Classical

Bavarian Radio Chorus/Peter Dijkstra
Bruckner: Mass No.2; Motets
Br-Klassik 900940 (Two Discs; Downloads To 44.1Khz/16-Bit Resolution)

Taken out of the cathedral and into the concert hall, Bruckner's sacred music tends to lose a vital spirit of the numinous, exemplified by the swirling wind and vocal textures of the exquisite Sanctus from this E minor Mass. Dijkstra and his Bavarian forces conjure all the mystery, distance and majesty of these scores in spacious but brightly lit studio sound. Bruckner puts the top voices through their paces, and the sopranos impressively retain both pitch and sweetness of tone throughout. Trombone Aequali punctuate a sequence of familiar motets, and CD2 has a good (German-language) documentary. Echoes of the symphonies emerge everywhere, making this a valuable contribution to the 'Bruckner 200' year. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

Castalian Qt, Bbc So/Thomas Kemp
Alberga: Tower; Symphony No.1; Mythologies
Resonus Res10340 (Downloads To 96Khz/24-Bit Resolution)

These are distinctively 21st-cent orchestral scores, bringing both modernist and tonal techniques to bear on strong musical and narrative themes. Tower (2017) is a tribute to the late David Angel of the Maggini Qt, often raw and angry in its grief. A similarly primeval confidence (echo of Birtwistle?) unifies the filmic string melodies, slow-burn momentum and juddering climaxes of the Symphony No.1, 'Strata', which moves in the reverse direction to Jules Verne and Rick Wakeman, away from the centre of the earth. The BBC SO eats up this kind of complex music for breakfast, and Kemp is its assured guide. The Maida Vale studio sound has real amplitude. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

Mahler Academy Orch/Philipp Von Steinaecker
Mahler: Symphony No.9
Alpha Alpha1057 (Downloads To 96Khz/24-Bit Resolution)

A 'period-instrument' Mahler 9? What does that mean in practice, and do we need it? Much time and effort has gone into assembling a band of instruments used by the Vienna PO around the turn of the last century. The effect is to impart a soft, golden patina to horns and strings, entirely suitable for the Ninth's rite of leave-taking. Von Steinaecker takes his time over (i), and applies generous touches of 'authentic' portamento. Nostalgia hangs heavy over (ii) and (iii), too, though he doesn't overdo the irony, or the pure tone in a lovingly shaped finale. Sceptics should forget all the hype and just give it a try. PQ

Sound Quality: 85%

Sara Costa
Brahms: Piano Sonata No.2, Handel Varns, Gavottes
Davinci Classics C00830

Sara Costa is a young Italian pianist with a strong feeling for Brahms in the heritage of Dino Ciani and Bruno Canino. Mediterranean sun shines on her Handel Variations, which are every bit the high-spirited display of technical ingenuity and performative virtuosity Brahms intended. Unlike many German pianists in this music, she lays a gentle caress rather than a heavy hand on the more reflective variations. An A minor Albumblatt and pair of neo-Baroque gavottes also benefit from her lightness of touch. The Sonata thunders in, its mane of keyboard lionism slightly clipped by the boxy sound; and Costa builds the long finale with a sure sense of its destiny. PQ

Sound Quality: 80%