Symphonies and Sonatas. High-bred music that communicates vividly, certainly in the following choices, such as Shostakovich’s Twelfth & Fifteenth Symphonies as recorded by the BBC Phil & John Storgårds for Chandos, http://www.colinscolumn.com/john-storgards-and-the-bbc-philharmonic-record-shostakovichs-twelfth-fifteenth-symphonies-for-chandos/; or Vaughan Williams’s Seventh & Ninth with Martyn Brabbins & the BBCSO for Hyperion, http://www.colinscolumn.com/martyn-brabbins-and-the-bbc-symphony-orchestra-record-vaughan-williamss-sinfonia-antartica-ninth-symphony-for-hyperion/. Both are indispensable. So too Garrick Ohlsson’s magnificent versions of two Schubert Piano Sonatas, http://www.colinscolumn.com/garrick-ohlsson-records-schubert-piano-sonatas-d537-d959-for-hyperion/, and there’s an impressive Sonata (his Third) by Robert Matthew-Walker entitled ‘Hamlet’ on a Somm release of his ear-tickling and varied piano music played by Mark Bebbington, http://www.colinscolumn.com/a-bad-night-in-los-angeles-mark-bebbington-records-piano-music-by-robert-matthew-walker-for-somm/.
To Austria to complete this ‘six of the best’ survey, two of Mozart’s String Quintets are relished by Quatuor Ébène & Antoine Tamestit, http://www.colinscolumn.com/quatuor-ebene-antoine-tamestit-record-mozarts-string-quintets-k515-k516-for-erato/, and the Vienna Phil’s New Year’s Concert proved a winner conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, http://www.colinscolumn.com/sony-classical-releases-new-years-concert-2023-with-the-vienna-philharmonic-and-franz-welser-most/.
In fact, it’s seven, although I am remaining silent on the matter, http://www.colinscolumn.com/released-today-february-3-stephen-hough-records-federico-mompous-musica-callada-for-hyperion/.