Jan. 2, 2019
The December classical music slate covered all genres and eras, the familiar and less familiar, and completely new compositions. To mention just four, these were standouts to our editors: Biber's Mystery Sonatas by Christina Day Martinson and Boston Baroque; Dowland's First Booke of Songes or Ayres by Grace Davidson and David Miller; Schubert String Quartets by the Chiaroscuro Quartet; and Darkest Midnight, a seasonal selection of songs by the female vocal ensemble Papagena.
Blair Sanderson
Aizuri Quartet - Blueprinting
Vladimir Ashkenazy - Debussy: Préludes
Marin Alsop, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra - Bernstein: Anniversaries for Orchestra; Fancy Free; Overture to Candide; Overture to Wonderful Town
Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna - Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Thomas Dausgaard, Seattle Symphony Orchestra - Nielsen: Symphony No. 3 Sinfonia Espansiva; Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable
Grace Davidson, David Miller - John Dowland: First Booke of Songes or Ayres
Christina Day Martinson, Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman - Biber: The Mystery Sonatas
Stéphane Degout, Tabea Zimmermann, Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth - Berlioz: Harold en Italie; Les Nuits d'été
Jean-Francois Heisser, Marie-Josephe Jude - Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 Eroica; Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1
Mariss Jansons, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra - Strawinsky: Le Sacre du printemps; L'Oiseau de feu
Andrew Manze, James Ehnes, Sarah Fox, Mark Stone, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony; The Lark Ascending
Tim Mead, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, François Lazarevitch - Purcell: Songs & Dances
Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Concerto Copenhagen - Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Gil Rose, Boston Modern Orchestra Project - - Leon Kirchner: Music for Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra - Wagner: Götterdämmerung
James Manheim
John Adams, Berliner Philharmoniker - John Adams Edition
Marin Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra - Bernstein: Suite for Orchestra from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue; Slava!; etc.
Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet - Landfall
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, Masato Suzuki - Verbum Caro Factum Est: A Christmas Greeting
Daniel Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin - Brahms: The Symphonies
Ian Bostridge, Antonio Pappano - Requiem: The Pity of War
Javier Camarena - Contrabandista
Chiaroscuro Quartet - Schubert: String Quartets No. 14 in D minor 'Der Tod und das Mädchen', No. 9 in G minor
Seong-Jin Cho - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 K.466; Sonatas K.281 & K.332
Allan Clayton, Julius Drake - Liszt: The Complete Songs, Vol. 5
Dallas Winds, Jerry Junkin - John Williams: At the Movies
Andrew Davis, Sarah Connolly, Andrew Staples, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus - Elgar: The Music Makers; The Spirit of England
Olivia De Prato - Streya
Joyce DiDonato, Dallas Opera, Patrick Summers - Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally's Great Scott
James Ehnes - James Newton Howard, Aaron Jay Kernis: Violin Concertos
Sir Mark Elder, Hallé - Elgar: Wand of Youth Suites; Salut d'Amour; Nursery Suite; Chanson de Nuit
A Far Cry - Visions and Variations
Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonatas for fortepiano & violin, Vol. 1 - K.304, 306 & 525
Ning Feng - Elgar & Finzi: Violin Concertos
John Eliot Gardiner - Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria
Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber - Schumann: Frage
Venera Gimadieva - Momento Immobile
Kenneth Hamilton - Preludes to Chopin: Sonatas, Barcarolle, Polonaise
Leslie Howard, Mattia Ometto - Liszt: Twelve Symphonic Poems
International Contemporary Ensemble - Aequa: International Contemporary Ensemble performs Anna Thorvaldsdottir
International Contemporary Ensemble - Du Yun: Dinosaur Scar
Vladimir Jurowski, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evegeny Svetlanov" - Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna- Puccini in Love
Matilda Lloyd, John Reid - Direct Message: 20th & 21st Century Works for Trumpet and Piano
London Haydn Quartet- Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 64
Eric Lu - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4; Chopin: Sonata No. 2; Ballade No. 4
Marsyas Trio - In the Theatre of Air
Neave Trio, Carla Jablonski - Celebrating Piazzolla
Nordic Affect - He(a)r
ORA Singers - The Mystery of Christmas
Jakub Józef Orlinski - Anima Sacra
Papagena - Darkest Midnight: Songs of Winter and Christmas
Raffaele Pe, La Lira di Orfeo - Giulio Caesare, a Baroque hero
Amit Peled - Bach: Suites 1-3
Carolyn Sampson - Abbandonata: Handel Italian Cantatas
Randall Scarlata, Gilbert Kalish - Schubert: Winterreise
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers - Star of Heaven: The Eton Choirbook Legacy
Skylark - Seven Words from the Cross
Tenebrae - A Walk with Ivor Gurney
Elena Urioste, Tom Poster - Estrellita
George Vass, Orchestra Nova - Heavens and the Heart: Choral and Orchestral Music by James Francis Brown
Villiers Quartet, Jeremy Young, Leon Bosch - William Sterndale Bennett: Sextet in F sharp minor; Chamber Trio; String Quartet in G
