AllMusic 2014 Year in Review
Favorite Classical Vocal Albums
Our classical editors spent 2014 absorbing hundreds of albums - here are their favorite albums of the year to feature vocals, including an incredible version of Handel's Messiah, authentic takes on the songs of Rachmaninov, and a thorough collection of the songs of Richard Strauss.
Semiramide: La Signora Regale - Arias & Scenes from Porpora to Rossini
Anna Bonitatibus sings arias from various Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic operas on the legend of Semiramis, Queen of Babylon.
Anna Prohaska / Eric Schneider
This idea is original, and the music draws on a great variety of sources, from Scottish song to Wolfgang Rihm.
Hear the delicious sounds of the singers' voices clashing in linear harmony in this introduction to the polytextual motet and chanson around 1300.
At times the sounds heard here achieve the grail of being simple and uncanny at the same time. Highly recommended.
Out of nowhere comes a superb recording of Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232, from the British vocal-instrumental ensemble Arcangelo.
This album is, above all, a great deal of fun, and it's a must for anyone with a love of Mexican popular song.
Asher Fisch / Seattle Opera Chorus / Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
The Seattle Opera's live Ring has been presented as a 14-CD box set, a digital download, and as online streaming.
Barbara Hendricks / Love Derwinger / Swedish Chamber Ensemble
French song lies at the heart of Hendricks' concert repertoire, and it is no surprise to find her delivering strong performances here.
Bavarian Radio Chorus / Robin Ticciati
Robin Ticciati leads a focused performance of Bruckner's Mass No. 3 in F minor in this hybrid SACD presentation.
Bernarda Fink offers a representative selection of Gustav Mahler's art songs on this 2014 Harmonia Mundi release.
Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Lucy Shelton / Gil Rose
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project pays tribute to Milton Babbitt with a collection of chamber works that spans his career.
Capella de la Torre / Katharina Bäuml
This program is unique, probably covering a greater variety of Renaissance genres than have been heard on any other single recording.
Cecilia Bartoli / Diego Fasolis
Bartoli is fearless in many ways here, convincingly bringing home repertory her listeners will never have heard.
Cheyenne Jackson / Alexandra Silber / Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony
This production, recorded very well indeed for the San Francisco Symphony's in-house label, falls squarely into traditions laid down by Bernstein.
Conspirare / Craig Hella Johnson
Conspirare's album of Orthodox chants from the "New Russian Choral School" is a rich and resonant collection of sacred music.
Esa-Pekka Salonen / Philharmonia Orchestra
Bartók's one-act opera, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, receives a powerful performance from Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Evelyn Herlitzius / Christian Thielemann
In celebration of Richard Strauss' 150th birthday, Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden present one of the finest recordings of Elektra.
Flemish Radio Choir [Vlaams Radiokoor] / Hervé Niquet / Brussels Philharmonic Soloists
Hervé Niquet performs the original version of Gabriel Fauré's Requiem with two a cappella choral works by Charles Gounod.
Florian Boesch / Malcolm Martineau
As performed by Florian Boesch, Schubert's Schwanengesang lacks Die Taubenpost, but includes five lieder on texts by Goethe.
Gavin Bryars: The Sinking of the Titanic
The cumulative effect is extraordinarily powerful here, mixing entirely abstract concepts with direct evocations of the disaster
Finley applies a good deal of flexible lyricism and holds the tempo steady with uncanny effect. The overall shape benefits from these contrasts.
Gerhild Romberger / Stephan Rügamer / Alfredo Perl / Detmolder Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Schoenberg's chamber arrangement of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde receives a clear and balanced performance on this audiophile recording.
Hila Plitmann / Carl St. Clair
Richard Danielpour: Toward a Season of Peace
The world-premiere recording of Danielpour's Toward a Season of Peace compels an emotional response from listeners.
Iestyn Davies / Thomas Dunford
The Art of Melancholy: Songs by John Dowland
Here Davies shows what he can do, aided by lutenist Dunford, and the delicacy and intricate ensemble of the pair is remarkable.
Power Players: Russian Arias for Bass
This is a delightful, exciting recital and it's one of the most exciting things in the field since Hvorostovsky came on the scene.
Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex; Apollon musagète
John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony Orchestra present two vivid Stravinsky performances on this audiophile recording.
Juan Diego Flórez / Roberto Abbado
On L'Amour, tenor Juan Diego Flórez presents a collection of bel canto arias from French operas of the 19th century.
Sample Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen for an introduction in just six minutes to the essential Mahler. A superb job.
L'Arpeggiata / Christina Pluhar / Philippe Jaroussky
Music for a While: Improvisations on Purcell
This is an entirely novel treatment of Henry Purcell's music that may appeal greatly to experimentally minded listeners.
Laurence Equilbey / Accentus / Insula Orchestra
Süssmayr's completion of Mozart's Requiem receives a remarkable period treament from Laurence Equilbey, Accentus, and the period orchestra Insula.
Le Concert d'Astrée / Emmanuelle Haïm
Emmanuelle Haïm's spectacular version of Handel's Messiah in authentic period style is one of the most exciting available.
This is a release has a lot to recommend it and belongs on any decent shelf or hard drive of English choral music.
Martin Hoff / Staatskapelle Weimar
Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel
Engelbert Humperdinck's fairy tale opera, Hänsel und Gretel, has enjoyed nearly universal popularity since its premiere in 1893.
A complete recording of Kurt Weill's 1943 Broadway musical, One Touch of Venus, appears on CD for the first time.
Netherlands Radio Choir / Kaspars Putniņš
Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil (commonly known as Vespers) is vibrantly performed by Kaspars Putnins and the Netherlands Radio Choir.
Several things come together to make this work: the presence of Ensemble Artaserse, the program, and Jaroussky's voice, equally beautiful in its lower ranges.
This is a survey of Pärt's music, reaching back to his serialist days in the 1960s and forward to the lovely Virgencita.
St. John's College Choir, Cambridge / Andrew Nethsingha
When David Heard: Sacred Choral Works by Thomas Tomkins
When David heard that Absalom was slain is given a hushed, genuinely tragic atmosphere, and the choir's emotional range under Nethsingha is impressive.
Stephen Cleobury / Gerald Finley / King's College Choir of Cambridge / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Tom Pickard
Fauré: Requiem; Cantique de Jean Racine; Messe Basse
This audiophile recording by Stephen Cleobury and the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, presents Fauré's Requiem in its original 1889 version.
Teodor Currentzis' historic recreation of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro may be the most thoroughly researched and exciting version available.
The Cardinall's Musick / Andrew Carwood
Thomas Tallis: Missa Puer natus est nobis
This effort, even though its highlight is an incomplete mass, is especially good and can serve as an introduction to Tallis' Latin-language music.
This an unusually satisfying and enjoyable release even by the high standards of these perennial favorites.
The Sixteen / Harry Christophers
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Vol. 5
Strongly recommended for anyone at all with an interest in the great conservative of Italian Renaissance music.
The Sixteen / Harry Christophers
Tudor church music may never compete at the cash register with Bach or Josquin, but this is a loving and lovely performance.
The Blossoming Vine: Italian Maestri in Poland
An excellent survey of music that will be unknown to most listeners other than the ones who can read the supplied Polish booklet notes.
Thomas Hampson / Wolfram Rieger
Notturno: Songs by Richard Strauss
To celebrate Richard Strauss' 150th anniversary, baritone Thomas Hampson and pianist Wolfram Rieger present a recital of 18 essential songs.
Various Artists
Richard Strauss: Complete Works for Voice and Piano
To mark his 150th anniversary, Richard Strauss' extant songs and melodramas have been recorded under the direction of Brigitte Fassbaender.
Various Artists
Sergey Rachmaninov's complete songs are presented by seven vocalists fluent in Russian, who bring across their meaning and color.
Vincent Dumestre / Capella Cracoviensis / Le Poème Harmonique
The performances here, by a mixed group of French and Polish musicians, are superb, with no minimalist budget-cutting involved.
Xavier Sabata / Riccardo Minasi / Il Pomo d'Oro
It's hard to know where to start in enumerating the virtues of this recording of Handel's opera Tamerlano, HWV 18.