This album of Finnish works for violin and orchestra all date from the period 1920–55, when the country’s music underwent something of a revival. All the works on the programme, with the exception of Merikanto’s Violin Concerto, are heard in their first recordings. Major composers Selim Palmgren and Aarre Merikanto are represented, as is the charming film music of Einar Englund (writing under a pseudonym); distinctive works by Väinö Haapalainen, Väinö Raitio and Nils-Eric Fougstedt complete the programme. We expect a similar positive reaction to this release that greeted violin soloist Linda Hedlund’s previous album of lighter Finnish concertante works for Naxos (8.579095): ‘An enthralling collection, superbly recorded and annotated, that enriches further the Scandinavian violin repertoire, with particular emphasis on Finland. Recommended.’ (Classical Music Daily)

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This fine addition to the Naxos Guitar Collection is an absorbing diversion from more familiar repertoire to works that, for one reason or another, remained unperformed for many years after their completion. The name of legendary guitarist Andrés Segovia lies behind many significant 20th-century works for guitar, but this programme illuminates the other side of the coin: if Segovia didn’t perform your work then it could end up being unjustifiably lost for decades, witness Óscar Esplá’s ground-breaking Tempo di Sonata and Ignace Strasfogel’s monumental Prelude, Elegie and Rondo. The album boasts authoritative performances by soloist Christophe Dejour, whose assiduous research led to the location of the manuscripts that have made Tales of Fate possible. His practical revisions of aspects of the scores, making them more accessible to performers, will surely see these pieces soon taking a more prominent role in the standard guitar repertoire.

This delightful album finds Gao Hong weaving ancient Chinese pipa traditions into full Western orchestral arrangements, as she composes, orchestrates and performs four concertos for the instrument. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, her works achieve a striking cultural fusion, giving the Chinese lute a bold new voice in classical music. Under the collective title Symphony of Self, the programme also includes Celebration, performed by ‘‘The President's Own’’ United States Marine Band and showcasing her remarkable versatility in writing for both orchestral resources and full wind band.

Two staples of the French sacred repertoire provide the programme on this live recording from 1997 – Fauré's reflective Requiem and Poulenc’s exuberant Gloria. The combined choral forces and orchestra are conducted by Georges Prêtre, who died in 2017 at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy of full-blooded performances that were highly Romantic in style and frequently different from those of French conductors of the previous generation. A highly experienced and polished recording artist, Prêtre’s discography was large and his recordings of the music of Poulenc were especially important. Poulenc was a student of Koechlin, who in turn had been a student of Fauré, yet these works occupy different spiritual worlds. Prêtre here fuses continuity and contrast in masterly performances.

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