We already shared our editors' favorite classical instrumental recordings of the year, and now it's time to delve into the world of classical music with vocal accompaniment, including a celebratory take on the works of Guillaume Dufay, an exploration of Handel's lesser-known arias, and a study of the minimalist compositions of Andrew Hamilton.
Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen
Bach Magnificats: Johann Sebastian, Johann Christian, Carl Philipp Emanuel
This release presents Magnificats by Johann Sebastian Bach and two of his sons, Johann Christian Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Benjamin Appl / Graham Johnson
The Songs of Brahms, Vol. 7
An impressive deep dive into Brahms' songs, featuring a rising baritone who studied with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Benjamin Bagby / Hanna Marti / Norbert Rodenkirchen / Sequentia
Boethius: Songs of Consolation - Metra from 11th-century Canterbury
New scholarship has allowed the reconstruction of these fascinating 11th-century settings of texts by Boethius.
Binchois Consort / Andrew Kirkman
The Lily & the Rose
Andrew Kirkman and the Binchois Consort present music for Marian devotions, corresponding to carved alabaster figures from the 15th century.
Brabant Ensemble / Stephen Rice
Antoine de Févin: Missa Ave Maria & Salve sancta parens
A contemporary of Josquin, Antoine de Févin receives a long-delayed appraisal by the Brabant Ensemble on this Hyperion release.
Canterbury Cathedral Choir / David Newsholme
Great Cathedral Anthems
The novelty of this album of English anthems is due to the presence of the new Canterbury Cathedral Girls' Choir.
Cappella Amsterdam / Daniel Reuss
Josquin des Prez: Miserere mei Deus - Sacred Motets
Daniel Reuss leads Cappella Amsterdam in a moving collection of funeral motets and lamentations by the Franco-Flemish master Josquin des Prez.
Cappella Mediterranea / Chœur de Chambre de Namur / Doulce Mémoire
Jacques Arcadelt: Motetti; Madrigali; Chansons
The influential vocal and choral music of Franco-Flemish composer Jacques Arcadelt is presented on three discs in this 2018 box set from Ricercar.
Carolyn Sampson / Joseph Middleton
A Soprano's Schubertiade
Superb interpretations of Schubert, technically flawless, intimate, and deeply felt.
Choir of St. Mary's Cathedral / Duncan Ferguson
William Mundy: Sacred Choral Music
Exultant performances of music of 16th-century composer William Mundy by a Scottish choir.
Choir of the Queen's College, Oxford / Owen Rees
The House of the Mind
An elegant program centered on the music of Herbert Howells, confidently performed by musicians deeply familiar with his tradition.
Christopher Purves
Handel's Finest Arias for Base Voice, Vol.2
Satisfying, text-sensitive performances of little-known Handel bass arias.
Clare College Choir, Cambridge / Graham Ross
O Lux Beata Trinitas
Graham Ross leads the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge in a program of Russian and English works on the subject of the Trinity.
Clarion Choir / Steven Fox
Alexander Kastalsky: Memory Eternal
World premiere recordings of unique Russian choral music in memory of the World War I dead.
![Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine [2017 Recording]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=CtS7Odi-wJK3dWn4wiAUEQ4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=&f=4)
Collegium Vocale / Philippe Herreweghe
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine [2017 Recording]
This 2017 performance of Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers by Collegium Vocale Gent marked the 450th anniversary of the composer's birth.
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Kaspars Putniņš
Schnittke: Psalms of Repentance; Pärt: Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis
Kaspars Putnins and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir are intense and sensuous in works by Schnittke and Pärt.
Eugene Asti / Stéphane Degout / Sophie Karthäuser / Alain Planès
Claude Debussy: Harmonie du Soir - Mélodies
A generous range of Debussy songs, oriented toward his relationship with poetry, and beautifully performed.
Francesca Aspromonte
Prologue
On Prologue, soprano Francesca Aspromonte presents opening scenes from early Baroque operas that provide an emotional connection to the drama.
Gabrieli Consort / Paul McCreesh
A Rose Magnificat
A lovely a cappella recording that effectively ties together early Renaissance and modern compositions on Marian themes.
Gothic Voices
The Dufay Spectacle
Gothic Voices presents Guillaume Dufay's music as it might have been performed at a Burgundian wedding celebration.
