WHAT’S ON

The Monteverdi Choir conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the Monteverdi Vespers, Durham Cathedral, 7.30pm, Tuesday. Box office: 0191-443 4661.

REVIEWS

Vivaldi: Gods, Emperors and Angels (Avie AV2201)

Adrian Chandler and his dazzling period-instrument band La Serenissima present a lively selection of works from Vivaldi. Pamela Thorby’s lead role in the Concerto for Sopranino Recorder, Strings and Continuo is quite stunning. Chandler adds a wonderful violin concerto. Pleasurable listening.

Mozart: Apollo’s Fire (Avie AV2159)

The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, founded by award-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell, presents an incisive account of Mozart’s darkest Symphony, No. 40 in G minor. The album includes a dramatic recitative and virtuoso aria from Lucio Silla and ballet music from Idomeneo. Well worth it.

Orff: Carmina Burana (DG4778778)

This new version has been stripped to its bare essentials, giving it a dynamism and tension that brings out the full essence of the work. Conductor Daniel Harding leads a superlative account of this masterpiece, with brilliant performances by soloists Patricia Petibon Hans-Werner Bunz and Christian Gerhaher.