Haydn: 107 Symphonies CD review – a lifetime’s wonderful listening
The Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century/ Brüggen; Accademia Bizantina/ Dantone(Decca) (35 CDs) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarFrank Ocean: Blonde review – a baffling and brilliant five-star triumph
With its enigmatic beauty, intoxicating depth and intense emotion, the follow-up to Channel Orange is one of the most intriguing and contrary records ever made - Tim Jonze
starstarstarstarstarRussian Circles: Guidance review – towering vortices of foreboding noise
- Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarO’Hooley & Tidow: Shadows review – England's answer to the McGarrigles
- Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarRamones 40th anniversary super-deluxe edition review – rock boiled down to its absolute essence
Despite having percolated through rock and pop almost continuously for four decades, the most influential punk album of them all can still provide a prickle of danger and discomfort - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarKodály: Duo; Ravel: Sonata, etc CD review – brilliant string duos from Fischer and Müller-Schott
The violinist and cellist capture every detail of some extremely demanding writing with energy, engagement and virtuoso precision - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSibelius: Symphonies Nos 3, 6, 7 CD review – a gripping listen
The Minnesota Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä complete their Sibelius cycle in style - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarDowland: Lachrimae or Seven Tears CD review – exquisite subtlety
Phantasm, Elizabeth Kenny (lute)(Linn) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarTaverner: Western Wynde Mass CD review – superbly sung masterpieces
Choir of Westminster Abbey/O’Donnell(Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarHenze: Being Beauteous; Kammermusik CD review – strange, fragile, ecstatic music
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarGojira: Magma review – hulking grandeur from modern metal greats
- Dom Lawson
starstarstarstarstarWilliam Tyler: Modern Country review – Americana too sublime for words
The US guitarist draws on his Southern upbringing and on-the-road contemplation for an eloquent, unpredictable instrumental album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarElza Soares: The Woman at the End of the World review – Brazil's samba queen still rules
- Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarBartosz Woroch: Dancer on a Tightrope CD review – compelling risk-taking
Grazyna Bacewicz, Sofia Gubaidulina and John Cage are among the lineup in this persuasive recital of 20th-century works - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarThe Invisible: Patience review – complex and brilliantly original pop
Following their 2012 album inspired by grief, Dave Okumu and band now deliver one steeped in joy, and full of ingenious details that only reveal themselves with multiple listens - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarPaul Simon: Stranger to Stranger review – a five-star tour through new sounds
- Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarIbragimova and Tiberghien: Mozart Violin Sonatas CD review – beautifully calibrated
- Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarJohn Williams: The Guitar Master – The Ultimate Collection CD review – total mastery
John Williams (guitar)(Sony) (2 CDs) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarJS Bach: Mass in B minor review – dazzling transparency
Soloists, Concerto Copenhagen/Mortensen (CPO) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarSnarky Puppy: Culcha Vulcha review – audacious, irrepressible creative energy
- John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarAnohni: Hopelessness review – the most profound protest record in decades
The former Antony and the Johnsons singer has made a record that proves the assertion that anger is an energy - Tim Jonze
starstarstarstarstarBeyoncé: Lemonade review – furious glory of a woman scorned
Black female endurance and pragmatism are celebrated with warmth, anger and wit on this astounding visual album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSimon Trpčeski: Brahms/Ravel/Poulenc CD review – a disc to savour
Simon Trpčeski (piano)(Wigmore Hall Live) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarKnifeworld: Bottled Out of Eden review – elegantly perverse psychedelia
- Dom Lawson
starstarstarstarstarBill Charlap: Notes from New York review – one of the best trios ever
(Impulse!) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarSandy Denny: I’ve Always Kept a Unicorn: The Acoustic Sandy Denny review – a voice of her generation
- Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarAdès/Nørgard/Abrahamsen: Works for String Quartet CD review – grace and grit
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarMetallica: Kill 'Em All; Ride the Lightning review - metal giants' early years revisited
The first two albums by the Californian thrash titans get a welcome deluxe boxset treatment - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarTallis: Lamentations review – singing of the highest standard
The Cardinall’s Musick/Carwood(Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarAvishai Cohen: Into the Silence review – irresistible stuff from New York trumpeter
- John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarBartók: Mikrokosmos 6 CD review – spacious warmth and fiendishness
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarElgar: Symphony No 1 CD review – Barenboim's remarkable achievement
