Record Review Podcast

Allyson Devenish compares recordings of Schumann's Liederkreis, Op 39, and chooses her favourite.Schumann's Liederkreis, Op 39, is considered to be one of the greatest song cycles of the 19th century. Composed in 1840, Liederkreis comprises 12 songs which set poems by the German Romantic poet, Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff. Together, the 12 songs explore themes of loss, loneliness, nocturnal mystery, ecstasy and reverie. Schumann himself considered the Liederkreis, Op 39 to be the most romantic music he had ever written, and he wrote to his wife that the cycle had 'music of you in it, dearest Clara'. Presented by Kate Molleson

Musicologist Marina Frolova-Walker chooses her favourite recording of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a set of dazzling variations for piano and orchestra on Paganini's 24th Caprice for solo violin, was premiered in 1934 in Baltimore by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Leopold Stokowski with Rachmaninov playing the solo part. Rachmaninov had already written four piano concerti, and this Rhapsody parades as a one-movement piano concerto that takes Paganini's theme on a journey through brisk and highly virtuosic variations at the beginning and end and through richly lyrical variations in the slower middle section. The Rhapsody has become a cornerstone of the virtuoso piano repertoire and it has also been adapted for ballet. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Music researcher and writer Katy Hamilton chooses her favourite recording of Liszt's Sonata in B minor. When Clara Schumann described Liszt's 1854 Piano Sonata in B minor as 'truly terrible' it reflected an influential school of 19th-century thought (Brahms fell asleep when he first heard it). But for Liszt himself it was his breakthrough piece which established him as a 'proper' composer, one for whom musically-driven formal organisation and inspired ingenuity were paramount, rather than a mere pianist whose music was generated by the need to demonstrate his transcendent technique.Posterity has sided with Liszt, not Clara – and so have successive generations of performers, reflected in a recorded legacy that is a veritable Who's Who of the great pianists of the last century and our own. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Leonard Bernstein's exuberant Chichester Psalms was one of the composer's many strong connections with the UK, commissioned for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals Festival at Chichester Cathedral. Music journalist Edward Seckerson talks to Andrew about the background to the piece, whilst whittling down the available recordings to come up with the finest recording to buy, download or stream.

Musicologist Professor Natasha Loges chooses her favourite recording of Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata. Beethoven's Violin Sonata in A major, Op.47, more commonly known simply as the Kreutzer Sonata, is one of the most technically challenging pieces in the violin repertoire. Leo Tolstoy immortalised the work in his notorious and daring 1889 novella The Kreutzer Sonata, which was promptly censored by the Russian authorities and, a year later, prohibited in newspapers in the USA. Beethoven composed his Kreutzer Sonata in 1803 and originally dedicated it to his friend and leading virtuoso of the day, George Bridgetower. They premiered the work together in May 1803 at Vienna's Augarten Theatre, allegedly sight-reading the entire work. Shortly afterwards, the two men fell out and Beethoven changed the dedication to the French violin pedagogue, composer and conductor, Rudolphe Kreutzer. It is said that Kreutzer himself hated the sonata and refused to play it. The dedication, however, has remained. It is a lengthy three-movement work in which a serene Andante with variations is bookended by two fiery outer movements. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Iain Burnside chooses his favourite recording of Mozart's Quintet for Piano and Wind K.452. Mozart wrote his famous Quintet in E flat major for Piano and Winds in 1784 and it was premiered at the Imperial and Royal National Court Theater in Vienna. Shortly afterwards, Mozart wrote to his father: "I myself consider it to be the best thing I have written in my life." It is scored for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. And most people seem to agree with the composer that it is indeed one of his best pieces - with its amazing wind-writing and life-enhancing energy. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Musicologist Dr Flora Willson chooses her favourite recording of Mahler's orchestral song cycle Das Lied von der Erde.Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, 'Song of the Earth', is a set of six songs for two voices and orchestra, but is it a song-cycle or a symphony? Mahler certainly intended for Das Lied von der Erde to reflect the world in co taining everything, the whole range of human emotions and earthly experience, but the work doesn't easily fall into either the category of song-cycles or truly symphonic works. Mahler drew his texts for Das Lied from a compendium called The Chinese Flute, a translation of Chinese poems by the German poet Hans Bethge.Mahler wrote Das Lied von der Erde in 1908-9 within a year of losing his beloved daughter Maria and receiving the diagnosis of the heart condition that would kill him in 1911. The work begins and ends with two of Mahler's most famous songs: Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde (The Drinking Song of Earth’s Sorrows) and Der Abscheid (The Farewell), a hauntingly beautiful, bleak and heartrending farewell to life as the 'sun sets behind the mountains.' The intervening songs are the introspective‘Der Einsame im Herbst’ (The Lonely One in Autumn) for mezzo soprano, the sprightly ‘Von der Jugend’ (Of Youth) for tenor, ‘Von der Schönheit’ (Of Beauty) depicting an innocent scene by a river bank where girls are picking flowers but are then briefly threatened by the arrival of boys on horseback, and ‘Der Trunkene im Frühling’ (The Drunkard in Spring). Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Conductor and choral expert Jeremy Summerly chooses his favourite recordings of Carl Orff's iconic cantata, Carmina Burana. Carl Orff composed his cantata in 1936, based on 24 poems from the medieval collection Carmina Burana. The poems cover a wide range of subjects, which are just as topical today as they were in the 13th century: the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of spring, and the pleasures and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling, and lust. Orff said to his publisher "Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, printed, can be destroyed. With Carmina Burana, my collected works begin." It became the most famous piece of music composed in Germany at the time. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Academic and Sibelius enthusiast Dr Leah Broad chooses her favourite recordings of Sibelius' Violin Concerto. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Baroque music specialist Dr Simon Heighes chooses his favourite version of Bach's Motets. These technically challenging works contain some of Bach's very best music and can be thrilling in performance by a top-notch group of singers. They're also the only of Bach's vocal works that stayed in the repertoire without interruption between his death in 1750 and the 19th-century Bach Revival. Recordings reviewed include performances by The Sixteen and Voces8 & The Senesino Players. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Pianist and composer Yshani Perinpanayagam chooses her favourite recording of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2. We hear at the keyboard, amongst others, Alexander Melnikov, Cristina Ortiz and the composer himself. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Broadcaster and baroque flautist Hannah French selects her favourite recording of CPE Bach's Cello Concerto in A Major. Cellists featured include Alison McGillivray, Steve Isserlis and Truls Mørk. Conductors range from Andrew Manze and Jonathan Cohen to Gustav Leonhardt and Susanne von Gutzeit. Andrew McGregor presents.

