Brahms: Piano Concerto No 1. Maurizio Pollini (DG). Brahms: Violin Concerto; Violin Sonata No 3. Maxim Vengerov (Teldec)

Less is more. That would almost seem to be the motto of Maurizio Pollini with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado in the angst and struggle of Brahms's First Piano Concerto. The thrust is direct, the vision broad (no hesitating micro-adjustments in rubato), the tonal balance baritonally rich, the novelty of Brahms's invention revealed at every turn. No wonder early audiences were startled into silence by the work - Brahms reported that at the second performance, in Leipzig, "hardly three people" raised their hands to clap. Vengerov, with the Chicago SO under Barenboim, is freer in spirit, a songster of winning guile and intimacy (and impeccable musical taste) cast against the often more gruff manner of the orchestra. He's nearly as fine in the sonata, but Barenboim is less flexible at the keyboard.

Michael Dervan

Schumann: Complete Piano Trios. Trio Italiano (Arts, 2 separate CDs) Schumann: Piano Trios 1 & 2. Florestan Trio (Hyperion)

There's long been a school of thought which regards Schumann's piano trios as problematic pieces. Trio Italiano, on the evidence of their new recordings, beg to differ. Their accounts are spacious, trusting. The players convince you that they love every nook and cranny, instrumental doublings, locked-in rhythmic repetitions and all. In the two trios where they overlap with the British Florestan Trio, the Italians are slower in every single movement, showing themselves content to indulge in moments of almost Franckian richness. The Florestans make a concerted effort to find light and shade, dancing with defter tread, and exploring an altogether wider range of fantasy.

Michael Dervan

Mozart: Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail (Erato)

This sparkling new recording of Mozart's exuberant harem opera from William Christie and Les Arts Florissants is based on a production from last year's Salzberg Festival. Christine Schafer sings the captured Constanze with style and confidence, but interest in this part of the world will doubtless centre on the tenors who plot to rescue her from the pasha's clutches. Young British hopeful Ian Bostridge is an uneven Belmonte; some of his singing is pure magic, but at other times he sounds stressed and out of sorts. If Constanze had any sense, she'd make off with the smart and sassy Pedrillo of Iain Paton, whom Irish audiences will long remember for his gutsy performance as Tom Rakewell in OTC's recent Rake's Progress.

Arminta Wallace