Marc-André Hamelin may not be the only composer to come up with a set of Variations on a theme of Paganini, but he’s almost certainly the first to write a (‘very short’) piano sonata in response to a startlingly different source of inspiration: My feelings about chocolate. The inclusion of both on New Piano Works by Hamelin gives some idea of the range and eclecticism of February’s absolutely unmissable Record of the Month: throughout, Hamelin pays affectionate tribute to the composer-pianists of previous generations in music of profound wit and intelligence, rich in allusion to some of the great names (and specific works) of the past. Performances are, of course, definitive.

The choral splendours of La Serenissima are sumptuously recreated in Sacred treasures of Venice, a programme celebrating the musical life of St Mark’s during the final flowering of the Golden Age of Venetian polyphony. Several of the composers—including Monteverdi and both Gabrielis (uncle and nephew)—are familiar, but this is no mere historical exercise: performances of this repertoire remain very much a part of the thriving day-to-day liturgy as practised by The London Oratory Schola Cantorum and its director Charles Cole.

The ongoing series dedicated to choice selections of our all-time favourite recordings—ones you might possibly have missed? This time: Robert Simpson Symphony No 11 & Variations on a theme by Nielsen from the City of London Sinfonia and Matthew Taylor (‘an utterly marvellous disc, which I cannot recommend highly enough’—Gramophone), Bernstein, Copland & Barber Choral Works from the Corydon Singers (‘an exquisite disc … indispensable’—Acoustic Sounds Catalog), and Shostakovich Piano Trios & Songs from The Florestan Trio and Susan Gritton (‘the Florestans dig deep to reveal the secrets of this bleak and deeply moving music’—The Sunday Times). If you don’t know them already, a track from each is included on our monthly sampler which is free to download.

Earthcycle is a new album from David Le Page and his ever-surprising Orchestra of the Swan. Three centuries after their composition, Vivaldi's famous 'Four Seasons' concertos—here in particularly vivacious performances—find themselves intertwangled with folk songs old and compositions new in a programme which both celebrates nature and our place within it, and also fixes a penetrating gaze on humanity's ability to wreck it.

Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra of The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, recording on the orchestra's own label, continue their exploration of contemporary American composers with Carlos Simon's Tales (A folklore symphony). This is highly approachable music receiving a fully deserved first recording, and more of Simon's orchestral works will follow later in the year.

Signum Classics this month proudly presents a new venture from superstar soprano Angela Gheorghiu. Described by the New York Sun as 'the world’s most glamorous and gifted opera star', Ms Gheorghiu’s magnificent voice and dazzling stage presence are universally acknowledged. A te, Puccini, accompanied by Vincenzo Scalera, marks the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini’s death and brings together a collection of little-known songs spanning his entire career.

Pastoral 21 is a new album on Signum featuring music and performances by Gabriel Prokofiev and the decidedly uninhibited UNLTD Collective, a 'creative lab made up of alumni of the Verbier Festival Academy and Orchestra programmes'. Starting with movements from M G Fischer's 1810 string sextet arrangement of Beethoven's 'Pastoral' symphony, the programme then envisages in sound what Beethoven might make of things were he to revisit his beloved countryside today … he doesn't seem pleased.