LSC 2150 presents two distinctly different Russian scores. Kijé is from the mainstream Prokofiev stable: folk tunes scored with great invention and combined with sections of sarcasm and wit. The Stravinsky tone poem, Song of the Nightingale, is music taken from his opera, The Nightingale. 

What would we audiophiles do without our top ten lists? At the distant end of this series, Audiophilia will publish a ranking of our favourite Classic Records reissues. From the quality of the selections auditioned thus far, the task is proving to be a daunting, yet compelling, one.

When I was a student at Trinity College of Music in London, there were two schools of thought when discussing piano giants, the schools of Maurizio Pollini and Emil Gilels. I remember jumping on the free tickets in the student common room for any concert featuring either of the the two. Listening to these wonderful pianists, and for free, was amazing and instructive.

These recordings were sourced by DGG from 1960s German radio recordings. Some were recorded before Argerich triumphed in the Chopin Piano Competition. Some, after.  Before or after the world's imprimatur, these recordings show the genius of Argerich's playing. Faultless technique, sparkling sound, youthful courage and wonderful musicianship. 

I sent a message to our own Harry Currie, the world’s foremost Sinatra scholar and an incredible singer in his own right, requesting an almost impossible task, at least for him. It’s only that I’ve known him literally my whole life (plus a little begging) that he concurred. For Harry, compiling a Ten Best list of Sinatra recordings is akin to asking him ‘who’s your favourite kid?’.

This is the new DG double album in the Andris Nelsons/Boston Symphony Shostakovich Symphony series, subtitled 'Under Stalin's Shadow' including Symphony No 5, 8 and 9 with the Suite from Hamlet thrown in as a substantial filler.

Just when you think there are no pure baritone, jazz influenced singers to entertain with quality, original material, along comes Gregory Porter. Porter was the 2014 Grammy Best Jazz Vocal Album winner with Liquid Spirit. He is also blessed with a magical baritone, full of emotion and power, but also light and shade.

Here is the 9th and latest album from Radiohead. Typical of new Radiohead recordings, A Moon Shaped Pool was self released to the internet on May 8, and will get a full rollout on CD and LP in June. Although not my regular musical beat, I have come to admire the British group's innate musical style and technical accomplishments. And as they grow together, their music becomes even more contemplative and profound.

I love a happy ending. I've very much enjoyed the musical Renaissance of this fine orchestra after the decades long systematic destruction of its host city and a near calamitous strike in 2010. I wasn't sure the orchestra would survive the much reported strike. Many fine players left the orchestra, welcomed by sunnier climes both musically and temperate. 

The very fine British pianist Paul Lewis turns his gifted views on one of the cornerstones of the piano classical literature, Brahms' First Piano Concerto. The work is full of youthful ardour and genius. It was intended as a symphony, but Brahms thought it a little under the shadow of Beethoven. So, a concerto was produced.

I first heard Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang in a 2015 recording of Mozart Concertos. I quickly became hooked on her gorgeous tone and exquisite musicianship and have followed her career with interest ever since. Frang’s playing has an honesty and simplicity that allows everything she plays a fresh perspective, free of artifice and the histrionics that other, maybe more technically gifted players project into the music. 

I knew that as soon as The Prodigal Son returned, at least in Elgarian terms, the Brit press would be gaga over the spoils. Daniel Barenboim, the Son, had a love affair with Elgar symphonies along with the excellent LPO, and the less excellent CBS, as recorder, back in the 70s and 80s. The press loved everything, even the recording quality. The recorded sound was awful. If you collect Columbia vinyl recordings of the time, especially from London and New York, you’ll know what I mean.  

The great German conductor Karl Böhm (1894/1981) came out of the war relatively unscathed. A couple of years banned, courtesy of the Allies' denazification project, and he was free and clear. Much like other German musicians used by the Nazis such as Strauss, Furtwängler and Karajan, Böhm dodged the proverbial bullet. 

Thierry Fischer took over the reins of the Utah Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and since then has made a significant musical mark in the state. By many accounts, the orchestra had been in the doldrums for some time. Installing the Swiss conductor was a very popular decision and by the evidence on this new Reference Recording of Mahler’s 1st Symphony, the orchestra seems to be the beneficiary of an outstanding musician. 

Musically, this is a tall drink of water, but because it's a 45 rpm supercut it runs a TT of only 27 minutes. At $40, this timing may be difficult to swallow. Yet, this new LP from Linn Records is a shining gem and will work for both audiophiles and lovers of great Haydn performances. 

Just because you love singing and have the money and profile to promote your product to the 'nth degree doesn't always make it musically viable. Failures are legion.  Happily, musicality is the one thing that ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane has going for him, and in spades.

I’m in Vivaldi mode. In preparation for some concerts featuring his fabulous Op. 10 Flute Concertos, I researched their provenance. Many of Vivaldi’s hundreds of concertos (including Op. 10) were written for the girls of the Ospedale della Pietà, a combination of orphanage, convent and hospital. I’ll be visiting the Ospedale, now the Metropole Hotel, in Venice in September. 

Atlantic [55:57]

A Head Full of Dreams is Coldplay’s seventh and possibly final album. Lots of rumours. It follows the dreadfully sappy Ghost Stories [2012], written primarily in response to lead singer Chris Martin’s much publicized divorce from gobby actress Gwyneth Paltrow. 

I don’t usually do reviews of discontinued CDs, but this recent gift I received is so brilliant, I thought our readers should have a chance to search for it. The original price of $79.00 will be hard to find. Many Esoteric CDs are going for twice, five times, even ten times the original price. The Solti Ring goes for $1500 and up. Yes, Esoteric remasters are that good.