Less overwhelmingly impressive than the conductor’s reading of Elgar’s Second Symphony, this performance is a thing of extremes - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarThe Goon Sax: Up to Anything review – like living in a great coming-of-age film
Brisbane teen trio impress with an eloquent set of songs that are self-deprecating but never maudlin, prematurely world-weary but never cynical - Everett True
starstarstarstarstarBach: Violin Concertos CD review – so many things to marvel at
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarKenny Barron Trio: Book of Intuition review – easy, seamless mastery
Barron, Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Johnathan Blake are a dream team - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarChristine and the Queens: Chaleur Humaine review – a perfect antidote to pop conservatism
France has made this brilliant, provocative artist one of its biggest mainstream stars. Could Britain ever do the same? - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: Symphonies 4 & 5 CD review – Harnoncourt bows out with blazing intensity
Harnoncourt and his Vienna forces move from the sublime to the electric on this outstanding disc - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarHaydn: String Quartets Op 50 CD review – pure joy
The London Haydn Quartet’s new Op 50 set makes you marvel anew at the composer’s wit and invention - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarMegadeth: Dystopia review – a fired-up and furious return to form
After the disappointment of their 2012 album, Megadeth’s latest is a return to their angry, thrashy best - Dom Lawson
starstarstarstarstarVarious: Jazz on Film – The New Wave II review – a rich and enjoyable collection
British jazz comes into its own on this eight-CD compilation of soundtracks from the late 1950s and early 60s - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarAbrahamsen: Let Me Tell You review – a spellbindingly beautiful song cycle
This setting of Paul Griffiths’s novella, drawing on Shakespeare’s Ophelia, shows soprano Barbara Hannigan at her most agile - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarMozart: Keyboard Music Vols 8 & 9 review – Mozart on fortepiano that sings
Bezuidenhout shows himself to be the leading fortepianist of his generation with these sparkling, spirited accounts - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarStacey Kent: Tenderly review – classic American songs, immaculately presented
The singer, in collaboration with Brazilian guitarist Roberto Menescal, treats her material with understanding and affection - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarJanine Jansen: Brahms and Bartók review – every phrase says something
The soloist’s playing glows in the Brahms Concerto, paired with a passionate and sincere rendering of Bartók’s Concerto No 1 - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarMeat Wave: Delusion Moon review – slashing riffs and silvery melody from outstanding Chicago punk trio
This Chicago punk trio’s debut album is a pulse-racing rush of volume, speed and hooks - Tom Hughes
starstarstarstarstarDaylight Versions: the Leaf Library review – melancholy wonder on delightful debut
The London quintet concern themselves with the twilight natural world, wrapped up in warm brass and the glowing valves of vintage synths - Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarMaria Schneider: The Thompson Fields review – heartening jazz suite that's too good to miss
Maria Schneider’s album dedicated to the landscape of her home state of Minnesota swings and sighs in equal measure - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarA Wondrous Mystery: Renaissance Choral Music for Christmas CD review – Stile Antico hit the spot
The ensemble marks it’s 10th birthday with a sparkling disc of festive German music - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarDavid Bowie: Five Years 1969-1973 box set review – wonderful overview of the Mick Ronson era
This box set of prime Bowie includes one of the great live bootlegs and two discs of quasi-rarities - Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarThe Velvet Underground: The Complete Matrix Tapes box set review – fascinating sound of a band stretching out
Excellent new edition of the band’s famed 1969 Matrix club tapes showcases a less confrontational, experimental band capable of everything from improv to straight rock’n’roll - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarJohn Coltrane: A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters box set review – fullest version yet of a jazz touchstone
John Coltrane’s endlessly influential album gets its most complete expansion yet with this 50th anniversary set - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarSabine Devieilhe: Mozart & the Weber Sisters CD review – irresistibly good
Amid a glut of classy recent recordings of the composer’s work, this programme that celebrates Mozart in love is exceptional - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarLubomyr Melnyk: Rivers and Streams review – lightning-speed pianist will make your heart tingle
He can play up to 19.5 notes per second – but the Ukrainian pianist’s moving new album proves there’s more to his talent than speed - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarGeorgie Fame: Swan Songs review – a sparkling finale
Fame’s final album sums up his musical world from calypso to a rap in praise of Mose Allison - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarDerek Nash Acoustic Quartet: You’ve Got to Dig It to Dig It, You Dig? review – fizzes with energy
