The highlights of this month’s new reviews seem to be mainly vocal releases, with a diversity of styles. Antonio Pappano, known for his opera conducting, leads an extraordinary live recording of Mendelssohn’s monumental oratorio Elijah. The women of the Corvus Consort (pictured) are joined by Louise Thomson for a variety of works specifically for female voices and harp. Conductor John Wilson follows in the footsteps of John Mauceri in re-constructing older musical, presenting a complete performance of Roger & Hammerstein’s Carousel. If you are looking for instrumental music, there are plenty of worthwhile choices here also.

Alamire, David Skinner, Stephen Farr, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts – William Byrd: The Great Service; English Anthems

Argento New Music Project, Ensemble Dal Niente, Wet Ink – Andile Khumalo: Tracing Hollow Traces

Claudio Arrau – Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes and Impromptus

Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Artefact Ensemble – Benedict Sheehan: Akathist

Yulianna Avdeeva – Chopin: Voyage

Sophie de Bardonnèche – Destinées

Daniel Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra – Mozart: The Complete Piano Concertos

Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, Jeremy Denk – Mendelssohn: Piano Trios

Célia Oneto Bensaid, Héloïse Luzzati, Shuichi Okada, Tanguy de Williencourt – Rita Strohl: Vol. 2, Musique de chambre

Emmanuelle Bertrand, Pascal Amoyel – Cello Dreams: Berceuses pour violoncelle et piano

Lotte Betts-Dean, James Girling, Ligeti Quartet – The Past & I: 100 Years of Thomas Hardy

Fabrice Bollon, Cantus Juvenum Karlsruhe, The Lily’s Project – Mussorgsky: Sorochintsï Fair; Salammbô Suite

Claire Booth, Ensemble 360 – Pierrot Portraits

Martyn Brabbins, Andrew Davis, BBC Symphony Orchestra – Anthony Payne: Visions and Journeys

Ronald Brautigam – Franz Schubert: Sonatas in A major, D 959 & B flat major, D 960

Lawrence Brownlee, Carlo Rizzi – Donizetti: Songs Vol. 1

Cappella Pratensis, Stratton Bull – Jacob Obrecht: Missa Maria zart

Calidore String Quartet – Beethoven: The Middle Quartets

Pablo Heras-Casado, Anima Eterna Orchestra – Anton Bruckner: 4

Castalian Quartet, Natalie Clein, Danny Driver – Brian Elias: Music for Strings

Chloe Chua, Rodolfo Barráez, Mario Venzago, Singapore Symphony Orchestra – Butterfly Lovers & Paganini

Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson – Welcome Joy: A Celebration of Women’s Voices

Anne Le Bozec, Marc Mauillon, Denis Raisin Dadre, Doulce Mémoire – Ronsard et la musique: Cueillez, cueillez votyre jeunesse!

Sébastien Daucé, Ensemble Correspondances – André Campra: Messe de Requiem

Grace Davidson, George Herbert – Rodrigo Ruiz: Venus & Adonis – A Song Cycle after Shakespeare

Romain Descharmes, Michael Halász – Fauré: Ballade, Op. 19; Fantaisie, Op. 111; Poulenc: Piano Concerto; Aubade

Sabine Devieilhe, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Purcell Choir, Orfeo Orchestra, György Vashegyi – Rameau: Les Boréades

Romain Dumas, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse – Jacques Offenbach: La Vie parisienne – Version Original Inétral 1866

Choral Scholars of University College Dublin, Desmond Earley, Solstice Ensemble – Chamber Music by James Joyce, Vol. 1

Christoph Eß, Sonja Gornik, Christopher Ward – Golden Horizon: Works for Horn and Orchestra by Richard Strauss

Alice Farnham, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Singers – Imogen Holst: Discovering Imogen

Kathleen Ferrier – Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde; Three Rückert Lieder

Vilde Frang, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Robin Ticciati – Elgar: Violin Concerto

Richard Galliano – Around Gershwin

Janna Gandelman, Laia Martín – Catalan Violin Works

Stewart Goodyear, Andrew Litton, BBC Symphony Orchestra – Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 2 & 3; Piano Sonata No. 7

Raphaela Gromes, Volodymyr Sirenko, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine – Dvorák: Cello Concerto

Marc-André Hamelin – Beethoven: Hammerklavier – Piano Sonatas Op 106 & Op 2 No 3

Eldbjørg Hemsing, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra – Anders Hillborg: Violin Concerto No. 2; Liquid Marble

Robert Hollingworth, I Fagiolini – Orazio Benevoli: Missa Benevola for Four Choirs; Carissimi: Jephte

Fenella Humphreys, BBC Philharmonic, Michael Seal – Adrian Sutton: Violin Concerto

Gundula Janowitz, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan – Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder; Tod und Verklärung; Metamorphosen

Jonas Kaufmann – Puccini: Love Affairs

Carlos Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker – Brahms: Symphony No. 4

Erich Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker – Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro

Igor Levit, Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann – Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Late Piano Works

Yuri Liberzon, Piotr Pakhomkin – Piazzolla: Music for Guitar

Daniel Lozakovich, Mikhail Pletnev – Grieg, Franck, Shor-Pletnev, Shostakovich

Alexander Melnikov – Shostakovich: The Preludes & Fugues

Simone Menezes, Ensemble K – Rimsky-Koraskov: Scheherazade, a Tale

Ingo Metzmacher, SWR Symphonieorchester – Igor Strawinski: Symphonien für Blasinstrumente; Agon; Variationen ‘Aldous Huxley in Memoriam’; Symphonie in C

MultiPiano Ensemble, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Ivor Bolton – Unplayed Stories … in 40 Fingers

Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra – Mendelssohn: Elijah

Pene Pati, Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Nessun dorma

Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem

Huw Montague Rendall – Contemplation

Siwan Rhys – Letting the Light In

Cut Circle, Jesse Rodin – Josquin: I. Motets et chansons

Mari Samuelsen – Life

Maria Callas, Tullio Serafin, Franco Corelli, La Scala Theater Orchestra – Bellini: Norma [1960 Studio]

Grigory Sokolov – Purcell & Mozart

Marek Štilec, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra – Wranitzky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 7

Teresa Stratas, Pierre Boulez – Berg: Lulu

Christiane Libor, Michael Weinius, Derek Welton, Joseph Swensen – Wagner/Swensen: Ring Odyssey

Neil Thomson, Emmanuele Baldini, Pedro Bittencourt, Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra – Claudio Santoro: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6

Trio Bohémo – Smetana, Schubert: Piano Trios

Various Artists – Kaija Saariaho: Maan Varjot; Chateau de l’Âme; True Fire; Offrande

Verdi Quartet – Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Complete String Quartets

Wojciech Waleczek – Liszt: Weihnachtsbaum

Xiayin Wang, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Ben Gernon – Schurmann: Piano Concerto; Gaudiana; Man in the Sky; Romancing the Strings

Judith van Wanroij, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Julien Chauvin – Gluck: Iphigénie en Aulide

Sarah Willis, Sarahbanda – Sarahbanda

John Wilson, Sinfonia of London – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel