Five classical albums highlighted by The New York Times

The New York Times highlighted five classical albums available to stream, citing recent works by Gabriela Ortiz, choral music by David Lang and unreleased recordings by the pianist Radu Lupu among its selections. Gabriela Ortiz’s portrait album Yanga features the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist and Gustavo Dudamel conducting.

The review notes that Weilerstein’s concerto “Dzonot” — which impressed at Carnegie Hall in 2024 when it opened a series of performances — and other pieces on the digital-only release balance florid and finely etched writing. David Lang’s the sense of senses, performed by The Crossing under Donald Nally, sets language from the Song of Songs and other texts to spare, repeated gestures.

The review describes the pieces as at times bordering on monotony but evocative of communal ritual, and also highlights tracks including “sleeper’s prayer,” “stateless” and the prayer setting “make peace.” Radu Lupu: The Unreleased Recordings (Decca) gathers radio broadcasts and unreleased studio takes that are new to his recorded repertoire.

The collection includes Haydn sonatas, the F‑minor Variations, Mozart piano quartets with members of the Tel Aviv String Quartet, a surprising take on Copland’s Piano Sonata, performances of Bartók and Chopin and a live account of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition praised for being both majestic and sensitive.

Key Topics

Culture, Gabriela Ortiz, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Alisa Weilerstein, Gustavo Dudamel, David Lang