Saxophonist Derek Nash and friends can do no wrong - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarFloating Points: Elaenia review – a soaring, beautiful electronic jazz journey
Sam Shepherd’s debut as Floating Points is a meditative, jazz-influenced marvel that reveals more with every listen - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarSarah Blasko: Eternal Return review – swathed in melancholia, cast in desire
The Australian singer-songwriter’s fifth album is filled with memorable melodies, effortless pop goodness, and in places is totally heart-wrenching - Everett True
starstarstarstarstarTaverner: Missa Corona spinea CD review – dizzyingly virtuosic
The Tallis Scholars hit all the high notes on this famously challenging work - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarWagner: Das Rheingold CD review – essential listening
Simon Rattle finds his true Wagnerian form on this exemplary recording - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarJoy of Living: A Tribute to Ewan MacColl review – remarkable, star-packed tribute
The likes of Normal Waterson, Karine Polwart, Jarvis Cocker, Steve Earle and more make for a superb tribute to the folk-revival figurehead - Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarOscar Peterson: Exclusively for My Friends review – intimate settings for a jazz master
Pianist Oscar Peterson surpasses himself on this box set recorded at private parties - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarBach; Beethoven; Rzewski: CD review – Levit's collection of Variations is nervelessly accomplished
An impressive performance of three huge sets of variations that manages to seem deeply considered and carefully planned, yet still feels spontaneous - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarJS Bach: Magnificat, Christmas Cantata 63 CD review – another bull’s-eye hit
This premiere recording of Bach’s Magnificat in its original liturgical context is a triumph - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarTakács Quartet: Smetana and Janáček CD review – supple and aptly bittersweet
The Takács Quartet enters a crowded field with their characterful Janáček quartets, but this disc stands up to all the competition. - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarErroll Garner: The Complete Concert By the Sea review – extended reissue of a jazz classic
Sixty years after it was recorded, the self-taught pianist’s bestselling live set reveals why he continues to amaze - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarJulia Holter: Have You in My Wilderness review – exceptional pop built on avant-garde foundations
From her found-sound DJ mixes to her experimental albums based on French novels and Greek tragedies, Julia Holter seems very much the serious artist. But she has always done beautiful melodies, and never more so than here - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBach/Handel/Scarlatti: Gamba Sonatas CD review – an eloquent and energetic match
Harpsichord and cello encircle one another, with all the nuances and asides picked up in this imaginative performance - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarRachmaninov: Variations – Trifonov's joyous, exceptional collection
Trifonov brings genuine imagination and musical wit to Rachmaninov - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarFauré, Strauss: Violin Sonatas CD review – Perlman and Ax on peerless form
Itzhak Perlman and Emanuel Ax finally make a record together - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarBerg: Lyric Suite; Wellesz: Sonnets CD review - emotional directness and technical assurance
A remarkable performance, with Fleming’s velvety vocal threading through the swirling strings, suiting the world of late Berg perfectly - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarAl Cohn & Jimmy Rowles: Heavy Love review – wit, beauty and lyricism
This 1977 set of duets from a pair of jazz veterans, recently rescued and restored, is to be treasured - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarBach: Harpsichord Concertos CD review – athletic ensemble playing with a swing
The chunky chordal textures of Staier’s harpsichord and the brawny, dark-hewn sound from the Baroque orchestra lend a bounce to Bach’s concertos - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarBrahms: Songs Vol 6 CD review – just the right level of ardour
Graham Johnson teams up with Ian Bostridge for a wonderfully sensitive disc of Brahms’s songs - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarRoyal Headache: High review – rough, emotive rock with a sense of import
High, the Sydney band’s second album, is anxious, crestfallen and incapable of peace. It’s also just what an Australian rock record should sound like in 2015 - Shaun Prescott
starstarstarstarstarRoyal Headache: High review – soul-punk magic from Sydney heartbreakers
Back in action after their 2013 split, this beloved Syndey soul-punk outfit excel themselves on their compact, fiery second album - Tom Hughes
starstarstarstarstarNelsons: Shostakovich Symphony No 10 CD review - genuinely catacylsmic
The Boston Symphony Orchestra recalibrates your ears with triumphant, characterful expression - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarRavel: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade CD review – a performance of remarkable assurance, beautifully recorded
Every detail of the two Ravel works are perfectly placed by conductor Seiji Ozawa’s acute ear for orchestral texture and colour - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarMiles Davis: At Newport 1955-1975 review – catches the master at his best
