If I've ever owned a recording of an orchestral work by Vincent D'Indy I don't recall it. Nor do I remember ever hearing anything of his in the concert hall. I've heard a recording of his 'Symphony on a French Mountain Air', of course, and vaguely recall hearing something from his opera 'Fervaal', but that's about it. I knew of him primarily as co-founder of the Paris Schola Cantorum and as a guardian (and teacher) of conservative compositional techniques, stemming from his study with Franck and his admiration of Wagner. I was not, therefore, prepared to be particularly impressed by anything of his. But this recording of three of his works the Second Symphony, 'Tableaux de voyage' suite, and 'Karadec' – has shown me that he was indeed an interesting and engaging composer.

This well recorded disc from 1987 delivers truly exciting performances of all three works in typically crisp manner by Zimerman. Ozawa and the Boston orchestra give excellent support. The emphasis here is on excitement largely created by fast speeds delivered with clarity. The more gentler parts of all three works are played with due regard to sensitivity but there is no denying that in these recordings these works are seen as primarily as virtuoso display works and that is what we are given.

The notes to this recording suggest that Ture Rangstrom's 2nd symphony, subtitled "My Land", is his least-played symphony because it speaks in a nationalistic language that is an anathema to Swedes. If true, it's too bad because this is a wonderful piece, full of northern, though not distinctly Swedish, atmosphere. Unlike the 1st symphony, which is written in a tense style full of Wagnerian chromaticism, the 2nd symphony limits itself to more diatonic harmony which makes it easier listening. Like his previous effort, Rangstrom builds his movements out of short themes (& chordal sequences), but his melodic inspiration is on a higher level here. That combined with his distinct ability to create atmosphere results in a memorable piece that really ought to occasionally replace Sibelius' first two symphonies in concert.

A very impressive up-and-coming vocalist, Alexis Cole has a deep voice, a swinging style, and the willingness to take chances. Her CD Nearer the Sun features her creating fresh renditions of standards while accompanied by a fine rhythm section led by pianist Ben Stivers.

Rantala’s roots are in jazz. He began his piano studies at the Käpylä Music Institute and continued his studies at the Oulunkylä Pop/Jazz Institute and the Jazz Department of the Sibelius Academy. In 1991 he turned his attention to classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music for two years. Rantala is the founder and pianist of Trio Töykeät, Finland's most prominent jazz band. They have performed in more than forty different countries over five continents. Jazz and contemporary rub shoulders in his music, blending, melting and reasserting their identities.

The King's Singers are one of the best vocal ensembles - in every incarnation they've had. The tone changes with new members, but each regrouping presents itself and the music with integrity and intelligence. This compilation is one of their best. My personal bias is that this kind of music is their forte.

A large number of saxophone concertos have been written, but only a handful are regularly performed. With these premiere recordings Olli-Pekka Tuomisalo showcases five works that, had circumstances been different, might easily have established themselves as repertoire pieces.

Susan Kagan, intrigued by Ries’s Op. 1 piano sonatas went on to record all 14 of his solo piano sonatas and sonatinas, gaining critical acclaim for her eloquent advocacy of these unfairly neglected yet often substantial works. Bridging the divide between the Classical style of Haydn and Mozart and the Romantic impulses of Schubert, Chopin and Mendelssohn, with a healthy dose of Beethoven often in evidence…

Hermann Bischoff, a pupil of Richard Strauss, was a highly gifted composer and always reaped high praise from music critics and the press, but his compositional output remained relatively small. A mere two symphonies, two shorter orchestral pieces, one and a half operas, and a handful of songs were produced during his lifetime. This disc is the second in a two volume series and presents the recording premieres of Symphony No. 2 and Introduktion & Rondo.

David Geringas is very much of the school of his teacher Rostropovich when it comes to the Bach Suites: the speeds are very fast, and they have a masculine edge to them that may be more aggressive than some palates can support. But where Rostropovich projects through the phrases, Geringas is more prone to distraction, with the hiatuses of his phrases more often signifying frustrating pauses than lilts that gracefully encourage the music to its conclusion.

Inbal and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra are nearing completion of their Mahler cycle, which on the whole is highly distinguished. This two-disc set gives us the climactic Ninth Symphony, arguably the greatest work of its kind composed in this century, and the opening Adagio of the Tenth in the Erwin Ratz 1964 edition. Presumably Inbal rejects the Deryck Cooke performing version, which is an immense pity because judging from his incandescent interpretation of this first movement, he would have something special to tell us about it.

These CD's present Cras's complete orchestral works, minus his "Andante religieux," which is still in manuscript. Here, Cras's style is not really "impressionist", but more a mixture of late-20th century French romanticism with touches of impressionism. The music is sort of in the vein of D'Indy, Magnard or Tournemire, with fleeting influences from Debussy and Ravel, but without really sounding like any of them. Cras eschews academic form, and allows his materials to find their own shapes, somewhat like late Debussy. Although some movements are melancholy or mysterious, the clouds are never terribly dark, and Cras's accustomed optimism constantly reasserts itself.

As a diehard Mahlerite, I have to say I thought I knew the Seventh fairly well, but Inbal manages to make this familiar (to me) work seem utterly new and strange while holding it firmly together (which too often isn't the case in performances of this problem-child of the Mahler family). And he does this without seeming to impose his personality on the music. This is the only Seventh on disc I know of that can match the Bernstein versions (Sony and DG). And it's better-recorded than either of them. Hey Denon–when are you going to reissue all of Inbal's Mahler recordings in a boxed set, as DG did for Bernstein? This is a missed opportunity.

Each instalment in Neeme Järvi’s Mahler cycle for Chandos has something new to say, but it’s hard to tell whether the insights of this First Symphony outweigh the exaggerations. Is there a valid point being made, for instance, about the first movement – mired in its ‘long sleep of winter’ for much longer than usual? Admittedly the awakening, when it finally comes after an emphatic developmental crisis, is massively impressive. The Scherzo’s central dream sequence drifts woozily, exaggerated even by Bernstein standards; the huntsman’s funeral is intriguingly brisk; and the finale lurches between magic and mannerism, capped by an almost ludicrous victory charge.

A virtuoso pianist, Ferdinand Ries began composing piano sonatas at a time when the genre was undergoing significant changes from the models of Haydn and Mozart to new developments by Clementi, Beethoven and Hummel. Ries also pre-figures Schubert’s poignant harmonic language, Mendelssohn’s expressive sweetness and Chopin’s brilliant figurations, notably in The Dream. Opening with a stately polonaise in rondo form, Ries’s C major Sonata concludes with a thrilling perpetuum mobile finale. In his only named sonata, The Unfortunate, the influence of Beethoven’s Pathétique is apparent.