Classical

Staples, Kožená, Bavarian RSO/Rattle
Mozart: Idomeneo
BR-Klassik 900215 (three discs; downloads
to 44.1kHz/16-bit resolution)

In his series of Janáček (London) and Wagner (Munich), Rattle has harnessed the advantages of recording opera in live concert form without falling foul of its pitfalls. This outstanding Idomeneo follows suit. Even if the cast don’t ‘move’ across the soundstage, they sing as if fully engaged with each other. In the title role, Andrew Staples is a vulnerable hero worthy of Lear. As his son, Kožená is a (surprisingly?) believable Idamante. Elsa Dreisig is a spectacular but not shrewish Elettra, nicely contrasted with a radiant Ilia: Sabine Devieilhe. The only drawbacks are Linard Vrielink’s slightly nasal Arbace (and laboured Italian) – and Rattle’s omission of the final ballet: regrettable given his electrifying direction throughout. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

Devieilhe, Degout, Pygmalion/Raphael Pichon
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
Harmonia mundi HMM902772 (downloads to 96kHz/24-bit res)

Often more gentle and less austere than ‘period’ rivals, yet rhythmically sprung and dynamic, Pichon’s Pygmalion ensemble is scoring one revelatory success after another in the sacred canon. One crucial factor here is the close engagement with the text; another is the immersive recording. Pichon’s flowing pulse is perfect for ‘How lovely are thy dwelling-places’, while he pans out with an expert director’s eye for the climactic crisis of faith answered by the fugue of (iii). Degout’s fervour in his solos is a further plus; the flutter in Devieilhe’s soprano makes for a more angelic than maternal account of her prayer. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

Soloists, LPO & CHs/Gardner
Elgar: The Dream Of Gerontius
LPO Live LPO0138 (two discs; downloads to 96kHz/24-bit res)

More than a souvenir of a memorable BBC Prom from 2022, this gripping live Gerontius captures Allan Clayton in the title role. More assertive than Pears, more ‘risky’ and parlando than Lewis, Clayton at least matches Skelton, Findon and Staples among modern Gerontius tenors. They were all recorded in the studio, whereas both the slightly backward (but pinpoint) Hallé chorus, momentary slips and generous resonance belong to a live event. Rather as with Rattle’s Idomeneo, everyone is swept along on the rip-tide of Gardner’s direction. James Platt is a cavernous Angel of the Agony, and Jamie Barton sustains the spell to the end with raptly floated top notes. PQ

Sound Quality: 85%

Anna Geniushene
‘Opus 1’: Piano works by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Schumann; Sonatas by Berg and Brahms
Fuga Libera FUG848 (downloads to 96kHz/24-bit resolution)

A stimulating concept, stylishly brought off. There’s nothing ‘immature’ about either music or performances. The teenage Chopin instantly sounds like himself in this Mozartian C minor Rondo, just as the spirit of Beethoven courses through Brahms’s C major Sonata: both composers held themselves to the highest standards from the outset. As Geniushene observes, ‘Op.1’ marked a statement of intent: Tchaikovsky waited until he was 28 before writing this underplayed Scherzo and Impromptu. Her range of colour elegantly distinguishes the Schumann Abegg Variations before flooding the dreamscape of Berg’s Sonata. PQ

Sound Quality: 85%