Heavenly Holst

Thaxted in Essex is a pretty if unremarkable town, once famous for cutlery but now more famous for lending its name to Princess Diana's favourite hymn tune. The composer was a long term resident who in the early years of the Great War turned his attention from the unfolding horror on earth towards the heavens. Gustav Holst was ahead of his time in many ways. A collection of tone poems was a novel form in the early twentieth century. His appreciation of matters asterological nothing short of inspired. He resisted the temptation to add an eighth 'poem' to his Planets suite after the discovery of Pluto, years before astronomers delegated this diminutive rock to the status of dwarf planet. Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra take it at a rollicking pace. There are moments in 'Jupiter' when it feels rushed but it avoids the sentimentality that must tempt many conductors and at 43:06 is closer to Holst's own impressive 42:30 than most modern recordings.

An extraordinary night in Sarajevo

At the winter olympics in Sarajevo in 1984 Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean scored a perfect 6.0 from all nine judges for their artistic interpretation of Maurice Ravel's Bolero; earning them Olympic gold, lasting fame and Ravel a new and avid fan base. It was an inspired routine, superbly matching the gradually increasing energy of this fine piece with ever more exciting and athletic skating. Paavo Jarvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra capture something of that extraordinary St Valentine's night at the Zetra stadium in their recording for Telarc (CD 80601). I'm not sure I need say any more than that - great stuff!

Visceral Argerich

Martha Argerich must get through pianos like some people get through shoes. It is testament to the skill of the piano builder, and Argerich's extraordinary technique, that after the most ferocious pounding in the early parts of Liszt's piano sonata, Argerich is still capable of extracting some delicate, nuanced phrasing in the more expressive sections. Her recording of the B minor sonata for Deutsche Grammophon (437 252-2) is remarkably physical - exhausting just to listen to. Gramophone's 2012 guide (a birthday present - thanks kids!) rates this recording as legendary. Commenting on the sound quality the author says it's excellent 'if you bother to notice it'. With music this visceral, the sound is almost incidental.

Joie de vivre

You may be wondering how I got so far through the year with nothing yet by Wolfgang Amadeus. The truth is I have an excellent boxed set of CDs, including a wide range of his work. But it's time to add to the collection and I've chosen a legendary recording of Mozart's 4 horn concertos and quintet for piano and wind instruments featuring one of the greatest ever French horn players - Dennis Brain (EMI 0946 3 38603 2 2). Dennis Brain loved fast cars and is said to have kept a copy of a car magazine on his music stand whilst playing the Mozart concertos from memory. Tragically his love of driving cost him his life at the age of 36 when he drove his Triumph TR2 off the A1 whilst returning from the Edinburgh Festival to London in September 1957. This is a wonderful collection of some of his finest recordings. The final movement of the fourth concerto showcases a unique talent, demonstrating the joie de vivre he clearly had in spades.

Manhattan Melody

If Copeland's Apalachian Spring represents the open spaces of America, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue represents her big cities, and none more perhaps than Manhattan in the 20s The two together are about all you need for a complete understanding of the USA. Where Copeland captures (even if he didn't mean to) the essence of farm folk of the Mid West, Gershwin in just over 16 minutes of glorious, riotous, heart warming music captures the chutzpah, exuberance, hopes and dreams of a generation of city dwellers.

The Columbia Symphony Orchestra with Leonard Bernstein directing from the piano (82876 78768 2) are magnificent from the first extraordinary clarinet solo, through some amazing and vibrant brass sections right through to the end. Bernstein plays with great feeling and passion, but for my money doesn't quite match the orchestra's gutsy playing.

Back to Beethoven

After 3 months and 13 discs, I'll return to Beethoven and some of his more famous piano sonatas, including the Appassionata which includes the 'fate knocking at the door' motif which opens the fifth symphony. Decca's double CD collection featuring Alfred Brendel (438 730-2) is good value at just over £7 and includes 7 of the 32 compositions.

Firework music

A trip to St Albans was a good opportunity to get to know Saint-Saens' third symphony a little better. The first two movements suffered from the usual problem of playing classical music in the car - quiet sections too quiet for the road noise and when this is right the louder sections are too loud; but the final movement was great. The bass notes of Chartres Cathedral's organ resonated throughout the Land Rover and the brass section sounded magnificent. This would make great firework music.