The AllMusic 2024

Year In
Review

We 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 an operatic adaptation of The Hours, elegant solo singing and bright, clean playing on a Handel oratorio, and a study of 18th century sacred vocal standards.

William Byrd: The Great Service; English Anthems

Alamire / David Skinner / Stephen Farr / His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts

William Byrd: The Great Service; English Anthems

A splendid version of Byrd's underrated Great Service, with distinctive brass accompaniment.

Janácek: Katya Kabanova

Amanda Majeski / Simon O'Neill / Simon Rattle / London Symphony Orchestra

Janácek: Katya Kabanova

Superb turns by several leads in this driven, dramatically effective Janáček opera.

Messiaen

Barbara Hannigan / Bertrand Chamayou

Messiaen

Convincing readings of early Messiaen, catching the intimate, familial aspect.

George Frideric Handel: Dixit Dominus; Laudate pueri; Nisi Dominus

Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir / Justin Doyle / Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin

George Frideric Handel: Dixit Dominus; Laudate pueri; Nisi Dominus

Muscular but melodically attractive early Handel hits all the right notes.

A Ukrainian Wedding

Cappella Romana / Nadia Tarnawsky

A Ukrainian Wedding

A new departure from this group specializing in music of the Orthodox world succeeds purely as striking all-female choral music.

Rectangles and Circumstance

Caroline Shaw / So Percussion

Rectangles and Circumstance

The singer/composer and versatile percussion quartet reunite for a captivating set guided by 19th century poetry.

Louise Bertin: Fausto

Christophe Rousset / Flemish Radio Choir [Vlaams Radiokoor] / Les Talens Lyriques

Louise Bertin: Fausto

A revival of a remarkable lost opera by a female composer and friend of Berlioz.

Welcome Joy: A Celebration of Women's Voices

Corvus Consort / Louise Thomson

Welcome Joy: A Celebration of Women's Voices

A marvelous collection of works for women's chorus and harp, beautifully recorded.

We Live the Opposite Daring

Ekmeles

We Live the Opposite Daring

Experimental works for vocal ensemble demand and receive the highest level of virtuosity.

George de la Hèle: Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem

El León de Oro / Peter Phillips

George de la Hèle: Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem

A collection of pieces in the neglected Flemish style from Spain, cleanly performed.

Gluck: Orfeo & Euridice

Elsa Dreisig / Jakub Józef Orliński / Fatma Said / Stefan Plewniak

Gluck: Orfeo & Euridice

A fine Gluck performance powered by one of the rising countertenors of the day.

Mozart: Requiem D-moll [2017 Recording]

Genia Kühmeier / Elisabeth Kulman / Mariss Jansons

Mozart: Requiem D-moll [2017 Recording]

A superb live reading of Mozart's unfinished swan song.

Handel: Messiah

John Nelson / The English Concert / Choir of the English Concert

Handel: Messiah

Very strong Messiah with much unfamiliar material, both within the oratorio and as an appendix.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

John Wilson / Sinfonia of London

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

An "authentic performance," so to speak, of Carousel with the complete music and a theatrical ambiance.

Kevin Puts: The Hours

Joyce DiDonato / Renée Fleming / Kelli O'Hara / Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Kevin Puts: The Hours

The premiere of an operatic adaptation of the novel and movie features an equally star-studded cast.

Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin

Julian Prégardien / Kristian Bezuidenhout

Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin

Second-generation historical performance Die schöne Müllerin impresses with its intimate atmosphere.

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo

Julian Prégardien / Stéphane Fuget / Les Épopées

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo

Intense, highly ornamented production of Monteverdi's first opera captures the excitement that must have accompanied the work at its premiere.

Mythos: Schubert, Loewe

Konstantin Krimmel / Ammiel Bushakevitz

Mythos: Schubert, Loewe

A juxtaposition of Schubert with the music of a contemporary throws his style into sharp relief.

John Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man - Seven Poems of Bob Dylan; Vincent Ho: Gryphon Realms

Laura Hynes / Karl Hirzer / Land's End Chamber Ensemble

John Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man - Seven Poems of Bob Dylan; Vincent Ho: Gryphon Realms

Not adaptations of Dylan's songs but fresh musical interpretations of his lyrics.

Idylle

Lea Desandre / Thomas Dunford

Idylle

A bold mezzo-soprano program, equally brilliant in conception and execution.

Lully: Grands Motets, Vol. 4 - Te Deum

Les Épopées / Stéphane Fuget

Lully: Grands Motets, Vol. 4 - Te Deum

Choral works by Lully bring the full splendor of Louis XIV's court.

Himmelfahrt: Bach, Telemann

Lionel Meunier / Freiburger Barockorchester / Vox Luminis

Himmelfahrt: Bach, Telemann

Joyous Ascension pieces from Bach and Telemann are rendered with precision and passion.

The French Album

London Choral Sinfonia / Michael Waldron

The French Album

An embarrassment of riches in this album of French sacred choral music.