This four-CD box set of previously unreleased recordings capture Davis’s dizzying changing styles - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarJoyce and Tony Live at Wigmore Hall CD review – a dream-team delight
Joyce DiDonato and Antonio Pappano’s Wigmore Hall double act translates brilliantly to disc - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarJohn McCabe: Piano Music CD review – explosively powerful
From the 30-second bagatelles to the epic, adventuresome world of the Hadyn Variations, this disc sneaks away leaving us wanting more - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarTotally Mild: Down Time review – empowered bedroom sulk music
The overlooked gem from the Melbourne band, filled with doomed teen romance and surf guitars, is about as good as it gets. Just don’t call it dolewave - Everett True
starstarstarstarstarBacewicz: String Quartets Vol 1 CD review – joyful sonorities and dance rhythms
The first disc in a two-part survey of Grażyna Bacewicz – one of Poland’s most remarkable and exuberant composers - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarLutosławski: Piano Concerto; Symphony No 2 CD review – a glorious affirmation of its place in the concerto cannon
Simon Rattle and pianist Krystian Zimerman offer a refined interpretation and supreme technique - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBach: Cello Suites CD review – a definitive account from David Watkin
For sheer verve, variety and spontaneity, Watkin’s period instrument recording is a must - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarFlying Saucer Attack: Instrumentals 2015 review – a beautiful, austere return
Sole remaining member David Pearce stripped away not only vocals but almost everything else apart from his guitar on this sombre, lovely record - Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarWidmann: String Quartets CD review – jaw-dropping beauty, haunting textures
The Minguet Quartet pours loving attention into the intricacies, big architecture and virtuosity of Jörg Widmann’s string quartets - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarTame Impala: Currents review – takes psychedelic music into unknown territory
The Australian musical polymath Kevin Parker is back with a luscious new album that looks back – even as it moves psychedelic rock forward - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBetween The Buried & Me: Coma Ecliptic review – ingenious, sprawling prog-metal
Prog-metal heroes Between the Buried and Me reach new heights on their jaw-dropping new album - Dom Lawson
starstarstarstarstarNeil Young + Promise of the Real: The Monsanto Years review – on angry, brilliant form
Neil Young’s anti-GM, anti-Starbucks, generally anti-corporate album proves he is still a force to be reckoned with - Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarXáos: Xáos review – an epic album of and about modern Greece
Ten years in the making, this superb album takes on Greece’s modern troubles via music old and new, and it’s an epic - Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarKurt Elling: Passion World review – a stirring travelogue in song
From Cuba to Loch Tay, Kurt Elling’s exploration of songs from different nations is carried off with panache - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarChabrier; Massenet; Ravel; Debussy CD review – joyous and wonderfully vivid
François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles find beguiling textures and detail in the 19th and 20th-century French orchestral repertoire - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarMahler: Ninth Symphony CD review – radiantly life-affirming conclusions
This account is superb for the orchestra’s deep, old-world sound, for a generosity of expression that clinches the work’s turmoil - Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarBrahms: The Piano Trios CD review – a tender, shadowy intensity
Alert, natural playing from the Tetzlaffs and Lars Vogt make this Brahms disc a winner - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarYsaÿe: Solo Violin Sonatas CD review – a ride to the limits of violin technique
Alina Ibragimova plays the Belgian composer’s playful responses to Bach with all necessary lyricism and wit - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarHandel: L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato review – pastoral perfection
The Gabrieli Consort and Paul McCreesh realise these evocative scenes of countryside contrasts precisely and colourfully - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarReich: Music for 18 Musicians CD review – tremendous, unstoppable energy
The New York ensemble gives one of the best performances of the 1976 minimalist masterpiece yet recorded - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarPaul Weller: Saturns Pattern review – another style-hopping triumph
Paul Weller’s creative renaissance continues with another terrific album that takes influence from all over the place - Jon Dennis
starstarstarstarstarMbongwana Star: From Kinshasa review – thrillingly wrong-footing Congolese music
The western producer of this bustling new project from former members of Staff Benda Bilili eschews the respectful approach to African music – and it’s all the better for it - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarLawes: The Royal Consort CD review – spirit and swing
Viol consort Phantasm take on 10 court songs by William Lawes, and do great justice to all their strange, irreverent musical pleasures - Kate Molleson
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