Classical

LPO/Vladimir Jurowski
Mahler: Symphony No.9
LPO Live LPO0139 (downloads to 96kHz/24-bit resolution)

An otherworldly beauty marks the outer movements of this Mahler 9, in stark contrast to the Klemperer-like obstinacy of (ii) and the empty brilliance of (iii). Jurowski underlines a heritage in Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, and the unloved acoustic of the RFH makes an ideal foil to his analytical precision. Yet the string tone in (iv) has a rugged depth, and (iii) ends on a bang with a three-second echo. The occasion (a highlight of Jurowski’s long-evolving Mahler cycle) is faithfully captured without undue audience noise, and the commitment of the LPO is matched by its precision in the contrapuntal intricacy of (i) and (iii). It’s less rounded than Rattle’s recent BRSO account, but no less striking as a vision of the piece. PQ

Sound Quality: 90%

Anna Urpina
Le Chant Des Muses
Eudora EUDDR2502 (downloads to 192kHz/24-bit resolution)

A graceful sense of style in the playing of violinist Anna Urpina brings unlikely coherence to songs and sonatas by 12 female composers across five centuries. She justifiably takes the starring role with her sweetly drawn phrasing in sonatas by Isabella Leonarda and Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre – two of the better-known names here – but soprano Maria Hinojosa also shines in a song-cycle by a modern Spanish composer, Zulema de la Cruz. They combine to deliciously allusive effect in a plaint by Lady Mary Dering. Recorded at a hall in Girona, the ensemble sound is rich and detailed, capturing lively continuo support along the way. PQ

Sound Quality: 85%

Zoë Martlew
Album Z
NMC NMCD293

Well known as a cellist, Zoë Martlew makes a vivid storyteller on this debut album of her own music, opening with G-lude, a funky modern rewrite of Bach. In ‘Nibiru’ and ‘Atma’, live electronics envelop a solo horn (Ben Goldscheider) and clarinet (Mark Simpson) as they sing and fight a lonely struggle. Featuring mezzo Lucy Schaufer and tenor Alessandro Fisher, two song-cycles skewer modern mores with biting wit. Each piece projects the performer’s personality as well as the composer’s: nowhere more so than ‘Nick My Pearls You Cry’, a cabaret encore for oboist Nicholas Daniel. Made in an assortment of venues, the sound varies in clarity/perspective. PQ

Sound Quality: 85%

Sol Gabetta
Lise Cristiani: Works by Batta, Offenbach, Schubert, Servais, etc
Sony 19802971442 (downloads to 96kHz/24-bit resolution)

The Clara Schumann of the cello? Lise Cristiani (1825-1853) captivated listeners across Europe as a celebrity cellist, at a time when even the notion of the touring virtuoso was new. The booklet to this lovingly researched project teases out her back-story – born in the Paris slums; step-sister to Jules Barbier; librettist of Gounod’s Faust. Sol Gabetta pays homage to Cristiani with fantasies and transcriptions which she would or could have played. Accompanying her, Irina Zahharenkova plays a gentle 1859 Blüthner in a trio of Schubert Lieder without words. A small string ensemble joins her for elaborate potpourris by Servais. PQ

Sound Quality: 80%