Classical/Opera

Handel: Concerti Grossi Op 6. Academy of Ancient Music/Andrew Manze (Harmonia Mundi, 2 discs)

Be warned. You may never feel the same about Handel's Op. 6 after listening to these new performances under Andrew Manze. He dispenses with the final remnants of old-fashioned Handelian gravitas that his new readings show to have been allowed to linger within the world of period performance style. Instead of the regular stress patterns through which period performers often point out the motivic brickwork of these pieces, he offers a fluid variability of accent and emphasis, and melodic lines that flow with ease at greater length. Yet he still manages to retain the spring and snap that distinguish most recent recordings from their more gravely weighted predecessors. In short, he offers a feeling of inevitability and rightness and an invigorating freshness to make you fall in love with this great music all over again. By Michael Dervan

Gerald Barry: "Things That Gain" solo and chamber works (Black Box)

This exciting new CD illustrates some of the less well-known sides to Gerald Barry. Take, for instance, the oddly haunting chordal excursions of Things That Gain (1977) for solo piano, the improbable, nightmarish idea of the graphically titled work for two pianos (1979) with its two parts identical throughout, or the diaphanous surfaces of the vibrato-less First String Quartet (1985, revised 1994), where the bee-like central interlude buzzes more picturesquely than Rimsky-Korsakov. Other works include the Piano Quartet No. 2, both driven and calm, and Chorales for two pianos from The Intelligence Park. The performances of character are by the composer, Kevin Volans, the Xenia Ensemble and others. By Michael Dervan

Pavel Haas: "Sarlatan" (Decca)

Pavel Haas was murdered at Auschwitz, and this recording appears in a Decca series highlighting works suppressed by the Third Reich: Sarlatan is also currently being performed at Wexford under the baton of Israel Yinon, who conducts here. None of which, of course, would rescue the opera if the music were not up to scratch - but from the very beginning of this exuberant work, it's hard to disagree with Yinon's verdict: "a small masterpiece". Sparkling comic scenes, accompaniments that bound along with the enthusiasm of a red setter on a beach, an upbeat story with a tragic heart, Sarlatan revolves around the eponymous quack, Dr Pustrpalk, who dominates the stage throughout. To pull it off you need a baritone who's equal to the task: Vladimir Chmelo does it on this recording; here's hoping Luca Grassi will do it at Wexford tonight, for this piece should be heard, and heard often. By Arminta Wallace