George Xiaoyuan Fu Takes Centre Stage in July’s Classical Charts

Every month, the IDAGIO Classical Charts show what listeners around the world have been streaming across albums, conductors, soloists and ensembles. July’s rankings are shaped by two new releases: George Xiaoyuan Fu enters the soloists Top 10 as Solitude with Schubert arrives at No. 1, while Adam Laloum makes the month’s largest leap with a new Schumann recital.

Albums

1. 1. Solitude with Schubert — George Xiaoyuan Fu; Lotte Betts-Dean · Platoon (new)

2. 2. Mozart: The Piano Concertos — Murray Perahia; English Chamber Orchestra · Sony Classical (−1)

3. 3. Sleep — Caleb Burhans, Clarice Jensen, Ben Russell, Max Richter, Brian Snow, Yuki Numata Resnick · Universal (+2)

4. 4. Schumann: Novelletten – Kreisleriana — Adam Laloum · harmonia mundi (new)

5. 5. Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” – Simon: Four Black American Dances — Manfred Honeck; Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra · Reference Recordings (new)

6. 6. Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas — Alfred Brendel · Universal (−2)

7. 7. Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 109, 110 & 111 (Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo, 2025) — Mitsuko Uchida · Decca Music Group Ltd. (new)

8. 8. Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 4, 5 & 7 — Viktoria Mullova; Alasdair Beatson · Signum Records (new)

9. 9. Chopin: The Nocturnes — Maria João Pires · Universal (−7)

10. 10. Stephen Hough’s Piano Postcards — Stephen Hough · Hyperion (new)

New at No. 1: George Xiaoyuan Fu

George Xiaoyuan Fu pulls off a chart double: new at No. 8 among soloists, while Solitude with Schubert enters the Albums chart at No. 1. Released on 10 July and featured in Editor’s Weekly Pick that day, the programme moves between solo piano and songs with Lotte Betts-Dean. At its centre is Schubert’s C-minor Sonata, D 958, whose Beethovenian profile echoes the Pathétique Sonata and the 32 Variations in C minor.

Conductors

1. 1. Herbert von Karajan

2. 2. Claudio Abbado

3. 3. Sir John Eliot Gardiner (+1)

4. 4. Sir Simon Rattle (−1)

5. 5. Leonard Bernstein

6. 6. Paavo Järvi

7. 7. Neeme Järvi

8. 8. Sir Neville Marriner

9. 9. Yannick Nézet-Séguin (+9)

10. 10. Ádám Fischer (+17)

Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado remain at Nos. 1 and 2. The clearest movement comes lower in the Top 10, where Yannick Nézet-Séguin rises nine places and Ádám Fischer climbs 17.

Soloists

1. 1. Murray Perahia

2. 2. Mitsuko Uchida (+3)

3. 3. Alfred Brendel (−1)

4. 4. Maria João Pires (−1)

5. 5. Igor Levit (+2)

6. 6. Sir András Schiff (−2)

7. 7. Víkingur Ólafsson (+2)

8. 8. George Xiaoyuan Fu (new)

9. 9. Daniel Barenboim (−1)

10. 10. Adam Laloum (+403)

The month’s biggest jump: Adam Laloum

The steepest rise belongs to Adam Laloum, up 403 places as his new Schumann recital enters the Albums chart at No. 4. Pairing Novelletten with Kreisleriana, the release was also our Editor’s Weekly Pick for 3 July. Kreisleriana takes its title from a wild, witty conductor imagined by E.T.A. Hoffmann.

Ensembles

1. 1. Berliner Philharmoniker

2. 2. Wiener Philharmoniker

3. 3. English Chamber Orchestra

4. 4. London Symphony Orchestra

5. 5. London Philharmonic Orchestra (+3)

6. 6. Philharmonia Orchestra (−1)

7. 7. Concertgebouworkest (−1)

8. 8. Academy of St Martin in the Fields (−1)

9. 9. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (+17)

10. 10. The Cleveland Orchestra (−1)

The leading four ensembles are unchanged, headed by the Berliner Philharmoniker. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra makes the section’s largest move, up 17 places to No. 9.

Listen to the charts

Hear the new releases and chart favourites behind July’s rankings in The IDAGIO Classical Charts: July 2026 on IDAGIO.

Methodology: These charts reflect global listening on IDAGIO in July 2026. Movement compares each position with June 2026; “new” marks a new entry or release. No movement marker means the position is unchanged.

Header image: George Xiaoyuan Fu © Raphael Neal.