#Favouritediscs If you don’t already know the Symphonies of Edmund Rubbra, give them some time. It takes a while to get used to the often heavily contrapuntal approach, but it’s worth the effort. If I had to choose a starting point it would be Symphonies 5 and 8. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs Arnold Schoenberg’s lush, sumptuous and highly-perfumed Gurrelieder has been given many excellent recordings. Of those I have heard, Chailly remains my performance of choice. The massive choral conclusion blows me away every time. My favourite CD art ever, too. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs Claudio Abbado’s reputation as a conductor or Rossini is well-documented. Unsurprisingly, this disc of Rossini overtures is a rip-roaring success. The COE play them with skill and verve. And they are just such bloody good pieces! @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs For some fairy-tale enchantment, there is little better than Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro. The dry title doesn’t give away the extreme beauty of the music. It’s a truly magical piece, given a stunning performance here. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs I reckon my choice, so far, for Ravel and Debussy String Quartets has to sit with the marvellous Quatuor Ébène. Their playing is of such great flexibility and inspiration that it’s almost as if the music were being improvised. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs This extraordinary version of the Pines and Fountains of Rome shows just how virtuosic Reiner’s Chicago Symphony Orchestra was in the post WWII period. Extraordinary colours, unstoppable energy and moments of sublime beauty define a performances to remember. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs There are two for this one! Scheherazades I return to most often are those conducted by Mackerras and Kondrashin. The former is super-refined and exceptionally colourful; the latter is supercharged and a complete riot in the finale. My first classical love! @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs There are two for this one! Scheherazades I return to most often are those conducted by Mackerras and Kondrashin. The former is super-refined and exceptionally colourful; the latter is supercharged and a complete riot in the finale. My first classical love!

#Favouritediscs One of my all-time favourite moments in music happens at 6’25” into the this version of Ravel’s Left-Hand Piano Concerto. Aimard makes it all the more moving by not milking it in the way that, say, Fleisher did. I have many versions, but this is the one for me. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs Rautavaara’s 8th Symphony is a wonder of other-worldly atmosphere. Strange lights, misty memories and half-seen apparitions all find a natural home in music like this. If you don’t know Rautavaara, this is one of several good places to start. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs Time to mention an absolute classic again. Previn’s RCA Walton First is pregnant with anticipation at the very start and explodes into a fiery, steely, muscular romp. The playing of the LSO is extraordinary and Previn wrings every note for what it’s worth. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs Even above and beyond the magnificent Boris Godunov, I would place this Sony disc of Mussorgsky, from Abbado in Berlin. Deeply felt and darkly projected, these performances have a special atmosphere. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs This collection of orchestral suites from Rimsky-Korsakov operas is enchanting. Rimsky’s exceptional superpowers as an orchestrator come to the fore in such vivid and colourful performances. Christmas Eve is particularly winning. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs To my ears this is a truly spectacular disc of Nielsen orchestral works. Dausgaard and his Orchestra deliver gleaming performances with punch and power. Helios is particularly splendid. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs This beautiful disc of Novák’s best-known orchestral works is very special. As you might guess from the cover, the Slovak Suite generally gets top billing, but ‘In the Tatra Mountains’ is big scale and surely a masterpiece. If you like Suk, try this. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs I am yet to hear some of the most famous historical performances of this, so I may change my mind. But if I were to choose a single performance of Poulenc’s deeply moving opera, it would be this one. The cast members are miraculously well-chosen. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs One of my all-time favourite Prokofiev discs. This version of Nevsky has a nervous, unsettling atmosphere. The emotional weight of the closing chorus is very satisfying. An excellent Kijé and Scythian Suite, too, if you go for the most recent incarnation. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs If you are keen to hear music derived from Prokofiev’s ‘Fiery Angel’ at full force and in symphonic form, look no further. This performance is unflinchingly impactful, with Chailly and the Concertgebouw delivering maximum colour and power. @classicalmusic

#Favouritediscs Pletnev’s Prokofiev Cinderella has its detractors. Indeed that’s true of Pletnev’s conducting in general. But I enjoyed many of his performances and this is certainly a brilliant example, mainly for the astonishing orchestral execution. The strings are addictive! @classicalmusic

#favouritediscs Bronfman and Mehta deliver barnstorming performances of the amazing concertos. Whether dazzling with electrifying passagework or wallowing in the magic, Bronfman feels like he was born to play this music. @classicalmusic