- "Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10" - widely accepted as a depiction of the Stalin years in Russia, Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony snarls and seethes for almost all of its 48-minute duration. The Berlin Philharmonic and Kirill Petrenko give a compelling account of this symphonic masterpiece in this new release.
- "Ennanga" - harpist Ashley Jackson and the Harlem Chamber Players find their harmony through collaboration in music from Alice Coltrane, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Brandee Younger, and William Grant Still. Still's piece Ennanga (the Ugandan word for miniature harp) is the beating heart of the album and the only work the composer ever wrote for the instrument.
- "Julius Eastman, Vol. 3" - musical collective Wild Up showcases Julius Eastman's style in all its delirious, maximalist minimalism in this third release of their seven-installment anthology focusing on the composer.
- "Poulenc/Jongen" - Francis Poulenc's organ concerto was commissioned by Princess Edmond de Polignac, the (lesbian) American expatriate heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune, whose salon in the XVI arrondissement of Paris acted as a haven for contemporary music of the time. Maurice Ravel presented and dedicated his Pavane pour une infante défunte to the same woman.
- "Après un Rêve" - pianist Emmanuel Despax stands out for his sensitive playing, truly shining in performances of solo works by Chaminade, Duparc, Ravel, Poulenc, and Fauré to create an ode to the music of France's Belle Époque era.
- "Contemporary American Composers" - Max Raimi, Jessie Montgomery, and Philip Glass are the focal points on this fine new record from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
