Classical Highlights for August 2025

The highlights of past month’s releases were dominated by eastern European and French music. Tõnu Kaljuste and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir newest recording of Arvo Pärt’s Berliner Messe is distinctive; as is an album of large orchestral works by Valentin Silvestrov conducted by Christopher Lyndon-Gee, one of Russian cello sonatas performed by Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, and Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues played by Yulianna Avdeeva. Quatuor Debussy and vibraphonist Franck Tortiller continue the Ravel tributes with a jazzed-up interpretation of Le Tombeau de Couperin. A contemporary of Ravel, Marcel Tournier, is not as well-known, but harpist Emmanuel Ceysson (pictured), gives us a great introduction to his music. Discover more in our current batch of reviews.

Classical August Reviews
August Classical Reviews

Claudio Arrau – The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals: Pasadena, California, USA, 1977, 1981 & 1986

Yulianna Avdeeva – Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues Op. 87

Maya Beiser – Salt

Black Oak Ensemble – Dance of the Night Sky

Florian Boesch, Malcolm Martineau – Brahms, Wolf: Lieder

Douglas Bostock, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim – British Music for Strings IV

Félicien Brut – L’Accordéoniste: Préludes, Valses & Envols

Camerata Øresund – In Wilhelmine’s footsteps: Music of the Bayreuth Court

Karina Canellakis, Edward Gardner, Dima Slobodeniouk, London Philharmonic Orchestra – Tania León: Horizons; Raíces (Origins); Stride; Pasajes

Cantus – Fields of Wonder

Emmanuel Ceysson, Véronique Gens, Quatuor Voce – Images: Hommage à Marcel Tournier

Alpesh Chauhan, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 2; Marche slave; The Storm; Entr’acte, Waltz, and Polonaise from Eugene Onegin

Chiaroscuro Quartet – Joseph Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33/4-6

Chloe Chua, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Hans Graf – Mozart: Violin Concertos

Bojan Čičić, Illyria Consort – Heinrich Biber: Violin Sonatas – 1681

Fanny Clamagirand, Han Chen, Malmö Opera Orchestra, John Jeter – Price: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2; Piano Concerto in One Movement; Dances in the Canebrakes

Jonathan Cohen, Arcangelo – Handel: Chandos Anthems (Anthems for Cannons) HWV248, 249b, 251b, 256a

Warwick Cole, Corelli Orchestra – William Hayes: Instrumental Music

Manfred Cordes, Europäisches Hanse-Ensemble – Musik der Hansestädte, Vol. 3: Musik aus dem alten Magdeburg

Cuarteto Casals – Dmitri Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2 – Nos. 6-12

Andrew Davis, Martyn Brabbins, BBC Philharmonic – King of Kings: J.S. Bach

Jan Willem de Vriend, NDR Radiophilharmonie – Emilie Mayer: Symphonies 4 & 6

Samantha Ege – Maestra: Julia Perry & Doreen Carwithen – Concertos

Olari Elts, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra – Erkki-Sven Tüür: Aeris

Ensemble Modern, Halle Orchestra, Jonathan Bloxham, Jonathan Morton – Hannah Kendall: Shouting Forever into the Receiver

Raphaël Feuillâtre – Spanish Serenades

Gesualdo Six, Owain Park, Matilda Lloyd – Radiant Dawn

Morta Grigaliunaite – Rautavaara: Complete Piano Works

Owain Arwel Hughes, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Welsh Music for Strings

Léo Ispir, Luka Ispir – Ispir

John Jeter, Sara Swietlicki, Lindsay Grace Johnson, Jonas Samuelsson – Florence Beatrice Price: Choral Works

Sean Jones, Nicholas Phan, Joseph Young – Joel Puckett: Short Stories in London

Tonu Kaljuste, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Concerto Copenhagen – Arvo Pärt: Lente

Parry Karp, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Kenneth Woods – Ernest Bloch: Schelomo (Solomon) Hebraic Rhapsody; Suite for Viola and Orchestra

Christina Landshamer, Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir, Justin Doyle, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Ludwig Mittelhammer – Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn: Sacred Music, Vol. 1

