Maria Bachmann and Adam Neiman, French Fantasy (Bridge). Sensitive yet bracingly incisive performances of sonatas by Franck, Saint-Saëns (the D Minor, familiar to Proustians as the model for the “sonate de Vinteuil”), and Debussy, with a lovely performance of Jascha Heifetz’s violin-and-piano arrangement of Debussy’s “Beau Soir” thrown in for good measure. Bachmann, who doubles as the violinist of Trio Solisti, is one of the outstanding soloists of her generation, and Neiman is no mere “accompanist” but a sonata partner of impeccable authority. This one’s a winner (TT).

Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man (New York Review Books, $14.95 paper). Back in print for the first time since 1963, this taut exercise in noir fiction tells the terrifying tale of an intern who picks up a hitchhiker in the desert and finds himself plunged into a they-won’t-believe-me nightmare. Best known today for writing the novel on which Nicholas Ray’s In a Lonely Place was based, Hughes turns out to be a first-class thriller writer who deserves to be far better known. A word to the wise: do not peek at Walter Mosley’s afterword until you’ve finished reading The Expendable Man! You really don’t want to spoil the surprise (TT).

Classic Earl Hines Sessions 1928-1945 (Mosaic, seven CDs). The first large-scale box set of its kind, this digitally remastered collection, drawn from Sony’s archives, contains 171 tracks that cover Hines’ twin careers as a radically innovative solo jazz pianist and immensely potent swing-era bandleader. Included are recordings originally released by OKeh, Victor, Brunswick, Vocalion, Bluebird, and Signature, including a considerable number of his finest 78-era sides. Brian Priestley’s detailed liner notes are as good as anything that’s ever been written about Hines, and the sound, as usual with Mosaic, is pristine (TT).

Douglas Smith, Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $30). This harrowing chronicle is, incredibly, the first full-length history of of the mass murder of Russia’s aristocrats and noble families in the wake of the Russian Revolution. It’s a superb piece of work, utterly direct and unforgettably honest, which tells the truth without falling victim to dewy-eyed nostalgia for the “good old days” of fantastic wealth and working-class immiseration. Recommended without reservation (TT).

Picnic (Roundabout/AA, 227 W. 42, closes Feb. 24). A very strong revival of one of the least sufficiently appreciated American dramas of the 20th century, back on Broadway for the first time since 1994 in a production that fully conveys its beauty and power. If, like most people, you know William Inge’s once-famous plays only from their buffed-up screen versions, you’ll find Sam Gold’s sensitive staging to be a revelation. No, Picnic isn’t a big-budget Hollywood soap opera: It’s a plain-spoken portrait of small-town life that manages at the same time to be both critical and sympathetic (TT).

Matisse: In Search of True Painting (Metropolitan Museum, up through Mar. 17). Forty-nine canvases, subtly arranged to highlight and illuminate the way in which the modern master developed his imaginative ideas from work to work. A richly rewarding show of the highest importance (TT).

Our Town (Huntington Theatre Company, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston, extended through Jan. 26). David Cromer’s staging of Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece, which ran off Broadway for more than 600 performance, is now being remounted in Boston. It’s the greatest revival of a classic play that I’ve seen in my entire theatergoing life, a re-creative landmark that at once arrestingly original and fundamentally faithful in its approach to the author’s well-loved text. Don’t listen if anybody tries to tell you about the surprise ending–and once you’ve seen the show, don’t tell anybody what happens (TT).

Donald Fagen, Sunken Condos (Reprise). A new solo album from the co-founder of Steely Dan, Sunken Condos is very much in the now-familiar vein of Morph the Cat, its immediate predecessor. That is, however, a compliment, not a knock. Sly lyrics, subtle harmonies, richly textured rock/jazz/R&B instrumental tracks, virtuoso playing from all parties concerned–what more could you possibly want? This is rock for grownups, wholly adult in its musical language and emotional concerns (TT).