Album: Stravinsky, Symphonies – Rattle/ Berliner Philharmoniker/Rundfunkchor Berlin (EMI)

What a curse the term "neo-Classical" is: all dainty, insincere and artificial. And how feeble it is as a description of Stravinsky's 'Symphony of Psalms', 'Symphony in Three Movements' and 'Symphony in C', each of which was commissioned and premiered in the New World.

Odd as it is to hear the German pronunciation of "quoniam" in this very Old World performance, the Rundfunkchor Berlin's reading of 'Psalms' is nicely turned and beautifully accompanied by the Berliner Philharmoniker. With a wind section like theirs, the brilliance of the two symphonies proper is guaranteed. Incisive, dynamic playing throughout.

Pick of the Album: The second movement of the 'Symphony in Three Movements'