Gerard Way

This Swiss Cascavelle disc most adroitly presents the world premiere recording of the orchestral poem Helvetia alongside two less obscure works for viola and orchestra. A highly attractive release, well designed and documented. Enthusiasts of Bloch, the viola and the mountain heights must not miss this.

If Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto for cello and orchestra and Shostakovich's Second Concerto for cello and orchestra had heretofore seemed to be late works shot through with nostalgia and bitterness, that's certainly entirely understandable. Rostropovich, the works' dedicatee who gave both their world premieres, played them that way in his recorded performances and most subsequent cellists have naturally followed his lead.

Two DVD over two and a half hours of material that is a masterclass in performance and knowledge. Neal Scryer has been described as the most influential mentalist since Annemann. Both Richard Webster and Neal Scryer were the first recipients of the "Annemann Award" for their highly sought after books featuring the works of Scryer. Material from these seven books are now in the repertoires of almost every professional mentalist around the world. What makes Neal Scryer's material so popular is that they use regular objects, and many use no props and can be performed completely impromptu.

The Chineke! Orchestra return to disc on Signum in a new live orchestral recording from the Royal Festival Hall, London.