Writer Anna Picard chooses from her favourite recordings of Bedřich Smetana's set of six symphonic Czech tone poems, Má Vlast. Performances range from 1939 to 2016, and include no less than six versions by the Czech Philharmonic. Andrew McGregor presents.

Writer and lecturer Richard Wigmore chooses his favourite recording of Haydn's Oxford Symphony, No. 92 in G Major. Performances featured include: the Hanover Band, conducted by Ron Goodman; the London Symphony Orchestra with Colin Davis; and Thomas Fey conducting the Heidelberger Sinfoniker. This is an edited version of the regular Building a Library slot where guest experts review available recordings of a work from the classical music repertoire and give a recommendation. Presented by Andrew McGregor.

Nigel Simeone picks his favourite recording of Stravinsky's Violin Concerto in D

Katy Hamilton picks her favourite recording of R Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat major

William Mival picks his favourite recording of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 in E minor

Lucy Parham picks her favourite recording of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor

Kirsten Gibson selects her favourite recordings of Monteverdi's Madrigals

Jeremy Sams selects his favourite recordings of Ravel's Introduction and Allegro

Iain Burnside selects his favourite recordings of Debussy's Études

Elin Manahan Thomas selects her favourite recordings of the music of Josquin des Prez

Tom Service selects his favourite recordings of Bruckner's Sixth Symphony

Jonathan Cross chooses his favourite recording of Stravinsky's Pulcinella.

Kate Molleson chooses her favourite recording of Bela Bartok's String Quartet No 5

Nigel Simeone chooses his favourite recording of Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel.

Mark Lowther picks his favourite recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams's Songs of Travel

Roger Parker chooses his favourite version of Handel's Tamerlano.

David Owen Norris chooses his favourite version of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto

Natasha Loges recommends recordings of Brahms's Horn Trio in E flat major, Op. 40

Nicholas Kenyon recommends recordings of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248

Gillian Moore recommends recordings of Mahler's First Symphony

Anna Lapwood recommends recordings of César Franck's Three Organ Chorales

Mark Simpson recommends recordings of Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto

Sarah Willis recommends recordings of Richard Strauss's Second Horn Concerto

Flora Willson recommends recordings of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute K. 620

Natasha Loges recommends recordings of Felix Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80

Katy Hamilton recommends recordings of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 29 in B flat, Op 106, 'Hammerklavier'

Nigel Simeone recommends recordings of Janáček's opera The Cunning Little Vixen

Jeremy Summerly recommends recordings of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater

Jan Smaczny recommends recordings of Dvořák's seventh symphony

Lucy Parham recommends recordings of Brahms's Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34

Marina Frolova-Walker recommends recordings of Schumann's 3rd symphony "Rhenish"

Simon Heighes recommends recordings of Mozart's 'Great' Mass in C minor, K427

Nicholas Baragwanath recommends recordings of Tchaikovsky's best-loved opera, Eugene Onegin

Jeremy Sams recommends recordings of Ravel's String Quartet in F major

Hannah French recommends recordings of Vivaldi's set of twelve concerti 'L'estro armonico' Op. 3

Kate Molleson recommends recordings of Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz. 119, BB 127

Oliver Condy recommends recordings of Grieg's Holberg Suite, Op. 40

Elin Manahan Thomas recommends recordings of Poulenc's Gloria