Review: Schmitt – Orchestral Works – Peter Donohoe, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier
Peter Donohoe and the BBC Philharmonic under Yan Pascal Tortelier play Schmitt’s Symphonie concertante and three works in first recordings.
Album Reviews
Read independent classical music reviews by our panel of named critics. We publish new critiques of recent releases two to three times a week. Each assessment includes detailed comparisons with benchmark rival recordings, exact track timings, and rigorous analysis to help you build your collection.
Review: Mahler – Symphony No. 2 – Simon Rattle (2026)
Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Mahler's Symphony No. 2, with Louise Alder and Beth Taylor.
Review: Susan Tomes – Women and the Piano
Susan Tomes plays piano works by twelve women composers, from Marianne Martínez and Fanny Mendelssohn to Amy Beach and Raie Da Costa.
Review: Daniil Trifonov – Mi Historia Americana: Sur
Daniil Trifonov plays works by Ginastera, Villa-Lobos, Golijov and other Latin Amrican composers.
Double Review: Mozart – Piano Concertos – Kristian Bezuidenhout, Marie-Ange Nguci
Two new Mozart piano concerto albums: Marie-Ange Nguci plays Nos. 20 & 22 with Howard Griffiths, Kristian Bezuidenhout Nos. 5, 14 & 20 on fortepiano.
Review: “Contes” – Sandrine Piau, David Kadouch
Soprano Sandrine Piau and pianist David Kadouch perform fairy-tale songs and lullabies by Bernard, Hahn, Ravel, Wolf, Strauss and Shostakovich.
In Short – 5 New Piano Albums – October 2026
Five new piano albums by Lucas Debargue (Gershwin), Klára Würtz (Beethoven), Aaron Pilsan (Chopin), Kit Armstrong (Piano Chronicles), and Minsoo Sohn (Bach).
Review: Liszt – “Metanoia” – Yulianna Avdeeva, Piano
Yulianna Avdeeva plays Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor alongside late works.
Review: Emilie Mayer – Symphonic Works, Volume 1 – Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Bernhard Forck play Emilie Mayer’s Symphony No. 1 and two overtures, with Alexander Melnikov in the Piano Concerto.
Double Review: Brahms – Late Solo Piano Works – András Schiff, Anna Fedorova
Anna Fedorova plays Brahms' late Opp. 117-119 piano sets; András Schiff adds Opp. 76 and 116 on an 1859 Blüthner.