In the association Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award), music critics and journalists from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have come together to award outstanding music and spoken word productions.

Current Winners

  • Club and Dance
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Club and Dance

    Sofia Kourtesis: Madres

    CD/2 LPs/Digital, Ninja Tune ZEN292 (Rough Trade)

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  • Hard and Heavy
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Hard and Heavy

    Sulphur Aeon: Seven Crowns And Seven Seals

    CD/LP/Digital, Ván Records VAN 370 (Soulfood)

    Mehr
  • Historical Recordings
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Historical Recordings

    475 years of the Staatskapelle Dresden

    »100 years of recordings« – works by R. Strauss, Wagner, Brahms, Borodin, Tschaikowsky and others. Fritz Busch, Rudolf Kempe, Karl Böhm, Kurt Sanderling, Joseph Keilberth, Herbert Blomstedt, Bernard Haitink, Christian Thielemann and others. 10 CDs, Profil PH23007 (Profil Medien)

    Mehr
  • Lieder and Vocal Recital
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Lieder and Vocal Recital

    Enigma

    »The world asks the old question« – music by Andreas Tsiartas, Sergej Rachmaninow, Franz Schubert, Olivier Messiaen, Jörg Widmann and others. Sarah Aristidou, Daniel Arkadij Gerzenberg, Jörg Widmann. Alpha Classics ALPHA 740 (Naxos)

    Mehr
  • Keyboard Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Keyboard Music

    Waves

    Jean-Philippe Rameau: Gavotte et six Doubles, Les Sauvages, Rondeau »Les Tendres plaintes«, Rondeau »Les Cyclopes«, Menuets I & II from »Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin«, La Poule and works by Charles Alkan and Maurice Ravel. Bruce Liu. Deutsche Grammophon 486 4400 (Universal)

    Mehr
  • Recordings for Children and Youth
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Recordings for Children and Youth

    Robert M. Sonntag: The Scanners

    (Die Scanner). Omid-Paul Eftekhari. mp3 CD, derDiwan Hörbuchverlag ISBN 978-3-949840-26-5

    Mehr
  • German language Singer/Songwriters
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    German language Singer/Songwriters

    Johannes Kirchberg: »Wie einst Lili Marleen«

    A meeting with the poet Hans Leip. dermenschistgut Musik CD 250692 (Indigo)

    Mehr
  • Opera
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Opera

    Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana

    Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (original version). Carolina López Moreno, Giorgio Berrugi, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Domen Križaj, Eva Zaïcik, Balthasar Neumann Chorus & Orchestra, Thomas Hengelbrock. Prospero PROSP0088 (Note 1)

    Mehr
  • Jazz
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Jazz

    Stacey Kent: Summer Me, Winter Me

    CD/2 LPs, naïve BLV 8224 (Soulfood)

    Mehr
  • Film Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Film Music

    Robbie Robertson: Killers of the Flower Moon

    Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film. Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Adam Nielsen, Andy Stein, Osage Tribal Singers and others. CD/LP, Masterworks 19658855272 (Sony)

    Mehr
  • Early Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Early Music

    Werner: Masses and Motets

    Gregor Joseph Werner: Masses and Motets (Vol. 3). Magdalene Harer, Anne Bierwirth, Tobias Hunger, Markus Flaig, Voktett Hannover, la festa musicale, Lajos Rovatkay. Audite 97.819 (Note 1)

    Mehr
  • Keyboard Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Keyboard Music

    Byrd: Harpsichord and organ music

    William Byrd: Complete harpsichord and organ music. Pieter-Jan Belder. 9 CDs, Brilliant Classics 97074 (Edel)

    Mehr
  • Contemporary Classical Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Contemporary Classical Music

    Lucia Dlugoszewski: Abyss and Caress

    Klangforum Wien, Johannes Kalitzke, Tim Anderson, Peter Evans, Ilan Volkov. 2 CDs, col legno WWE 2 CD 20460 (Naxos)

    Mehr
  • Orchestral Music & Concertos
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Orchestral Music & Concertos

    Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2

    Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 C minor op. 18, Corelli Variations op. 42 and other works. Kirill Gerstein, Berliner Philharmoniker, Kirill Petrenko. SACD, Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings BPHR230469 (direct sales)

    Mehr
  • Opera
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Opera

    Porpora: Polifemo

    Nicola Antonio Porpora: Polifemo. Yuriy Mynenko, Max Emanuel Cenčić, Pavel Kudinow, Julia Lezhneva, Sonja Runje, Narea Son, Armonia Atenea, George Petrou. 3 CDs, Parnassus Arts Productions PARARTS 003 (Note 1)

