Schoenberg; Hindemith: String Trios CD review – assured and convincing performances
Trio Zimmermann give an utterly lucid rendition of Schoenberg’s fierce, challenging String Trio Op 45, and illuminate Hindemith with panache - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarIsabelle Faust: Mendelssohn CD review – raw-edged and compelling
Faust/Freiburger Barockorchester/Heras-Casado(Harmonia Mundi) - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarImogen Holst: String Chamber Music CD review – we owe it to ourselves to keep listening to her
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarGoldberg Variations, complete sessions CD review – Glenn Gould's obsession, meticulously assembled
This sumptuous, extraordinary set gives us every take of every variation in Gould’s historic 1955 recording of JS Bach’s masterpiece - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarHaydn, CPE Bach: Cello Concertos CD review – an album to treasure
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen/Steven Isserlis (director, cello)(Hyperion) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarLost Is My Quiet CD review – beautiful, nuanced songs by Purcell, Schumann, Quilter and Mendelssohn
- Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarLCD Soundsystem: American Dream review – virtuosic comeback full of harmonies and humblebrags
Packed with aural allusions to Bowie and Eno, LCD Soundsystem’s comeback is a virtuosic tribute to their heroes – and themselves - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarJohn Coltrane: Giant Steps in Mono review – an undisputed classic
(Rhino/Atlantic) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarVijay Iyer Sextet: Far from Over review – spine-tingling jazz for heart, head and feet
- John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: Diabelli Variations CD review – Filippo Gorini's fearless, breathtaking debut disc
Filippo Gorini(Alpha) - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarDead Cross: Dead Cross review – energetic rock supergroup ups the ante
- Gwilym Mumford
starstarstarstarstarLal and Mike Waterson: Bright Phoebus review – siblings' folk masterpiece reissued
- Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarBrian Eno reissues review – beautiful, astounding music that goes back to the future
After leaving Roxy Music, Eno created solo albums presaging everything from post-punk to My Bloody Valentine - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarThelonious Monk: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 review – long-lost classic
(Saga) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarStrauss: The Complete Songs 8 CD review – three great performers
Nicky Spence (tenor), Rebecca Evans (soprano), Roger Vignoles (piano) (Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarSheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love review – strutting garage rock classics
- Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarWalton: Violin Concerto, Partita and Hindemith Variations CD review – an exhilarating disc
Anthony Marwood (violin), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Brabbins(Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarCarnevale 1729 CD review – Ann Hallenberg dazzles
Ann Hallenberg (mezzo-soprano), Il pomo d’oro/Montanari(Pentatone) (2 CDs) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarAntoine Beuger: Ockeghem Octets review – tender and heroically controlled
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarRadiohead: OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997-2017 review – an album of depthless humanity
Radiohead’s 1997 classic with three previously unreleased songs shows the world’s greatest rock band at their best - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarRichard Strauss: Through Life and Love CD review – Louise Alder shines
Louise Alder (soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano) (Orchid Classics) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarLaurel Halo: Dust review – radical adventures in electronic impressionism
- Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarHaydn: Sun Quartets, Op 20 Nos 4-6 CD review – immaculate and spirited
The four musicians tackle the composer’s boldness with intensity and ferocity, but without losing poise and grace - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarJaco Pastorius: Truth, Liberty & Soul review – audacious live jazz
- John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarKurtág: Complete Works for Ensemble and Choir CD review – a magnificent and lucid guide to a great composer
This Netherlands-sourced set, performed with devotion and commitment, brings together some of the composer’s greatest achievements - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBruckner: Symphony No 9; Symphony No 7 (Adagio) CD review – Furtwängler on the edge
Berlin Philharmonic/Furtwängler (Praha Digitals) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarPixx: The Age of Anxiety review – riveting, cliche-free electropop joy
- Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarDiana Damrau: Meyerbeer: Grand Opera CD review – delightful all round
Damrau/Orchestre et Choeur de l’Opera de Lyon/Villaume(Erato) - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarHank Mobley: Four Classic Albums review – bursting with wit and invention
(Avid) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarThe Beatles: Sgt Pepper 50th Anniversary Edition review – peace, love and rock star ennui
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band gets a muscular remix in this heritage outing for an album that seems as much about panic as hippy-era optimism - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarMozart: Gran Partita CD review – a virtuosic live recording
LSO Wind Ensemble (LSO Live) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarBrahms: Die Schöne Magelone CD review – shows how it should be done
- Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarFauré: The Complete Songs, Vol 2 CD review – like a recital among friends
