The blues is one of America’s greatest cultural inventions—and now, it provides the backbone for one of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Wynton Marsalis’s most innovative and colossal works. In the hands of the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of celebrated conductor Cristian Măcelaru, Blues Symphony (Marsalis’s second symphony) takes the 12-bar blues and explodes it into a lyrical, kaleidoscopic history of American music.

This is a very good performance of the Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini performed by Andrei Gavrilov, the Russian Pianist, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Muti. It is a very good interpretation of these works, capturing all the intensity and nuance, energy and romance, of these selections. There are passages of incredible speed where precision is essential and this is evident in this recording. Gavrilov has the ability to fully express the magnificence of some passages and the more brooding nuance and subtlety of other passages. The Philadelphia Orchestra sounds terrific in this recording.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and their Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin are embarking on another project of Rachmaninoff’s works, presenting his three Symphonies and other orchestral works. When Rachmaninoff’s 1st Symphony was premiered in 1897 by a badly prepared orchestra the performance turned out to be a disaster which obviously hurt the young composer deeply, not even 24 years old. Yet, later decades proved this early work to be absolutely worth a listen when performed by a first-class orchestra and conductor.

In 1943, Orff followed up the overwhelming success of his Carmina Burana with Catulli Carmina, another staged choral work scored for percussion and pianos. The text of this parable of the power of Eros is drawn from poems by Catullus. The 1967 American Columbia recording, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra and Temple University Choir and featuring soprano Judith Blegen and tenor Richard Kness “has plenty of vitality” (Gramophone). Its first appearance on CD is sure to be welcomed by the many devotees of Orff’s music.