Albums entirely dedicated to solo viola music don't come along every week – or even every year – but Timothy Ridout is an artist whose recordings for Harmonia Mundi have quickly established him as someone with profound things say about the viola repertoire and the technical and musical resources with which to say them. Released today, Ridout's new album features music by Telemann, JS Bach, Benjamin Britten and Caroline Shaw (b1982).

In an interview with Charlotte Gardner in the February issue of Gramophone, Ridout explained the motivation behind his new solo album: ‘As a viola player, one doesn’t perform unaccompanied so often, and it’s something I really love to do. I love the repertoire, and the musical challenge of being on stage alone, without others to be inspired by and bounce off; and having to really go within oneself and think, “Actually, how do I want to play the piece?” – and create my own narrative arc.’

Ridout won a Gramophone Award in 2023 for his recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto arranged for viola and Bloch's Suite for Viola and Orchestra with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins. Last year's 'A Lionel Tertis Celebration' was shortlisted for a Gramophone Award and was an Editor's Choice, with reviewer Rob Cowan writing: 'All told, it’s a most rewarding programme that gathers together an unusual array of ear-catching pieces in performances that present the music in its best possible light'.

What separates Kent Nagano's new recording of Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem from the pack is that it is an attempt to recreate the 1868 Bremen premiere of the work, as he described in an interview with Andrew Farach-Colton in the February issue: 'We know from the notes that are left to us that an immense choir was used – hundreds and hundreds of voices. It wasn’t a professional choir but one made up of church and community choirs, so we did the same, gathering nearly 400 voices, and the level of singing was extraordinarily high. The choir tradition is, in my opinion, one of Hamburg’s hidden secrets, and was a wonderful discovery for me.'

But that's not all. Because within this recording of Ein Deutsches Requiem are placed musical interludes by JS Bach, Tartini, Schumann and Handel, as they were performed at the 1868 premiere, as Nagano explains: ‘The powers that be in Bremen were extremely unhappy with the fact that not only were there no references to the crucifixion or resurrection, but that Brahms did not include even a single reference to Jesus Christ. They made their displeasure known while making it clear that their expectations somehow had to be met. The musical interpolations come out of this complex background, for at least in this way the dogma was referenced, even if the music wasn’t Brahms’s own.

‘In order to find a way to integrate this dogma in an aesthetically acceptable way, Brahms called upon his friend Joachim, who was playing in the orchestra. And if you’re going to have Joachim in your ensemble, you should give him something soloistic. That’s why Brahms included the arrangements of Tartini and Bach, and this also allowed the great cathedral’s organ to be featured. And then Joachim asked that his wife be involved. It’s just like today, actually, where so often there are practical elements to think about. So, ultimately, this complicated manner in which Brahms fulfilled his contract to provide something appropriate for the Easter celebration still allowed him to maintain his artistic integrity.’

Christian Li became the youngest person ever to sign for Decca Classics in 2020, releasing a recording of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2021 and 'Discovering Mendelssohn' in 2023. Today sees the release of his new recording of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vasily Petrenko, along with some shorter Tchaikovsky pieces. This recording is clearly a statement of intent by the teenager, the concerto has proved to be a rite of passage for many a young virtuoso, from Kyung Wha Chung (22 when she made her first recording with André Previn and the LSO), Ray Chen (also 22), Sarah Chang (only 12) and Leila Josefowicz (17 years old). 

Just three weeks ago we welcomed a 3 hour-plus collection of works by Richard Strauss from Renaud Capuçon for DG, and today sees the release of two great 20th-century violin concertos – Barber and Sibelius – from Capuçon, with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and conductor Daniel Harding for Erato. In his review of this new recording, Edward Seckerson feels that the Barber concerto is the star of the show: 'a genuine meeting of temperaments between soloist and composer'. 

Following his recording of the complete solo piano works of Maurice Ravel last month, Seong-Jin Cho follows it up with a collection of Ravel's piano concertos with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons for DG. Recently, Seong-Jin Cho was a guest on the Gramophone Classical Music Podcast and he discussed his exploration of Ravel's music with James Jolly. You can listen to the episode below: