Favorite Classical Instrumental Albums

Adam Walker / Edward Gardner / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Nielsen: Flute Concerto; Symphony No. 3 "Sinfonia Espansiva"; Pan and Syrinx

Wonderful Nielsen performances that capture the great range of orchestral sounds and moods.

Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Symphonies - From Berlin to Hamburg

This complete series of C.P.E. Bach's symphonies ends strongly, with distinctive contrasts between works from different periods of Bach's career.

Albert Dohmen / John Storgårds / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Estonian National Male Choir

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 "Babiy Yar"; Arvo Pärt: De profundis

A Shostakovich 13th on the dry side, emphasizing the seriousness of the work's texts.

Arcadia Quartet

Weinberg, Vol. 4: String Quartets Nos. 6, 13, and 15

Excellent performances, to the restrained side, of works by Weinberg that diverge totally from Shostakovich.

Bernard Haitink / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Schostakowitsch: Symphonie Nr. 8

Superb live Shostakovich, excelling equally in broad lines, technical details, and overall interpretation.

Can Çakmur

Schubert + Brahms

Intimate Schubert and Brahms performances bring out the daring harmonic thinking shared by the two composers.

ChromaDuo

What I Saw in the Water: 21st-Century Works for Guitar Duo

A pleasing mix of contemporary guitar works played by a pair with real synergy.

Colin Currie / JoAnn Falletta / Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman: Percussion Concerto; Wunderkammer

Highly listenable works, reflecting but not aping Elfman's film music style.

Danish String Quartet

Keel Road

A collection of Scandinavian and British Isles folk and folk-flavored material contains chamber music elaborations.

Dima Slobodeniouk / Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia

Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements; Symphonies of Wind Instruments; Symphony in C

Conception and execution are both excellent in this release of Stravinsky "symphonies."

Elizabeth Chang / Steven Beck

Sonatas & Myths: Bartók, Szymanowski, Dohnányi

Intricately connected works are given probing readings by an expert duo.

Emma Tring / Martyn Brabbins / BBC National Orchestra of Wales

John Pickard: Symphonies 2 & 6; Verlaine Songs

Impressive skills are coaxed from the performers in these exciting contemporary instrumental and vocal works.

Emmanuele Baldini / Ovanir Buosi / Alexandre Silvério / Fabio Zanon

Francisco Mignone: Concertos and Concertinos

A splendid group of concertos by a Brazilian composer a decade younger than Villa-Lobos.

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Tõnu Kaljuste / Tallinn Chamber Orchestra

Veljo Tormis: Reminiscentiae

Pristine orchestral and choral music from Estonia combines folk and minimalist influences.

Frank Peter Zimmermann / Jakub Hrůša

Stravinsky: Violin Concerto; Bartók: Rhapsodies 1 and 2; Martinu: Suite Concertante; Méditation

Shades of interwar styles are superbly captured by this violinist and orchestra.

Isabelle Faust / Jakub Hrůša / Alexander Melnikov / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Benjamin Britten: Violin Concerto; Chamber Works

A fierce recording of Britten's violin concerto, with several less familiar early chamber works.

Jean-Guihen Queyras

Bach: Complete Cello Suites - The 2023 Sessions

A somewhat new take on the Bach cello suites from an acknowledged master in their interpretation.

Joana Mallwitz / Konzerthausorchester Berlin

The Kurt Weill Album

A rare example of an album on which a young conductor receives top billing, and she delivers.

John Wilson / Black Dyke Band

Bliss: Music for Brass Band

Splendid performances of band music by Bliss, much of it arranged for the medium, and some of it quite difficult technically.

John Wilson / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Eric Coates: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4

An especially distinctive installment in Chandos' series devoted to Coates.

Jonathan Fournel / Howard Griffiths

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 18 KV 456 & 21 KV 467

Exceptionally smooth Mozart pianism from a newcomer does not foreclose a wealth of detail.

Juanjo Mena / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Gerhard: Don Quixote (Complete Ballet); Suite from 'Alegrías'; Pedrelliana

Readings of works by Gerhard have color and rhythmic snap.

Juliana Koch / Julian Bliss / Michael McHale

Ruth Gipps: Piper of Dreams

Delightful works for oboe by a student of Vaughan Williams reveal an individual voice.

Julien Labro / Takács Quartet / Clarice Assad

Takács, Assad, Labro

A completely novel collaboration among enormously different talents results in a unique string quartet release.