György Vashegyi / Chantal Santon Jeffery / Reinoud Van Mechelen / Orfeo Orchestra / Purcell Choir / Florian Sempey
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Naïs
Rameau's pastorale-héroique Naïs is vividly re-created on period intruments by György Vasheygi and the Orfeo Orchestra on this 2018 Glossa release.
Hervé Niquet / Le Concert Spirituel Orchestra
Benevolo: Missa Si Deus pro nobis; Magnificat
Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel revive the music of Baroque composer Orazio Benevolo with this disc of polychoral sacred works.
Iain Burnside / Nikolaj Didenko / Justina Gringyte / Rodion Pogossov / Ekaterina Siurina
Medtner: Songs
Solid performances of virtually unknown repertory, following a procedure laid down by the composer himself.
John Adams / Julia Bullock / Gerald Finley / BBC Singers / BBC Symphony Orchestra
John Adams: Doctor Atomic
Conducted by the composer, this is a definitive version of Adams' opera about A-bomb developer Robert Oppenheimer.
Juan Diego Flórez
Bésame Mucho
More than a quickie crossover album by the star Peruvian tenor: a rethinking of his voice for popular song.
Jörg-Andreas Bötticher / Abendmusiken Basel
In Convertendo
The Düben Collection consists of manuscripts and published works of the 17th century, which are given lively performances by Abendmusiken Basel.
Lucile Richardot / Sébastien Daucé / Ensemble Correspondances
Perpetual Night
French musicians bring the 17th-century English song to life.
Ludovic Morlot / Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Berlioz: Requiem
Ludovic Morlot delivers an impressive performance of Hector Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Chorale.
Masaaki Suzuki / Bach Collegium Japan
Beethoven: Missa solemnis
Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan deliver a revelatory performance of Beethoven's late masterpiece, the Missa Solemnis, Op. 123.
Michael Christie / Kelly Markgraf / Edward Parks
Mason Bates: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
A colorful biographical opera about Apple founder Steve Jobs, superbly performed and recorded.
New College Choir, Oxford / Robert Quinney
Parry: Songs of Farewell and Other Choral Works
Robert Quinney and the Choir of New College, Oxford, present Parry's introspective Songs of Farewell with Mendelssohn's influential Sechs Sprüche.
![Igor Stravinsky: L'Histoire du Soldat [CD & Book]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=21LgP6w9H-bp0WUH0KVy6t_M69_UI9rrJSVvWL2-yAg=&f=4)
Olivier Charlier / Jean-Christophe Gayot
Igor Stravinsky: L'Histoire du Soldat [CD & Book]
Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat receives a straightforward reading in French in this 2018 release from Harmonia Mundi.
Orlando Consort
Machaut: Fortune's Child
The fifth volume in the Orlando Consort's series of Machaut's vocal music presents songs on the topic of fortune.
Orlando Consort
Machaut: The Gentle Physician
The Orlando Consort continues its survey of the vocal music of Guillaume de Machaut with this sixth volume on Hyperion.
Philip Dukes / James Gilchrist / Anna Tilbrook
Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel - Songs and Chamber Works
All the music comes from the first part of Vaughan Williams' career and hangs together beautifully.
Roderick Williams / Christopher Glynn
Schubert: Winter Journey
Roderick Williams' English-language performance of Schubert's Winterreise swaps out familiar associations for a challenging listening experience.
St. John's College Choir, Cambridge / Andrew Nethsingha
Vaughan Williams: Mass in G minor
Public and reflective sides of Vaughan Williams' sacred music, neatly summarized.
The Gesualdo Six / Owain Park
English Motets
The Gesualdo Six present a program of English motets from the 16th and 17th centuries, with works by Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, and others.
The Sixteen / Harry Christophers
Claudio Monteverdi: Messa a quattro voci et Salmi of 1650, Vol .2
Sharp, exciting performances of neglected music from late in Claudio Monteverdi's career.
Various Artists
Andrew Hamilton: Music for People
Gripping works in a minimalist style of a whole new kind.
Various Artists
Ingrid Stölzel: The Gorgeous Nothings
A fine exploration of the unique idiom of this German-born Midwestern American composer, especially effective in song.
Vox Luminis / Lionel Meunier / Ensemble Masques / Olivier Fortin
Buxtehude: Abendmusiken
This release by a pair of French ensembles sets a new standard for Buxtehude's chamber, vocal, and instrumental music.
Yale Schola Cantorum / David Hill
Palestrina: Missa Confitebor tibi Domine
A Palestrina mass that calls into question the composer's reputation as a conservative, beautifully performed.
