Today we welcome new albums from Barnaby Smith with the Illyria Consort, the WDR Sinfonieorchester and Cristian Măcelaru, The Choir of King's College London and Joseph Fort, Veronika Eberle with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle, and Lucile Richardot with Anne de Fornel, Stéphane Degout and Emmanuelle Bertrand. Explore them all below, read reviews and listen on Apple Music.

'Bach' is a cyclical programme from Candlemas through the Passion to the Resurrection featuring countertenor Barnaby Smith with the Illyria Consort. The album is centred on two solo Cantatas – Ich habe genug, BWV82 and Vergnügte Ruh, BWV170 – which are interspersed with highlights from the B minor Mass and the St John and St Matthew Passions.

Barnaby Smith is the Artistic Director of vocal ensemble VOCES8. 'Bach' follows Smith's previous solo album 'Handel', also with the Illyria Consort and reviewed in February last year by Tim Ashley, who wrote: 'He trained with Andreas Scholl, whose influence shows in his even steadiness of tone and well-nigh faultless sense of both legato and phrasing in the slower arias, which are the album’s chief glory.' (Read the review)

This wonderful album of Bartók's The Wooden Prince and Dance Suite from the WDR Sinfonieorchester and Cristian Măcelaru was selected as an Editor's Choice in the March issue (out now), with Editor Martin Cullingford writing: 'Christian Măcelaru and his WDR Symphony players capture Bartók’s sound world and the narrative’s journey splendidly: a terrific album indeed.' (Read the review)

Last year, The Choir of King's College London and Joseph Fort produced a stunning recording of Edward Nesbit's choral works that was an Editor's Choice album in the May issue, with Ivan Moody writing: 'The singing throughout is magnificent, controlled but glowingly rich in sonority, and conductor Joseph Fort shapes these performance with consummate artistry.'

Today sees the release of a new recording of Rachmaninov's Vespers from the choir on Delphian.

What makes this new recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto from Veronika Eberle with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of cadenzas by composer Jörg Widmann (b1973). Eberle first performed this concerto alongside Rattle back in 2006 at the age of 16. 

Last year's Gramophone Concerto Award was given to a recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto (along with concertos by Bartók and Berg) from Frank Peter Zimmermann with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Daniel Harding. That recording, however, featured Kreisler's much more familiar cadenzas (read the review).

Listen to this week's episode of the Gramophone Podcast to hear Lucile Richardot discuss this new album of Nadia and Lili Boulanger's songs, as well as a new recording of Alessandro Scarlatti's cantatas (also released today). 

Life is better with great music in it. Subscribe to Gramophone today