Classical

Rotterdam Po/Lahav Shani
Bruckner: Symphony No.5
Warner 5054197792014 (Downloads To 192Khz/24-Bit Resolution)

After a well-received Seventh from the same source, the young Israeli conductor continues to show an affinity with Bruckner in this carefully planned, sympathetically engineered Fifth where inner-part clarity compensates for sonic weight. Tempo relationships are so straightforwardly solved that one of Bruckner's most complex structures steadily gathers momentum towards a satisfyingly cathartic coda. An unusual but seductive erotic charge warms the Adagio's lush second theme, and Shani thoroughly debunks the Fifth's overstated reputation for austerity. Poschner too [Capriccio] was equally fine, if more muscular - perhaps younger conductors don't feel the weight of myth and tradition in this music? PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

El León De Oro/Peter Phillips
De La Hèle: Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem; Works By Manchicourt, Payen And Rogier Motets
Hyperion Cda68439 (Downloads To 192Khz/24-Bit Resolution)

This Asturias-based choir also sings later repertoire, so their approach to golden-age polyphony majors on strength and warmth of tone. A regular guest, Phillips shapes their phrasing of the rich eight-part harmonies with a swirling urgency. It's all a far cry from the kind of bloodless academicism once meted out to unknowns such as George de la Hèle (1547-86). Like his companions here, he was a Flemish-school composer who moved to Madrid during the reign of Philip II; hence the connection. Phillips's essay compares his style with the dense and dark textures of Gombert. An intense, rewarding album. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

BBC SO & Chorus/Sir Andrew Davis
Tippett: A Child Of Our Time
Chandos CHSA5341 (downloads to 96kHz/24-bit resolution)

Davis (Andrew, besides Colin) has been a definitive Tippett conductor ever since the premiere of The Mask Of Time in 1987. Yet somehow he had never recorded the wartime oratorio that has proved one of the composer's most durable works. His decades of experience (both in the music and in guiding his BBC forces) pay off in the lilting spirituals and sensitively shaped choral fugues. The work's journey through outer turmoil and inner enlightenment comes off so directly that it stands here as the clear successor to Elgar's Gerontius. Impassioned contributions from Dame Sarah Connolly and Joshua Stewart crown a unified team of soloists. Spacious sound. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

Les Talens Lyriques/Rousset
Cimarosa: L'Olimpiade
Chateau De Versailles Cvs143 (2Cds; Downloads To 96Khz/24-Bit)

Why were Cimarosa's operas more popular than Mozart's until the revival of Don Giovanni in the later 19th century? Based on a Metastasio libretto, this 1784 Opera Seria goes off like a firework display. Feats of vocal agility mirror the setting at the games in ancient Olympia, where a cast of shepherds and nobles unfolds a convoluted plot of lost love and mistaken identity. Look elsewhere for slow-burn tension or profound psychology: Cimarosa tailors suits for singers, and Rousset's singers wear them in style, led by the spectacular coloratura of Marie Lys and Rocío Pérez. Versailles' packaging is typically lavish, and the sound is as vivid as the live music-making. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%