Overture

Completed in 1877, Brahms’s remarkable and impressive Symphony No. 1 was the result of a fourteen-year gestation period and established the composer as the leading German symphonist of his generation. This inaugural issue in a major new cycle on Naxos brings together the internationally acclaimed London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop, fêted by The Guardian as “…well on her way to becoming one of the best Brahms interpreters”.

The Claudio Abbado recording of the Dvorak New World Symphony has managed to secure itself a place among the top digital versions of this much-recorded work, alongside the Dresden performance of James Levine, also on DG. Taken from live performances in 1997, it shows every sign of spontaniety without any loss of dramatic bite or xxcitement. Abbado makes full use of his theatrical background to bring about this effect both in the symphony and in the welcome, perfectly-chosen fill-up, and elicits peerless and attentively-detailed playing from the Berliners.

For those uninitiated into the world of Baroque or harpsichord music, be forewarned: this budget-priced trio of CDs from Archiv is a hefty amount of Bach on the harpsichord. These are reissues of recordings of Bach's greatest keyboard works made in the early '80s by Trevor Pinnock. While you may be able to listen to nearly four straight hours of Bach, some may find it hard to listen to the harpsichord for that long.

The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by their regular director music, Christoph Von Dohnanyi, have made a wonderful studio recording of Brahms first two symphonies and the two overtures which brings off these lyrical and exciting works of the Romantic period to perfection.

This album marks a significant achievement: the complete Schumann Symphony cycle from Kazufumi Yamashita, Music Director of the Aichi Chamber Orchestra since their 20th anniversary in 2022. This partnership has consistently garnered high praise for its meticulous refinement of ensemble playing and tonal quality. The performances on this recording radiate the profound unity forged between the two as they've progressed together.