Connolly, Davies, Johnson, Kelly, Murray etc, Malcolm Martineau (piano)(Signum) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarMark Lanegan Band: Gargoyle review – a career high
(Heavenly) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarLisa Knapp: 'Til April Is Dead – a Garland of May review – dazzling folk wit
- Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarWilliam Petter: Ablaze With Light CD review – an outstanding tribute
The Rose Singers/Foggitt, Paul Plummer (organ) (Novum) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarKendrick Lamar: Damn review – another dial-shifting release
More than drugs, crime or gynaecology, greatness is arguably the meta-theme of all hip-hop, and Lamar both tells and shows his pre-eminence - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBNQT: Volume 1 review – melodic rock supergroup provide a real feast
- Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarDuke Ellington: An Intimate Piano Session review – always striking the right note
(Storyville) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarKendrick Lamar: Damn review – more mellow but just as angry
Luscious harmonies and hints of psychedelic soul – plus guest support from Bono and Rihanna – couch brilliant, sharp-edged storytelling from an artist at the top of his game - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarHaydn: The Seasons review – glorious
Sampson/Ovendon/Foster-Williams, National Forum of Music Choir, Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, Gabrieli Consort & Players/McCreesh (Signum) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarArca: Arca review – ecclesiastical grandeur meets bleeding-edge dissonance
- Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarFather John Misty: Pure Comedy review – wonderfully uneasy listening
Josh Tillman’s dark pronouncements, set to luscious, 70s-style orchestration, update the idea of the confessional singer-songwriter for the post-truth era - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarVaughan Williams: A Pastoral Symphony, Symphony No 4 CD review – raw splendour
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Manze(Onyx) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarMozart: Violin Sonatas Vol 3 CD review – a pure delight
Alina Ibragimova, Cédric Tiberghien (Hyperion) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarBob Dylan: Triplicate review – sensitive and exquisite 30-song extravaganza
With his latest album of covers, Dylan is a dependable connoisseur, whose choices illuminate his own compositions - Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarMusic for the 100 Years’ War CD review – the full early English
The Binchois Consort/Kirkman(Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarHolt: A Table of Noises; Witness to a Snow Miracle etc CD review – a fiercely brilliant sound world
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSpoon: Hot Thoughts review – indie experimenters dance the night away
- Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarLinda Catlin Smith: Drifter CD review – beautiful, poised and thoughtful
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarHurray for the Riff Raff: The Navigator review – incredibly easy on the ear
Alynda Segarra draws on her Puerto Rican roots with a genre-bending album of anger, yearning and songs that just flow - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarRoberto Fonseca: ABUC review – incandescent Cuban contrasts
(Impulse!) - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarBartók: The String Quartets CD review – profound understanding
Végh Quartet (Praga Digitals) (2 CDs) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarTides of Life CD review – refreshing, authoritative song recital
Hampson/Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Netherlands Female Youth Choir/Thompson(Channel Classics) - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarAdès: Asyla; Tevot; Polaris CD review – sheer mastery, vividly realised
Dale/London Symphony Orchestra/Adès(LSO Live, SACD and BD) - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarGraeme Miller & Steve Shill: The Moomins review – wonky DIY soundtrack provides a Proustian rush
- Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarJens Lekman: Life Will See You Now review – mordant but joyous indiepop
- Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarKagel: The 8 Pieces of the Wind Rose CD review – a musical journey to be savoured
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarEliza Carthy & The Wayward Band: Big Machine review – furious, timely folk
- Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarKenneth Leighton: Complete Organ Works CD review – a towering triumph
Stephen Farr (organ and harpsichord), John Butt (organ), Chloe Hanslip (violin), Nicky Spence (tenor)(Resonus) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarBrahms-Glanert: Four Serious Songs, etc CD review – dark, brilliant intensifications
- Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarHaydn: String Quartets Opp 54 & 55 CD review – countless pleasures
London Haydn Quartet(Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarThe Florilegium Series: Medieval and Renaissance CD review – a treasure trove
(L’Oiseau Lyre) (50 CDs) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarBach: Cantatas 54, 82 & 170 CD review – an early 2017 favourite
Iestyn Davies (countertenor), Arcangelo/Cohen (Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarMozart 225 review – all of Amadeus in one big box
Everything that Mozart wrote, in a cleverly planned and comprehensive update of the 1991 set, including some genuine revelations - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarBig Star: Complete Third box set review – definitive version of cult masterpiece
- Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarLed Zeppelin: Compete BBC Sessions box set review – in their glorious ascent
- Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarKurt Elling: The Beautiful Day review – flawless alternative Christmas album
(OKeh/Sony) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarNew Orleans Funk Vol 4: Voodoo Fire in New Orleans 1951-77 – review
(Soul Jazz) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDebussy/Tilson Thomas: Images; Jeux, etc CD review – gorgeous
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBatiashvili/Barenboim: Tchaikovsky, Sibelius CD review – soars, sings and dances
- Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarVarious: PC Music Volume 2 review – the smartest gang in British pop
- Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarLucia Cadotsch: Speak Low review – edgy, compelling refits of famous songs
- John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarMozart: Lieder review – supreme tenor Peter Schreier at the height of his powers
Tenor Peter Schreier proves that he is one of the great Lieder singers with this wonderful set of Mozart’s songs - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarMiles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series Vol 5 – pure instinct
(Columbia) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarWar Memorials: Music for Brass Band CD review – solemn and poignant
Tredegar Town Band, Cory Band (NMC) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarWeyes Blood: Front Row Seat to Earth review – beautiful, unsettling songs
- Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarLeonard Cohen: You Want It Darker review – killer couplets over bare bones
The bleak and sparse arrangements of Leonard Cohen’s 14th studio album make his repeated leave-taking all the more exquisite - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarNxWorries: Yes Lawd! review – Paak and Knxwledge have all the answers
(Stones Throw) - Isa Jaward
starstarstarstarstarLeonard Cohen: You Want It Darker review – still changing, still full of life
Despite all the recent talk about Leonard Cohen’s mortality, his wonderful new album suggests an artist determined to keep moving forward - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBach: Christmas Oratorio CD review – sinewy, charismatic seasonal celebration
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarShovels & Rope: Little Seeds review – outstanding Americana
(New West) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarSerpent and Fire: Arias for Dido and Cleopatra CD review – a stunner
Anna Prohaska (soprano), Il Giardino Armonico/Antonini(Alpha Classics) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarMozart: Great Mass in C minor; Exsultate, Jubilate CD review – crystalline beauty
Sampson, Vermeulen, Sakurada, Immler, Bach Collegium Japan/Suzuki(BIS) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarKate Tempest: Let Them Eat Chaos review – a state-of-the-world address
The poet without borders delivers a second album that places its rich cast of characters against a backdrop of global crisis - Alex Clark
starstarstarstarstarRoussel, Debussy, Poulenc: Bacchus et Ariane, Six épigraphes antiques, Les Biches CD review – a French feast
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Yamada(Pentatone) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarÉmile Parisien Quintet/Joachim Kühn: Sfumato review – exuberant genre-hopping
- John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: Piano Sonatas Op 90, 101, 106 CD review – authority of intelligent musicianship
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarCopland: Orchestral Works 2, Symphonies CD review – outstanding sound, vivid performance
John Wilson, the BBC Phil and soloist Jonathan Scott tackle this collection of Copland’s grittier, more abstract early works with relish and buoyancy - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarOpeth: Sorceress review – metal masters click into higher gear
- Dom Lawson
starstarstarstarstarDanny Brown: Atrocity Exhibition review – hip-hop's great gonzo trailblazer
- Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarMarillion: Fear review – prog veterans' best album in 20 years
- Tim Hall
starstarstarstarstarDavid Bowie: Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) review – an artist on the edge
Bowie performed an extraordinary stylistic pivot between Diamond Dogs and Young Americans, and made it look easy – but as this new box set shows, it was a more convoluted and problematic shift than it appeared at the time - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarLiszt: Transcendental Studies; Paganini Studies CD review – delicacy, dazzle and virtuosity
It’s hard to remember that Daniil Trifonov is still only 25. This double CD set reveals his sensitivity as well as his showmanship - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBach: Goldberg Variations CD review – piercing insights from Mahan Esfahani
Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)(Deutsche Grammophon) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarLaura Jurd/Dinosaur: Together, As One review – beautifully played and effortlessly confident
- John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarNick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Skeleton Tree review – brilliant music on the verge of collapse
The band’s misunderstood new album has an eerie and apparently premonitory power - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarNick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Skeleton Tree first-listen review – a masterpiece of love and devastation
Nick Cave’s first album with the Bad Seeds since the death of his son is harrowingly bleak, but heartrendingly beautiful - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarMendelssohn: String Quartets Op 44 No 3 and Op 80, etc CD review – Escher String Quartet are truly exceptional
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarAngel Olsen: My Woman review – love in all its complicated glory
(Jagjaguwar) - Killian Fox
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