Miaskovsky: symphonies

Nikolay Miaskovsky: Complete symphonies - Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Svetlanov

Some people may have heard of Miaskovsky (1881-1950), fewer have listened to some of his works, and fewer still know he wrote no less than 27 symphonies, here on 16 CDs.

Not all of his symphonies are equally interesting, and the performances are often extremely sloppy. Nevertheless, it was a revelation for me going through so much unchartered territory.

Warner Music France 2564 69689-8

Dohnányi: String quartets 2-3

Ernst Von Dohnányi: String quartets nos. 2 & 3; Zoltán Kodály: String quartet no. 2 - Guarneri Quartet

Very powerful and original, yet neglected chamber music. The performances are top-notch.

Sony 88697158382

Schönberg: String quartets 1-2

Arnold Schönberg: String quartets 1-2 - Prazák Quartet

Truly sublime performances of two enigmatic string quartets that reveal all their heavenly splendour only in the hands of the most able musicians.

Praga PRD 250 112