All the wit, intelligence and abiding humanity of Haydn String Quartets Opp 42, 77 & 103 shine through in perfectly judged accounts from the Takács Quartet. The two Op 77 quartets provide the glorious culmination to Haydn's involvement with a genre which he, more than anyone, established as a medium worthy of a composer's profoundest thoughts, and September's Record of the Month sees the Takács bring unrivalled authority and understanding to this life-enhancing music. With Bach Italian Concerto and French Overture, Mahan Esfahani announces the next instalment in his thrilling Bach series. With couplings including a compelling rendition of the Capriccio 'on the departure of his beloved brother', and performances offering a rare blend of interpretative exuberance and scholarly insight throughout, harpsichord playing really doesn't get any more exciting than this.

Lux aeterna is a poignant reflection on the perennial themes of sorrow and consolation, given eloquent expression in the works of fourteen composers from the sixteenth century and the present day. Stylistic plurality is only to be expected from a programme which places Howard Skempton and Richard Rodney Bennett next to Cristóbal de Morales, and this is, in short, another example of the inspired programming we have come to expect from Owain Park and The Gesualdo Six.

The ongoing series dedicated to choice selections of our all-time favourite recordings—ones you might possibly have missed? This time: Debussy: Images & Préludes II from Marc-André Hamelin (‘Hamelin and Debussy are such a perfect fit that this release stands out above the pack’—Fanfare), Langlais: Missa Salve regina & Messe solennelle from Westminster Cathedral Choir (‘it was a real joy for me to hear how perfect was the sound and also the playing and singing of the interpreters’—Jean Langlais), and Chamber music by Jean Françaix from The Gaudier Ensemble (‘an hour's worth of pure delight’—Hi-Fi News). If you don’t know them already, a track from each is included on our monthly sampler which is free to download.

The virtuoso players of La Serenissima burst back into the studios of Signum Classics this month with an album entitled Vivaldi's women. A celebration of the musical adventurism permitted the composer by Venice's Pietà, this programme of instrumental and sacred vocal music includes a newly discovered concerto as well as the rarely heard—and opulently scored—Nisi Dominus for three voices.

LSO Live presents a boxed-set of the complete Brahms Symphonies. These recordings by the London Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Haitink were captured during performances at the Barbican in 2003/4, and are coupled with the Tragic Overture, Double Concerto and Serenade No 2.

The Crown – Heroic arias for Senesino is a showcase for the vocal talents of countertenor Randall Scotting—as well as for the superabundance of material composed for his illustrious eighteenth-century predecessor: even the composer list here offers a cornucopia of the unknown. For this Signum debut, thrilling accompaniment comes from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Laurence Cummings at the helm.