Quarterly Critic’s Choice

The best and most interesting new releases of the previous three months are awarded a place on the Quarterly Critic’s Choice. Evaluation criteria are artistic quality, repertoire value, presentation, and sound quality. From 2014 onward, the Long Lists are stored directly with each Quarterly Critic’s Choice.

NEW: Long List 2/2024, published on 5th April 2024

Quarterly Critic’s Choice

Quarterly Critic’s Choices before 2010

1/2004

1/2004

Published: 20. February 2004

DVD and Video Productions

  • Leos Janácek: Die Sache Makropoulos. Anja Silja, Kim Begley, Victor Braun, Andrew Shore, London Philharmonic, Andrew Davis; Nikolaus Lehnhoff. Warner Music 0630-14016-2
  • Maria Callas – The Callas Conversations (The 1968 Interviews with Lord Harewood. The 1965 Interview with Bernard Gavoty). EMI DVB 490763 9
  • Concert For George – Celebrating The Life And Music Of George Harrison. Warner Music 0349 70241-2

Orchestral Music and Concertos

  • Jean Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7, Tapiola. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo. Erato 0927-49144-2 (Warner)
  • Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 F major op. 68 »Pastorale« (Konzertmitschnitt 1983). Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Carlos Kleiber. Orfeo C 600 031 B
  • Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto A minor op. 16, Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto A minor op. 54. Leif Ove Andsnes (Piano), Berliner Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons. EMI 5 57486 2
  • Edouard Lalo: Symphonie espagnole op. 21, Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3 op. 61, Maurice Ravel: Tzigane. Maxim Vengerov (Violin), Philharmonia Orchestra, Antonio Pappano. EMI 5 57593 2

Chamber Music

  • Ludwig van Beethoven: Die String Quartets. Gewandhaus Quartett. NCA 60139 (Naxos)

Keyboard Music

  • Sergej Rachmaninov: Variations about a theme by Corelli op. 42, Sergej Prokofjev: Sonata No. 7 op. 83, Nikolaj Medtner: Sonata G minor op. 22, Igor Strawinsky: Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka. Jura Margulis. Ars Musici 1362-2
  • Georg Böhm: The Claviersuiten. Mitzi Meyerson (Harpsichord). Glossa 921801 (Note 1)
  • Franz Xaver Anton Murschhauser: Prototypon longo-breve organicum. Léon Berben (Organ). Aeolus 10371 (Audiophile)

Opera

  • Jules Massenet: Manon. Renée Fleming, Marcelo Álvarez et al., Orchestre & Choeurs de l’Opéra National de Paris, Jesús López-Cobos. Sony 90458

Choral Works

  • Ernst Pepping: Heut and Ewig – Liederkreis for Choir after Poems by Goethe. Sächsisches Vocalensemble, Matthias Jung. Tacet 123 (Gebhardt)

Early Music

  • Nova Metamorphosi – Sacral Music in Milan in the beginning of the 17th Century. Le Poème Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre. Alpha 039 (Note 1)

Lieder and Vocal Recital

  • Arcadia – Works by Francesco Gasparini, Benedetto Marcello, Bernardo Pasquini, Arcangelo Corelli, Pietro Paolo Bencini and Alessandro Scarlatti. Andreas Scholl (Countertenor), Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone. Decca 470 296-2 (Universal)

Contemporary Classical Music

  • Elliott Sharp: Racing Hearts, Tessalation Row, Calling. Radio-Symphony-Orchester Frankfurt, Peter Rundel, Ensemble Modern, Kasper de Roo. hr-Music.de hrmn 018-03 (Note 1)

Film Music

  • Ennio Morricone: Arena-Concerto. Roma Sinfonietta, Morricone et al. eastwest 5050466974020 (Warner)
  • Howard Shore: The Lord of the Rings, part III. London Philharmonic et al./Shore (Original Soundtrack). Reprise 9362-48521-2 (Warner)

Spoken Word

  • Arno Schmidt: Nachrichten von Büchern und Menschen. Eleven original Radio Essays. cpo 999 986-2 bzw. ISBN 3-935840-02-0

Pop and Rock

  • Elvis Costello: North. Deutsche Grammophon 980 916-5 (Universal)
  • Ryan Adams: Rock’n’Roll. Polydor 986 132-4 (Universal)

Singer/Songwriter and German Songs

  • Gerhard Schöne: Fremde Federn. Buschfunk 00042

Traditional Ethnic Music

  • Various Musicians: Le Festival au Désert. Exil 3098-2 (Indigo)

Folk and Folklore, World Music

  • Mísia: Canto. Warner 2564-60895-5

Jazz and Blues

  • Dusko Goykovich: Samba do Mar. Enja 9473 2 (Soulfood)
  • Miroslav Vitous: Universal Syncopations. ECM 1863 bzw. 038506-2 (Universal)
  • Louis Sclavis: Napoli’s Walls. ECM 1857 bzw. 038504-2 (Universal)
  • Darrell Nulisch: Times Like These. Severn Records SEV-0020 (Fenn Music Service)

Recordings for Children and Youth

  • Tankred Dorst: Wie Dilldapp nach dem Riesen ging. Reader: Gunter Schoß, Gerald Schaale, Steffen Pietsch,et al. Igel-Records CD 806 bzw. ISBN 3-89353-806-2
  • Lisa Tetzner: Die schwarzen Brüder. Reader: Ulrich Pleitgen, Raiko Küster, Andreas Pietschmann et al. Patmos ISBN 3-491-24087-5

(The name of the German distributor appears in brackets if it differs from the label name.)

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