#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 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