Kazushi Ono / Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra

Scriabin: Symphony No. 2

Excellent sound propels a high-quality reading of Scriabin's Second.

Laura van der Heijden / Ryan Wigglesworth / BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Bridge: Oration; Frances-Hoad: Earth, Sea, Air; Walton: Cello Concerto

Expertly played cello concertos featuring the premiere of a new entry to the repertoire.

Manfred Honeck / Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7; Bates: Resurrexit

A superb reading of Bruckner's Seventh, with nonpareil live engineering.

Marin Alsop / ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra

John Adams: City Noir; Fearful Symmetries; Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance

Wonderful Adams performances from a conductor with a deep understanding of his music.

Marius Neset / Leif Ove Andsnes

Who We Are

A fresh solution to the jazz-classical problem is claimed to be neither jazz nor classical but is perhaps both.

Martyn Brabbins / BBC Symphony Chorus / BBC Symphony Orchestra / Elizabeth Watts

Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia Antartica; Symphony No. 9

Late-life, dramatic works draw this symphonic survey to a close.

Masaaki Suzuki

Masaaki Suzuki plays Bach Organ Works, Vol. 5: Orgelbüchlein (II)

A masterful exploration of Bach chorale settings on a historic German organ.

Michael Feinstein / Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Gershwin Rhapsody

Varied Gershwin works and arrangements, inventively refracted through multiple lenses.

Neeme Järvi / Estonian National Symphony Orchestra

Lalo: Suites and Valse de la Cigarette from Namouna; Overture to Le Roi d'Ys; Symphony in G minor

A splendid excavation of Lalo works from a master of the late French Romantics.

Nikolai Lugansky

Richard Wagner

Wagner transcriptions in the 19th century grand manner bring the listener close to the world of Liszt as a pianist.

Paul Wee / Michael Collins / Swedish Chamber Orchestra

Henselt & Bronsart: Piano Concertos

Two rarely recorded Romantic period piano concertos, expertly played, that may set a new standard for each.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Schubert: Ländler

A unique rapid traversal of many triple-meter dances of Schubert, all slightly different.

Quatuor Hanson / Adam Laloum

Robert Schumann: String Quartets; Piano Quintet

Richly Romantic performances of Schumann's chamber music masterpieces strike intelligent balances.

Rebeca Omordia

African Pianism, Vol. 2

A fascinating collection of works by mostly African composers who are little-known outside their home countries.

Saskia Giorgini

Debussy: Images

A wonderful Debussy program, precise and restrained yet lively.

Semyon Bychkov / Czech Philharmonic

Smetana: Má Vlast

An expansive, detailed Má Vlast stands up to famous readings from the past.

Sergey Khachatryan

Ysaÿe: VI Sonatas

Technically ironclad but highly dramatic renderings of Ysaÿe's finger-busters on the composer's own violin.

Sitkovetsky Trio

Beethoven: Piano Trios, Vol. 3 - Op. 1/1 & 70/1 'Ghost'

A survey of Beethoven's piano trios continues with high-spirited playing and an intense but clean "Ghost" trio.

Takács Quartet

Schubert: String Quartet in G major D887; String Quartet in B flat major D112

Impressively bleak Schubert from a veteran but always fresh ensemble.

Trio Gaspard

Haydn: The Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 3; Kit Armstrong: Revêtements

Fine Haydn piano trio series rolls on with distinctively profiled works.

Trio Rigamonti

Clara Schumann, Rebecca Clarke: Piano Trios

Full-blooded, passionate performances of piano trios by women make a strong case for full repertory inclusion.

Tugan Sokhiev / The Philharmonic Brass

Overture!

Superb brass ensemble playing, with arrangements that coax forth a striking range of orchestral sounds from the instruments.

Vincent Larderet

Ravel: The Complete Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1

A Ravel specialist undertakes a complete cycle of the composer's piano works, with promising results.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal

Sibelius 2 & 5

A strong installment in Nézet-Séguin's Sibelius cycle, playing down the nationalist flavor of the Symphony No. 2.

Yunchan Lim

Chopin: Études

Brilliant and above all youthful readings of Chopin's Études.

Yuuko Shiokawa / András Schiff

Brahms, Schumann

Although recorded at different times, the two works and two performances here are beautifully linked.

The AllMusic 2024

Year InReview

Classical instrumental recordings hearkened back to the past with new interpretations of Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Schubert and Brahms, while also pushing forward with compelling new music from Rebeca Omordia, Laura van der Heijden, and Chromaduo.