1 October 2025

Rutter: Reflections & other orchestral works
Studio Master: 4871478  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘The title of [Reflections], which lies somewhere between a traditional romantic concerto and a more amplified suite (not unlike Vaughan Williams’s neoclassical concerto), was intended to ‘reflect’ something of Rutter’s past enthralment with the music of his formative years. A Hollywood-style 'prelude' for the orchestra alone, ‘to bring the soloist on stage’, builds to the entry of the pianist (whose role here is taken authoritatively by Steven Osborne) in a compelling 'toccata' written in homage to Ravel, replete with Gershwin‑ite blue notes and a good deal of euphonious melody. The second movement, dubbed by the composer a dreamy ‘interlude’, provides an extended conduit to the lively 'finale alla burlesca' (Gramophone)
1 October 2025

Swans
Studio Master: CDA68475  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘There’s no Roasted Swan on this bill of fare from cellist Mats Lidström and his son, pianist Leif Kaner-Lidström, but there are swans a-swimming, silver and black, alone and in a pair (Hahn) in these transcriptions by Mats, drawn in the main from the song repertoire … Leif lends impeccable filial support, his accompaniments always at one with his father’s cello … I was very taken with Leif’s new composition, which Lidström Snr describes as the swan with the sweetest personality of the album. He’s right!’ (Gramophone)
1 October 2025

Tchaikovsky: The seasons
Studio Master: 4871021  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘As he wows one concert hall after another with his prowess in blockbuster concertos, it’s good to see Yunchan Lim devoting himself to one of the most intimate of piano solo favourites. His booklet essay consists of candid responses to each musical vignette, and his playing is as heart-on-sleeve as those reflections: no inhibitions over left-before-right desynchronisation, added bass octaves, arpeggiations and other trappings of the grand style of pianism … Lim’s technical aplomb is consummate, with tremendous articulation and a superb ear for harmony and voice-leading. The piano sound is bright and clear’ (Gramophone)
13 September 2025
BBC Record Review, Andrew McGregor
Bach: The well-tempered Clavier Book 1
Studio Master: CDA68451/2  2CDs  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Such a satisfying harpsichord sound—Mahan Esfahani playing a modern copy of an early eighteenth-century German double-manual instrument and approaching the first book of Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier with a feeling of gentle exploration, stepping on to this well-travelled pathway as though he’s embarking on it for the first time. And that sense of discovery keeps the whole set alive with wonder and freshness and the dramatic qualities that Mahan prefers to the academic commentaries that he’s studied, as he tells us in his fascinating notes. He’s such an intriguing guide, never sacrificing meaning and interrogation for sheer speed or empty virtuosity. Excellent recording as well … a lovely idea to end with a reprise of Prelude 1 as well; it gives it that sort of Goldbergs circularity’ (BBC Record Review)
12 September 2025
Presto Classical, Matthew Ash
River of music
Studio Master: 4871265  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘The Kanneh-Mason name will forever tie these still-young musicians together, wherever their individual aspirations take them, and this album is an enjoyable selection of accessible music which has been nicely programmed to accompany the family history of Konya’s story and to present the siblings playing together in different combinations … River of Music captures a moment in the course of the Kanneh-Mason river very successfully’ (Presto Classical)
2 September 2025
Presto Classical, David Smith
Morales: Requiem a 5 & Officium defunctorum
Studio Master: CDA68467  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘The De Profundis lower-voice choir are something of a sleeper hit—their recordings of Renaissance polyphony in ‘chiavette’ pitches (usually down a fourth from what's usually heard) bring to light neglected gems, especially of Iberian repertoire, and throw new light (and shadow) on established works. Morales’ Requiem is a texturally simple but deeply moving work that benefits from the rich tones that this lower pitch unlocks. His Parce mihi, Domine (that formed the opening track to the Hilliards’ iconic Officium with Jan Garbarek all those years ago) and other motets round out this wonderful recording, which I think could well be their best yet’ (Presto Classical)
1 September 2025

Sacred treasures of Rome
Studio Master: CDA68435  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘The choir has a solid presence and a secure core, with a treble sound that is both clear and expressive (try Soriano’s Regina caeli). As in the Venetian disc, the recital’s middle section, compiled with care and discernment, transcends mere novelty value and earns the recording a solid recommendation … I look forward to hearing more from this choir and its enterprising director. After Venice and Rome, where next?’ (Gramophone)
29 August 2025

Mozart: Piano Sonatas K457, 533, 545, 570 & 576
Studio Master: CDA68431/2  2CDs  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘As near perfect as I can imagine … altogether this is Mozart-playing of the highest level, beautifully recorded, with excellent notes by the pianist’ (International Piano)
29 August 2025

Schubert: Piano Sonata & Moments musicaux
Studio Master: CDA68437  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘It seems extraordinary that this is Steven Osborne’s first release of a Schubert sonata … but the wait has been more than worth it, for his account of D959 has a wonderful maturity to it, a distilled sense of musicianship … Richard Wigmore’s notes are a class act, and the recording is ideal. I hope there is more Schubert to come from Osborne’ (International Piano)» More
27 August 2025
The Guardian, Andrew Clements
Bach: The well-tempered Clavier Book 1
Studio Master: CDA68451/2  2CDs  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Esfahani comes now to these pieces with his own very personal ideas on how they should be presented and performed … there is a real sense in his performances of each prelude and fugue defining its own dramatic space … his choice of tempi is uncontroversial, his shaping of each movement wonderfully lucid’ (The Guardian)» More

26 August 2025

Radiant Dawn
Studio Master: CDA68465  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘A wonderful addition to what is already one of the finest discographies of choral music to have appeared in the last ten years. Its theme is different shades of light in music, from the emergence pf the radiant dawn of the album’s title, to the ghostly terrors of a bitter and dark night on the battlements at Elsinore. Musically, there are two noticeable binding threads: plainchant, either as integral part of a composition or as an inspiration, and the superb trumpet playing of Matilda Lloyd, who joins the singers in many of the works. There are two new pieces especially written for the album and they sit extremely well with the other carefully chosen selections … [Burgon's Nunc dimittis] is the best way imaginable to bring this fantastic recital, excellently recorded in All Hallows Gospel Oak, to a close’ (MusicWeb International)
21 August 2025
The Times, Geoff Brown
Tchaikovsky: The seasons
Studio Master: 4871021  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Hopefully, the 21-year-old Korean sky rocket Yunchan Lim will never outgrow the key attractions of his piano playing. Take his delicacy, audible in his phrasing and variety of touch and dynamics; qualities abundantly displayed in his second solo album, devoted to Tchaikovsky’s cycle The Seasons … whatever the attraction—March’s fragile hesitations, August’s hurtling momentum, October’s melancholy—the listener should be enthralled by the feelings and colours embedded in Tchaikovsky’s modest character pieces’ (The Times)

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