Best of
Year In Review – The Best Classical Music Albums, 2025
Discover the best classical music albums of the year (2025), handpicked by The Classic Review staff.
Choral
Album Reviews
Review: Rachmaninoff – The Bells, Elgar – Falstaff – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko
Vasily Petrenko conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Rachmaninoff's "The Bells" and Elgar's "Falstaff".
Album Reviews
Review: Mendelssohn, Bruch – Violin Concertos, Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending – Johan Dalene
Johan Dalene plays Mendelssohn's & Bruch's Violin Concertos, with an arrangement of Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending for violin and choir.
Album Reviews
Double Review: Mahler – Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”) – Kahchun Wong, Simone Young
Review of two new recordings of Mahler's second symphony. Kahchun Wong conducts the Hallé Orchestra, and Simone Young conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Album Reviews
In Short – 5 Albums Worth Your Listen – December 2025
Brief reviews of five recent classical albums: Bach Cantatas with Ensemble Correspondances and Sébastien Daucé, the Nash Ensemble play Ravel, Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 with the National Symphony…
Album Reviews
Review: Brahms – Ein deutsches Requiem – Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon
Raphaël Pichon conducts Pygmalion in Brahms's "A German Requiem", with baritone Stéphane Degout and soprano Sabine Devieilhe.
Album Reviews
Review – “Requiem: Mozart’s Death in Words and Music” – Manfred Honeck
A special production of Mozart's Requiem, with F. Murray Abraham, soloists, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, led by Manfred Honeck.
Album Reviews
Review: Mendelssohn – A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Pablo Heras-Casado
Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the RIAS Kammerchor and the Freiburger Barockorchester in Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, played on period instruments.
Album Reviews
In Short – 5 Albums Worth Your Listen – May 2025
Five new classical music albums worth checking out.
Album Reviews
Review: Liszt – Via Crucis & Solo Works – Leif Ove Andsnes
Leif Ove Andsnes performs Liszt's Consolations and late religious works with The Norwegian Soloists’ Choir.