Will Liverman – The Dunbar/Moore Sessions: Complete Collection

Julieth Lozano Rolong, João Araújo – Alma: Ibero-American Songs

Christopher Lyndon-Gee, Janusz Wawrowski, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra – Silvestrov: Symphony No. 8; Violin Concerto

Klaus Mäkelä, Orchestre de Paris – Berlioz, Ravel

Jaime Martín, Gävle Symphony Orchestra – Max Reger: Four Tone Poems after Böcklin; Romantic Suite

Blair McMillen – Peter Scott Lewis: Pacific Triptych

Alexander Melnikov, Julia Lezhneva – Visiting Rachmaninoff: Chopin Variations; Romances

Choir of Merton College, Oxford; Benjamin Nicholas; Britten Sinfonia – Orchestral Anthems Vol. 2: Bairstow; Elgar; Ireland; Stanford; Walton; Wesley

Miró Quartet, Kiera Duffy – Ginastera: String Quartets

Ikuyo Nakamichi, Ensemble Amideo, Michiyoshi Inoue – The Last Mozart: Piano Concertos 20 & 23

Susan Narucki, Curtis Macomber – György Kurtág: Kafka Fragments

New York Polyphony – Sky of My Heart

Onyx Brass, John Wilson – Transatlantic

Sakari Oramo, BBC Synphony Orchestra – Bacewicz: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 – Symphony No. 2, Piano Concerto, Concerto for Large Symphony Orchestra

Andreas Ottensamer, José Gallardo – Romanza

Evren Ozel, Jan Mrácek, Howard Griffiths – Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 “Jenamy” KV 271 & 12 KV 414; Violin Concerto No. 2 KV 211

Alexandra Papastefanou – J.S. Bach: The English Suites

Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque – Just Biber

Karen Bentley Pollick, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, John McLaughlin Williams – Concertos from the Caucasus, Vol. 1: Three Violin Concertos

Polyphony, Stephen Layton, Britten Sinfonia – Clive Osgood: English Folksongs

Quatuor Debussy, Franck Tortiller – Ravels: Quatuor à cordes; Ma mère l’oye; Les danses de Ravel

La Reveuse, Florence Bolton, Benjamin Perrot – London Circa 1760: J.C. Bach, C.F. Abel & Friends

Christophe Rousset – François Couperin: Portraits

Tamar Sagiv – Shades of Mourning

Dario Salvi, Janácek Philharmonic Ostrava – Marschner: Overtures and Stage Music, Vol. 3

Konstantin Scherbakov – Liszt: Mozart and Donizetti Opera Transcriptions

Zina Schiff, Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Avlana Eisenberg, Valerie Stark – Alan Hovhaness: Concerto No. 2; Works for Violin and Piano

Andrè Schuen – Mozart

Elena Schwarz, WDR Sinfonieorchester – Elsa Barraine: Symphonies 1 & 2; Illustration symphonique pour Pogromes d’André Spire; La Mise au tombeau du Titien

Lahav Shani, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra – Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 “Scottish”

Julia Sinclair, Marijn Cinjee – Wind Takes Flight: Hildegard x Electronics

Tugan Sokhiev, Wiener Philharmoniker – Sommernachtskonzert Schönbrunn 2025

Nicky Spence, Dylan Perez – Sparks from Ashes

Curtis Stewart, Michael Repper – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Curtis Stewart – Seasons of Change

Synergy Vocals, Colin Currie Group, New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden – Steve Reich: Jacob’s Lader; Traveler’s Prayer

Marcel Tadokoro – Adolf von Henselt: Complete Piano Études

Telegraph Quartet – Edge of the Storm: Bacewicz, Britten, Weinberg

Tenebrae, Nigel Short –

Alexandre Tharaud – Satie Discoveries

Nobuyuki Tsujii – The Verbier Debut Recital

Vilém Vlcek, Denis Linnik – Bohuslav Martinů: The Complete Works for Cello and Piano

Xuefei Yang – Chapeau Satie

Zéphyros Winds – Desert Pass

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