Lots of good things this week! Highlights for me are a fizzing Bizet Symphony from Prague and a really magnificent Saint-Saëns Second Piano Concerto played by Bertrand Chamayou, one of the finest of the younger generation of French pianists. I've also included the first Decca recordings from the hugely talented saxophonist Jess Gillam – very contrasted works (Milhaud and Nyman) and beautifully played. Christophe Rousset appears twice - as harpsichordist in Louis Couperin and as conductor in charge of a Salieri rarity drawing fantastic playing from Les Talens Lyriques and a fine cast. Glorious singing from Barbara Hannigan in three songs by Alma Mahler, too.

Alisa Weilerstein and The Trondhiem Soloists give us a sparkling performance of Haydn's Second Cello Concerto while Anne Akiko Meyers plays a very lush transcription for violin and orchestra of Morten Lauridsen's modern choral classic O magnum mysterium. And talking of violinists, The Fiddler's Child concludes the late Jiří Bělohlávek's Janáček series in great style - and in stunning recorded sound; the great Czech Phil on fine form.

A few pre-releases tracks this week – Rautavaara from the percussionist Christoph Sietzen; Butterworth's heart-stopping song 'The lads in their hundreds' from Ian Bostridge and Antonio Pappano, and a movement from Beethoven's penultimate piano sonata from Alexandre Tharaud.

Listen on:

Spotify, Apple Music

The tracks:

Milhaud Scaramouche – Brazileira

Jess Gillam; Tippet Quartet et al (Decca) 

Bizet Symphony in C

Prague Philharmonia / Emmanuel Villaume (Warner Classics)

A Mahler Laue Sommernacht; Ich wandle unter Blumen; Licht in der Nacht

Barbara Hannigan; Reinbert de Leeuw (Alpha)  

Lauridsen O magnum mysterium (arr. vn and orch)

Anne Akiko Meyers; Philharmonia Orchestra / Kristjan Järvi (Avie)   

Arcadelt Salve regina a 5 

Choeur de Chambre de Namur / Leonardo García Alarcón (Ricercar)

Haydn Cello Concerto No 2

Alisa Weilerstein; Trondheim Soloists (Pentatone)

Saint-Saëns La muse et le poète

Gould Piano Trio (Champs Hill)  

Traditional Tonada: El Tupamaro

Hespèrion XXI / Jordi Savall (Alia Vox)

Liszt Harmonies religieuses et poétiques – VII Funérailles

Vanessa Wagner (La Dolce Volta)

L Couperin Suite in A

Christophe Rousset (Harmonia Mundi)

Salieri Les Horaces – Act 1 scene 3, 'Déja les deux armées'

Soloists; Les Talens Lyriques / Christophe Rousset (Aparté)

Janácek The Fiddler's Child

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Jiri Belohlavek (Decca)

Salieri Les Horaces – Act 1 scene 3, 'Ô du sort trop heureux retour' 

Soloists; Les Talens Lyriques / Christophe Rousset (Aparté)

Dowland Shall I sue, shall I seek for grace (arr accordion and viola da gamba)  

Les inAttendus (Harmonia Mundi)

Rautavaara In cantations – I. Pesante  

Christoph Sietzen; Romanian National Symphony Orchestra / Christian Mandeal (Sony Classical)

Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No 2  

Bertrand Chamayou; Orchestre National de France / Emmanuel Krivine (Erato)

Nyman (arr Harle) The Diary of Anne Frank – If  

Jess Gillam; BBC Concert Orchetsra / Jessica Cottis (Decca)

Butterworth A Shropshire Lad – The lads in their hundreds 

Ian Bostridge; Sir Antonio Pappano (Warner Classics)

Beethoven Piano Sonata No 30 in E, op 109 –  Prestissimo  

Alexandre Tharaud (Erato)