Last week’s playlist included a new work by the American composer Kenneth Fuchs, Glacier – the only reason I didn’t alight on his Piano Concerto is that I already had a striking piano concerto by Mendelssohn. So this week I am including the Fuchs Piano Concerto, played with terrific authority by Jeffrey Biegel and with some gorgeous sounds from the LSO. Altogether more intimate is a Mozart piano quartet played by Daniel Barenboim with a trio of younger musicians including his son Michael on the violin. Recorded in the new Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, it’s a stylish performance. More chamber music with piano comes from Martin Helmchen, Vicki Powell, Antje Weithaas and Maximilian Hornung in the wonderfully turbulent Piano Quartet by Josef Suk. If you don’t know it – and I didn’t – it’s got real character.

Other great artists this weekly include Yo-Yo in Bach’s Sixth Solo Cello Suite, from his third recording of the suites, Leif Ove Andsnes playing Chopin’s G minor Ballade from a forthcoming Chopin album and Anne Sophie Mutter paying tribute to her friend, the composer Krzysztof Penderecki.

Vocal music this week comes both solo – a vividly characterised collection of bass arias sung by Kevin Short – and in massed voices – a ravishing choral work by Alexander Kastalsky (1856-1926) sung with great body of tone by The Clarion Choir.

Ivor Bolton conducts a lovely new album of less often encountered works by Fauré – I’ve included the Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, gorgeously done by the Basel SO, as well as a few tasters from pre-releases albums by Vilde Frang and friends in Enescu, Janáček from the late Jiří Bělohlávek, Mischa Maisky playing Bach and part of Debussy’s Fantaisie. 

Listen on:

Spotify, Apple Music

The tracks:

Fuchs Piano Concerto

Jeffrey Biegel; London Symphony Orchestra / JoAnn Falletta (Naxos) 

Kastalsky Doors of Thy Mercy

The Clarion Choir / Steven Fox (Naxos)

Mozart Piano Quartet No 1 in G minor

Michael Barenboim; Yulia Deyneka; Kian Soltani; Daniel Barenboim (DG)  

Mozart Die Entführung aus dem Serail – 'O, wie will ich triumphieren'

Kevin Short; Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra / Lawrence Foster (Pentatone)   

JS Bach Cello Suite No 6 in D, BWV1012 

Yo-Yo Ma (Sony Classical)

Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande Suite

Basel Symphony Orchestra / Ivor Bolton (Sony Classical)

Beethoven Fidelio – 'Ha! Welch ein Augenblick!'

Kevin Short; Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra / Lawrence Foster (Pentatone) 

Brahms Hungarian Dance No 7 in C

Claudio Bohorquez; Peter Nágy (Berlin Classics)  

Suk Piano Quartet in A minor, Op 1

Antje Weithaas; Vicki Powell, Maximilian Hornung; Martin Helmchen (Avi)

Penderecki Duo concertante

Anne-Sophie Mutter; Roman Patkolò (DG)

Janacek Sinfonietta – Andante con moto

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Jiri Belohlavek (Decca)

Chopin Ballade in G minor, Op 23 No 1 

Leif Ove Andsnes (Sony Classical)

Debussy Fantasie – Andante, ma non troppo

Andrew von Oeyen; Prague Philharmonia / Emmanuel Villaume (Warner Classics)

JS Bach Concerto in D minor, BWV974 – Adagio (arr vc and pf)

Mischa Maisky; Lily Maisky (Sony Classical)