Recording of the Week, Presto Personal Favourites from 2023

Since announcing our top Ten Recordings of the Year (decided by committee and revealed at the beginning of the month), the editorial team has spent a lot of time discussing and revisiting some of our own personal favourites which haven't yet featured as Recording of the Week. Instead of a full-length review of a single recording, six of us have decided to share the honours today and each sing the praises of an album that we've particularly enjoyed over the past year...

Chris O'Reilly (CEO)

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck)

'It is easy to pass over recordings of standard repertoire when so many outstanding versions of a work already exist, but in the case of Manfred Honeck’s recent Tchaikovsky 5 with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra you’d definitely be missing out with that approach. Exceptional in every respect with lush strings, warm brass (but still with enough ‘edge’ when required) and delightful characterised woodwind solos, I’m now reaching for this recording ahead of the famous 1960 Leningrad/Mravinsky one. Plus you get the rewarding coupling of Erwin Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet (arranged for full orchestra by Honeck and Tomáš Ille) as an added bonus.'

James Longstaffe (Head of Retail)

Der ferne Klang... Orchestral Works & Songs by Franz Schreker (Chen Reiss (soprano), Matthias Goerne (baritone), Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Christoph Eschenbach)

'Compared to some of his Austrian contemporaries such as Zemlinsky and Schoenberg, it is arguably only in the last few decades that Franz Schreker's music has gained the recognition it deserves, and this anthology of orchestral works does much to advance his cause.

Sumptuously performed by the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under Christoph Eschenbach, the set includes ravishing accounts of the early Romantische Suite and the Nachtstück from the opera, Der ferne Klang to works for smaller ensemble including the Kleine Suite, Kammersymphonie, and Valse lente. Additionally, they are joined by soprano Chen Reiss and baritone Matthias Goerne for seven orchestral songs. This is a wonderful collection, ideal for exploring Schreker's orchestral output.'

David Smith (Head of Digital Catalogue)

Rautavaara & Martinů: Piano Concertos No. 3 (Olli Mustonen (piano), Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Dalia Stasevska)

'The late Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) has a musical language that consistently captivates me. His trademark bittersweet string textures are on display right from the beginning of his Third Piano Concerto, as is his distinctive harmonic language perhaps best described as ‘tonal with a twist’ - rather like Roxanna Panufnik’s penchant for gently discordant major-minor chords. Pianist Olli Mustonen deftly switches between true soloistic material and a more supporting role, with the piano's complex filigree often ‘accompanying’ the orchestra in a way reminiscent of Rachmaninoff’s own No. 3.

Martinů’s concerto strikes a far more bracing tone – a pleasant and at times distinctly neoclassical contrast with the luscious brushstrokes of the Rautavaara. I’ll admit that I came to this album for the latter, but stayed for the former – Martinů’s fine balance of unsentimental clarity (evoking a slightly less acerbic Stravinsky) and a somewhat Dvořák-ish turn of melodic phrase really is a winning combination.'

Katherine Cooper (Head of Classical Editorial)

Rising (Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), Kevin J. Miller (piano))

'What a wealth of wonderful music and poetry is drawn together on this passionate, powerful project curated by Lawrence Brownlee - the tenor has commissioned new settings of Harlem Renaissance poetry from six African-American composers, all of which go straight to the heart of these rich and varied texts and will live in my memory for a long time. Stand-outs include Joel Thompson's exuberant, brilliantly characterised My People, Jasmine Barnes's atmospheric Invocation, and Shawn E. Okpebholo's tenderly erotic Romance - all making full expressive use of Brownlee's extraordinary upper register and his ability to deliver text with the utmost clarity on high.

The new works are complemented by short song-cycles from a previous generation of Black composers, with 'Summer Storm' from Margaret Bonds's Songs of the Seasons and Robert Owens's Desire (both setting poetry by Langston Hughes) proving particular highlights. A glorious album on its own terms, but also an ideal jumping-off point for anyone keen to explore the lives and work of some of the central figures in the Harlem Renaissance.'

Paul Thomas (Product Manager)

Monologues (Anna Bonitatibus (mezzo), Adele d'Aronzo (piano))

'Monologues was a something of a revelation for me this year - not only in terms of bringing to light repertoire that I hadn't even heard of, let alone heard before, but primarily for the fabulous performance of mezzo-soprano Anna Bonitatibus.

The recital, superbly accompanied by Adele D'Aronzo, of dramatic scenes for piano and voice by Donizetti, Wagner & Respighi amongst others should be investigated by any lover of opera or art song, as it features some of the most intelligent and characterful singing I've heard this year, or in fact any year.'

Matt Groom (Head of Recorded Music)

Andrew Poppy: Ark Hive of A Live (Andrew Poppy, Sustaining Ensemble, Noszferatu, Crash Ensemble, John Harle, CoMA Ensemble, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra et al)

'This fascinating box set introduced me to the music of composer Andrew Poppy, which compares favourably with the likes of Michael Nyman, Steve Martland and other British post-minimalists who emerged in the eighties with their own style of pungent repetition. Over the span of the 4 discs, Ark Hive of A Live presents a varied range of pieces, from orchestral to vocal compositions. Highlights of the set for me include the ebullient The End Of ‘45 Is' (fans of Steve Reich’s Octet really ought to give this a spin) and the introspective piano piece Avalanche Thoughts No. 1. Bizarre to think that some of these recordings were originally released on the same pop label as Frankie Goes To Hollywood!'