The Mighty Angel Pod Mocnym Aniolem (2014) Wojciech Smarzowski, Robert Wieckiewicz, Julia Kijowska, Adam Woronowicz, Drama

This 28 CD box set includes the Argo jewels from Marriner’s early recording days with the chamber orchestra he founded in 1958, The Academy of St Martin in the Fields. The edition spans the years 1964-1981, and includes a bonus CD of the first recordings from 1961.The collection concentrates on the Argo years, when the pattern for the Academy’s success was set. Winning performances by soloists such as Alan Loveday and Iona Brown — who in 1974 became Marriner’s successor in directing from the violin – were a key part of the fabric of the Academy’s unique sound.

On January 10, 2014, a star-studded tribute concert to Gregg Allman directed by Don Was was held at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. All My Friends showcases this show in double-CD/single-DVD and, in light of the subsequent announcement that the Allman Brothers Band would retire at the end of 2014 in the wake of the twin departures of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, it gains a certain sense of poignancy…

Jephtha (1751) was Handel's last oratorio. It does not have quite the dramatic sweep of Messiah or Israel in Egypt, but it contains many moments equal to anything in Handel. These include the choruses, several of which are among the most dramatically effective fugues ever composed. One attractive feature of this excellent recording of the oratorio under the directorship of Harry Christophers is that these choruses are crystal clear in texture, with all the words intelligible: hard enough for the soloists, who likewise won't have you turning to the booklet, and well-nigh remarkable for a chorus. Christophers' group the Sixteen consists of 18 members here, plus an orchestra of 30, so this is a fairly sizable performance by current standards.