Roger Waters - Igor Stravinsky's The Solider's Tale: Narration by Roger Waters
Andrew Watts, Iain Burnside - A Countertenor Songbook
John Wilson, BBC Philharmonic - Copland: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4 - Symphonies
Blair Sanderson
Aizuri Quartet - Blueprinting
Vladimir Ashkenazy - Debussy: Préludes
Marin Alsop, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra - Bernstein: Anniversaries for Orchestra; Fancy Free; Overture to Candide; Overture to Wonderful Town
Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna - Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Thomas Dausgaard, Seattle Symphony Orchestra - Nielsen: Symphony No. 3 Sinfonia Espansiva; Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable
Grace Davidson, David Miller - John Dowland: First Booke of Songes or Ayres
Christina Day Martinson, Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman - Biber: The Mystery Sonatas
Stéphane Degout, Tabea Zimmermann, Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth - Berlioz: Harold en Italie; Les Nuits d'été
Jean-Francois Heisser, Marie-Josephe Jude - Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 Eroica; Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1
Mariss Jansons, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra - Strawinsky: Le Sacre du printemps; L'Oiseau de feu
Andrew Manze, James Ehnes, Sarah Fox, Mark Stone, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony; The Lark Ascending
Tim Mead, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, François Lazarevitch - Purcell: Songs & Dances
Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Concerto Copenhagen - Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Gil Rose, Boston Modern Orchestra Project - - Leon Kirchner: Music for Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra - Wagner: Götterdämmerung
James Manheim
John Adams, Berliner Philharmoniker - John Adams Edition
Marin Alsop, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra - Bernstein: Suite for Orchestra from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue; Slava!; etc.
Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet - Landfall
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, Masato Suzuki - Verbum Caro Factum Est: A Christmas Greeting
Daniel Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin - Brahms: The Symphonies
Ian Bostridge, Antonio Pappano - Requiem: The Pity of War
Javier Camarena - Contrabandista
Chiaroscuro Quartet - Schubert: String Quartets No. 14 in D minor 'Der Tod und das Mädchen', No. 9 in G minor
Seong-Jin Cho - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 K.466; Sonatas K.281 & K.332
Allan Clayton, Julius Drake - Liszt: The Complete Songs, Vol. 5
Dallas Winds, Jerry Junkin - John Williams: At the Movies
Andrew Davis, Sarah Connolly, Andrew Staples, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus - Elgar: The Music Makers; The Spirit of England
Olivia De Prato - Streya
Joyce DiDonato, Dallas Opera, Patrick Summers - Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally's Great Scott
James Ehnes - James Newton Howard, Aaron Jay Kernis: Violin Concertos
Sir Mark Elder, Hallé - Elgar: Wand of Youth Suites; Salut d'Amour; Nursery Suite; Chanson de Nuit
A Far Cry - Visions and Variations
Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonatas for fortepiano & violin, Vol. 1 - K.304, 306 & 525
Ning Feng - Elgar & Finzi: Violin Concertos
John Eliot Gardiner - Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria
Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber - Schumann: Frage
Venera Gimadieva - Momento Immobile
Kenneth Hamilton - Preludes to Chopin: Sonatas, Barcarolle, Polonaise
Leslie Howard, Mattia Ometto - Liszt: Twelve Symphonic Poems
International Contemporary Ensemble - Aequa: International Contemporary Ensemble performs Anna Thorvaldsdottir
International Contemporary Ensemble - Du Yun: Dinosaur Scar
Vladimir Jurowski, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evegeny Svetlanov" - Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna- Puccini in Love
Matilda Lloyd, John Reid - Direct Message: 20th & 21st Century Works for Trumpet and Piano
London Haydn Quartet- Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 64
Eric Lu - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4; Chopin: Sonata No. 2; Ballade No. 4
Marsyas Trio - In the Theatre of Air
Neave Trio, Carla Jablonski - Celebrating Piazzolla
Nordic Affect - He(a)r
ORA Singers - The Mystery of Christmas
Jakub Józef Orlinski - Anima Sacra
Papagena - Darkest Midnight: Songs of Winter and Christmas
Raffaele Pe, La Lira di Orfeo - Giulio Caesare, a Baroque hero
Amit Peled - Bach: Suites 1-3
Carolyn Sampson - Abbandonata: Handel Italian Cantatas
Randall Scarlata, Gilbert Kalish - Schubert: Winterreise
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers - Star of Heaven: The Eton Choirbook Legacy
Skylark - Seven Words from the Cross
Tenebrae - A Walk with Ivor Gurney
Elena Urioste, Tom Poster - Estrellita
George Vass, Orchestra Nova - Heavens and the Heart: Choral and Orchestral Music by James Francis Brown
Villiers Quartet, Jeremy Young, Leon Bosch - William Sterndale Bennett: Sextet in F sharp minor; Chamber Trio; String Quartet in G
Roger Waters - Igor Stravinsky's The Solider's Tale: Narration by Roger Waters
Andrew Watts, Iain Burnside - A Countertenor Songbook
John Wilson, BBC Philharmonic - Copland: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4 - Symphonies