Te Deum: Charpentier, Desmarest

Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas / Les Surprises

Te Deum: Charpentier, Desmarest

Contrasting Te Deum settings from the French court goes beyond simple splendor to capture evolving styles.

Handel: Theodora, HWV 60

Louise Alder / Tim Mead / Jonathan Cohen / Arcangelo

Handel: Theodora, HWV 60

Elegant solo singing and bright, clean playing bring this grim martyrdom oratorio alive.

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater; Vivaldi: Nisi Dominus

Maarten Engeltjes / Shira Patchornik / PRJCT Amsterdam

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater; Vivaldi: Nisi Dominus

Magnificent, operatic-styled performances of these 18th century sacred vocal standards.

Czech Songs

Magdalena Kožená / Simon Rattle / Czech Philharmonic

Czech Songs

A splendid recital of little-known material benefits from the husband-and-wife relationship of the principal performers.

Lully: Atys

Marie Lys / Reinoud Van Mechelen / Christophe Rousset

Lully: Atys

A splendid performance of Lully's 1676 tragédie lyrique seethes with energy.

Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite; Falla: El retablo de maese Pedro; Harpsichord Concerto

Pablo Heras-Casado / Airam Hernández / Benjamin Alard / Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite; Falla: El retablo de maese Pedro; Harpsichord Concerto

A fine program of neoclassic works includes lesser-known items by Falla.

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, 1900

Paul McCreesh / Gabrieli Consort / Gabrieli Players / Gabrieli Roar

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, 1900

The premiere historically-oriented performance of The Dream of Gerontius succeeds in general musical terms as well.

Vaughan Williams: A Birthday Garland

Roderick Williams / Susie Allan

Vaughan Williams: A Birthday Garland

Songs by composers from Vaughan Williams' circle, as well as the composer himself, mark his 150th birthday in 2022.

Jacques Offenbach: La Vie parisienne - Version Original Inétral 1866

Romain Dumas / Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse

Jacques Offenbach: La Vie parisienne - Version Original Inétral 1866

Original version of La vie parisienne offers deeper immersion into its joys.

End of My Days

Ruby Hughes / Manchester Collective

End of My Days

A collection of songs about death balances diverse materials in a compelling narrative.

Mozart, R. Strauss: Lieder

Sabine Devieilhe / Mathieu Pordoy

Mozart, R. Strauss: Lieder

A beautifully executed Mozart-Strauss pairing illustrates the Classical side of the latter.

Reflet

Sandrine Piau / Jean-François Verdier

Reflet

French songs familiar and less so, flawlessly sung and organized.

Charles Villiers Stanford: Cushendall - Irish Song Cycles

Sharon Carty / Benjamin Russell / Finghin Collins

Charles Villiers Stanford: Cushendall - Irish Song Cycles

Irish song cycles from an influential composer and educator offering several recorded premieres.

Magnificat 4

St. John's College Choir, Cambridge / Andrew Nethsingha / George Herbert

Magnificat 4

The final volume in this series devoted to the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis genre sums up the effort nicely.

Gabriel Fauré: La Bonne Chanson; L'Horizon chimérique; Ballade; Mélodies

Stéphane Degout / Alain Planès

Gabriel Fauré: La Bonne Chanson; L'Horizon chimérique; Ballade; Mélodies

Carefully tinted dark colors suffuse this release featuring Fauré song cycles intended for a male voice.

Queen of Hearts

The Gesualdo Six / Owain Park

Queen of Hearts

Another sterling foray into the repertory of Josquin and his successors from a crack vocal sextet.

Duruflé: Requiem; Poulenc: Lenten Motets

Trinity College Choir, Cambridge / Stephen Layton

Duruflé: Requiem; Poulenc: Lenten Motets

A marvelous Duruflé Requiem in which young voices bring out the composer's swirling counterpoint.

Briggs: Hail, gladdening Light

Trinity College Choir, Cambridge / Stephen Layton

Briggs: Hail, gladdening Light

Beautifully recorded in Paris, this release explores an unusual contemporary British composer.

Charpentier: Médée

Véronique Gens / Cyrille Dubois / Hervé Niquet

Charpentier: Médée

A fine performance of Charpentier's 1693 opera, capturing its mix of a kaleidoscopic quality and a genuinely grim tale.

Paysage

Véronique Gens / Hervé Niquet

Paysage

A wonderful French orchestral song recital from the seemingly indestructible Gens.

Mozart: Mass No. 7 'Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis'; Missa Brevis in D major; Missa Brevis in B flat major

WDR Rundfunkchor Köln / Christoph Poppen / Cologne Chamber Orchestra

Mozart: Mass No. 7 'Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis'; Missa Brevis in D major; Missa Brevis in B flat major

Little-known Mozart masses in elegant performances continue a fine complete cycle.

Russian Choral Concertos: An Introduction

Yekaterinburg Philharmonic Choir / Andrei Petrenko

Russian Choral Concertos: An Introduction

Gorgeous choral singing marks this examination of a genre with which Western listeners may be only hazily familiar.