Classical Music
Paderewski & Stojowski: Violin Sonatas (CPO)
I would happily subscribe to an emergent series of forgotten Polish treasures if the quality remained this high
Nikolai Kapustin: 4th piano concerto (Capriccio)
Listening to Kapustin in 2021 is an act of nostalgia, a gesture of defiance to the dictates of fashion
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
Savour the silence
The first duty of a conductor is to imagine a world without noise
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