The fifteen two-part Inventions and fifteen three-part Sinfonias which comprise the majority of Bach's Preludes, Inventions & Sinfonias may have originated as pedagogic exercises for Bach's younger pupils (including his ten-year-old son Wilhelm Friedemann), but their modest origins are deceptive. In imaginative performances such as those by Mahan Esfahani, these 'tiny gems' (as Mahan describes them) reveal expressive depths to rival the major keyboard works, making considerable demands of the performer's musical mettle and offering incomparable rewards. September's Record of the Month is another unmissable instalment—the sixth—in a Bach series which continues to win universal praise.

Jacob Obrecht's Missa Scaramella is an ambitious project, testimony not only to the flawless voices of The Binchois Consort—who have few peers in this repertoire—and to their director Andrew Kirkman, but also to the editorial skills involved in reconstructing a lost masterpiece, a process described in the booklet as being 'part musical Sudoku, part detective work and part (re)composition'. The two major works by Obrecht included here survive only in varying states of incompletion, and their reconstruction allows us to appreciate some marvellous music which would otherwise be lost to posterity.

Vinyl aficionados take note: the first five releases in our Vinyl Edition—a series which will (re)introduce some classic Hyperion recordings to the world of 33 rpm—are issued this month. Four of the five are new to vinyl, having previously been available only on CD and to download or stream, while all have been chosen to represent the Hyperion label at its very best.

Where else to start than with Saint Hildegard of Bingen’s A feather on the breath of God from Gothic Voices and Emma Kirkby? Last available on vinyl more than thirty years ago, this remains a crucially important release in the Hyperion story, having been the album which introduced generations of listeners to the joys of medieval music. The remaining four showcase some of Hyperion’s most distinguished instrumentalists. Alina Ibragimova offers a welcome and unusual pairing of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concertos—and make no mistake, this remains one of the great accounts of the evergreen E minor concerto. A similar claim could justifiably be made for Marc-André Hamelin’s famous recording of the two Shostakovich Piano Concertos, while Stephen Hough’s set of Chopin’s Complete Waltzes demonstrates his unique affinity for this composer. And Angela Hewitt’s 2015 re-recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations represents a devotion which has over the years redefined Bach performance on the piano, resulting in the many celebrated recordings which are a cornerstone of the Hyperion catalogue.

All five albums are released as limited edition LPs, presented in full-colour gatefolds and including sleeve notes—a real treat for record collectors.

A new triple album from Signum brings us Beethoven: The middle quartets, the second instalment in an award-winning cycle from the Calidore String Quartet. Here we have the three 'Rasumovsky' quartets of Op 59, plus the 'Harp' and 'Serioso' quartets, respectively Op 74 and 95. Dating from the first decade of the nineteenth century, these quartets sit at the very pinnacle of the genre, and in performances to match.

Forgotten Dances is Alessio Bax's ninth solo album for Signum Classics. 'Among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public' (Gramophone), his programme is a wide-ranging celebration of musical dance forms, exploring Bach and Bartók, Manuel de Falla and Liszt, and including wild re-imaginings by Leopold Godowsky and György Cziffra.

LSO Live celebrates 25 years with an entirely worthwhile retrospective drawing together Czech masterpieces recorded over the past quarter century. Centred on Dvořák Symphonies Nos 6-9 under the distinguished baton of Sir Colin Davis (No 9 being the label's inaugural release), these recordings have been wondrously remastered and are here presented alongside works by Smetana (Má vlast) and Janáček (the Sinfonietta, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle).

Rebecca Dale's Night Seasons—both the eponymous work and the album itself—draw together a multitude of artists and stylistic influences to create a most alluring whole. As might be expected of a composer forged in the worlds of cinema and theatre, this is music which wants to be heard, and with consummate performances from cellists Steven Isserlis and Guy Johnston, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and—taking the lion's share—the expert voices of Tenebrae, this immaculately recorded new Signum album is quite a treat.

A new album from the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Gianandrea Noseda brings together four Symphonic works by Carlos Simon—The block (a musical depiction of quintessentially African American urban architecture), Tales (a 'folklore symphony'), Songs of separation (featuring the mellifluous mezzo-soprano of J'Nai Bridges) and Wake up! (a not-so-gentle prod to any post-prandial audience members). On the orchestra's own label, this is a dramatic new collection.

A spectacular new recording from Decca Classics brings us Shostakovich Symphonies Nos 4, 5 & 6 from the electrifying forces of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and their Chief Conductor Klaus Mäkelä. These are the three symphonies Shostakovich penned during the dark years of the 1930s—and rarely have their pent-up emotions been given such anguished voice as we find here.