    Mehr
  • Chamber Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Chamber Music

    Schumann: Piano Quartet & Quintet

    Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet in E flat major op. 47, Piano Quintet in E flat major op. 44. Isabelle Faust, Anne Katharina Schreiber, Antoine Tamestit, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Alexander Melnikov. harmonia mundi HMM 902695

    Mehr
  • Orchestral Music & Concertos
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Orchestral Music & Concertos

    Bacewicz: Symphonies No. 3 & 4

    Grażyna Bacewicz: Symphonies No. 3 & 4, Ouverture. BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo. SACD, Chandos CHSA 5316 (Note 1)

    Mehr
  • Rock
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Rock

    Teenage Fanclub: Nothing Lasts Forever

    CD/LP, PeMa PEMA20 (Rough Trade)

    Mehr
  • Jazz
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Jazz

    Koma Saxo & Petter Eldh: Post Koma

    CD/LP, We Jazz WJCD 50 (Indigo)

    Mehr
  • R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop

    Joy Denalane: Willpower

    CD/LP, Four Music Productions 19658842502 (Sony)

    Mehr
  • World Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    World Music

    Les Mamans du Congo & Rrobin: Ya Mizolé

    CD/LP/Digital, Jarring Effects CD26081 (Broken Silence)

    Mehr
  • Electronic and Experimental
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Electronic and Experimental

    Tonn3rr3 x Bikay3: It’s A Bomb

    Digital, Born Bad Records BB169 (Cargo)

    Mehr
  • Choral Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Choral Music

    Schumann: Missa sacra

    Robert Schumann: Missa sacra op. 147, Four double-choir songs op. 141. Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš. SACD, BIS Records BIS-2697 (Klassik Center)

    Mehr
  • Chamber Music
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Chamber Music

    Solo

    Works for Violin by Nicola Matteis, Johann Georg Pisendel, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, Johann Joseph Vilsmayr. Isabelle Faust. harmonia mundi HMM 902678

    Mehr
  • Blues and Blues-related
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Blues and Blues-related

    The Bluesanovas: Big Love

    CD/LP, Timezone Records TZ 2456 (Timezone Distribution)

    Mehr
  • Spoken Word
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Spoken Word

    Voices of the century 1945-2000

    (Jahrhundertstimmen 1945-2000) – German history in over 300 original recordings. Edited by Hans Sarkowicz, Ines Geipel, Ulrich Herbert, Michael Krüger, Christiane Collorio. 4 mp3 CDs, der Hörverlag ISBN 978-3-8445-4902-7 (Penguin Random House)

    Mehr
  • Pop
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Pop

    Róisín Murphy: Hit Parade

    CD/LP/Digital, Ninja Tune ZEN290 (Rough Trade)

    Mehr
  • Folk and Singer/Songwriters
    Quarterly Critic’s Choice
    01/2024
    Folk and Singer/Songwriters

    Gudrun Walther & Andy Cutting: Conversations

    Artes Records ARCD 6040 (Galileo)

    Mehr

We strive for independent judgments, untouched by the interests of producers and the music industry. With currently 32 specialist juries we cover the entire, diverse spectrum of genres, from symphonic music to opera to harpsichord music and spoken word, from jazz to folklore and heavy metal to rock and hip-hop. We publish Quarterly Critic’s Choices honoring the best new releases and also present Annual Awards and Honorary Awards, as well as the »Nachtigall« (Nightingale).

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News

The »Ausgezeichnet! 2024« Brochure is here!
25.03.2024

The »Ausgezeichnet! 2024« Brochure is here!

On around one hundred pages, our new PdSK brochure reports on good music from all genres: presented are the titles awarded a place on the Critics’ Choice best list from 2023 and the Annual and Honorary Award winners of 2023/24.

The current critic’s choice 1/2024 is here!
15.02.2024

The current critic’s choice 1/2024 is here!

Today the German Record Critics’ Award publishes the first quarterly list for 2024.

Schedule

  • 05.04.2024
    Publication

    Long List 2/2024

  • 04.05.2024
    Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie

    Quartet of Critics (Topic: D. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8)

  • 09.05.2024
    Dortmund, Oper

    Quartet of Critics (Topic: R. Wagner: Das Rheingold)

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