comeback
Alice Sara Ott: Echoes of Life (DG)
Alice Sara Ott gives Frederic Chopin’s preludes a “dazzling” contemporary twist
Shostakovich: Piano concertos 1&2; piano trio 2 (Linn)
This is a recording that encapsulates the other, older side of Europe
Randall Goosby: Roots (Decca)
Goosby has all the technique anyone could need — but he still has a lot to learn about taste and selection
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Violin sonatas (Naxos)
Ten minutes of Villa-Lobos and you’re ready for carnival
Nino Rota: Chamber music (Alpha)
Norman Lebrecht gifts five stars for this “astonishing” revival of work from the late, great film composer, Nino Rota
The King’s Alchemist (Willowhayne Records)
This collection of British music is what they should be playing over the speakers at Heathrow Airport
Beethoven/Schnittke: Violin concertos (BIS)
This fabulous interpretation of the Beethoven concerto is one of the records of the year
Vitezlava Kapralova: Waving Farewell (Naxos)
The performances recorded here by the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra speak directly to some of our present confusions
Zemlinsky/Schreker: Orchestral works (Onyx)
This album by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and their departing conductor Vasily Petrenko is demonstrably irresistible