Quarterly Critic’s Choice

4/2009

Published: 15.11.2009

DVD and Video Productions

• Piotr Anderszewski – Voyageur intranquille. Film by Bruno Monsaingeon. Medici Arts 3077938

• Aida’s Brothers & Sisters. Black Voices in Opera and Concert. Film by Jan Schmidt-Garré and Marieke Schroeder. Arthaus Music 101 367 (Naxos)

Orchestral Music and Concertos

• Charles Koechlin: Les Bandar-log op. 176; Offrande musicale sur le nom de Bach op. 187. Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Dir.: Heinz Holliger. Hänssler Classic 93.221 (Naxos)

• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5. Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Dir.: Markus Stenz. Oehms Classics OC 650 (Helikon Harmonia Mundi)

• Grazyna Bacewicz: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 3 and 7. Joanna Kurkowicz (Violin), Sinfonieorchester des Polnischen Rundfunks, Lukasz Borowicz. Chandos CD 10533 (Codaex)

• Sergej Prokofjev: Cello Concerto E minor op. 58; Symphonical Concerto E minor op. 125. Alban Gerhardt (Violoncello), Philharmonisches Orchester Bergen, Dir.: Andrew Litton. Hyperion CDA 67705 (Codaex)

Chamber Music

• Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin. Isabelle Faust (Violin), Alexander Melnikov (Piano). Harmonia Mundi 3 CD 902025.27 (Helikon Harmonia Mundi)

• Niccolò Paganini: 24 Capricci. Thomas Zehetmair (Violin). ECM New Series 2124 (Universal 476 33189

Keyboard Music

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Partitas BWV 825-830. András Schiff (Piano). ECM 2 CD 2001/02 (Universal 476 6991)

• Bach – Piano Transcriptions 7: Transcriptions by Max Reger. Markus Becker (Piano). Hyperion 2 CD CDA 67683 (Codaex)

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccatas. Léon Berben (Harpsichord and Organ). Ramée 2 CD RAM 0903 (Codaex)

Opera

• Domènec Terradellas: Artaserse. Anna Maria Panzarella, Céline Ricci, Sunhae Im, Mariví Blasco et al. Reial Companyia Opera de Cambra, Dir.: Juan Bautista Otero. Ramée 3 CD RCOC 0800-3 (Codaex)

• Dmitrij Schostakowitsch: Die Nase. Vladislav Sulimsky, Alexei Tanovitski, Tatiana Kravtsova et al., Mariinsky Soloists, Choir and Orchestra, Dir.: Valery Gergiev. Mariinsky 2 SACD MAR0501 (Note 1)

• Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowsky: Eugen Onegin. Mariusz Kwiecien, Tatiana Monogarova, Margarita Mamsirova, Andrey Dunaev et al., Chorus and Orchestra of the Bolschoi-Theater, Dir.: Alexander Vedernikov. Bel Air DVD BAC 046 DVD (Helikon Harmonia Mundi)

Lieder and Vocal Recital

• Renée Fleming – Verismo. Arias and Duets by Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Puccini, Cilea, Zandonai and Giordano. Renée Fleming (Soprano), Jonas Kaufmann (Tenor), Giuseppe Verdi Sinfonieorchester Milano, Dir.: Marco Armiliato. Decca CD 478 1533 (Universal)

Choral Works

• Elliott Carter: Choral Works. SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Dir.: Marcus Creed. Hänssler Classic 93.231 (Naxos)

• Klaus Huber: Erniedrigt – Geknechtet – Verlassen – Verachtet… Various Soloists, Schola Cantorum Stuttgart, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Sinfonieorchester des SWR Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Dir.: Matthias Bamert, Kenneth Jean, Burkhard Rempe, Arturo Tamayo. Neos 10809 (Codaex)

Early Music

• Nicola Matteis: False Consonances of Melancholy – Ayres for the Violin. Gli Incogniti, Dir.: Amandine Beyer. Zig-Zag Territoires 090802 (Helikon Harmonia Mundi)

• Il Pianto di Maria – Works by Conti, Ferrandini, Monteverdi and Vivaldi. Bernarda Fink (Mezzo Soprano), Il Giardino Armonico, Dir.: Giovanni Antonini. L’Oiseau-Lyre 478 1466 (Universal)

Historical Recordings

• Szymon Goldberg – Centenary Edition Vol. 1: Non-commercial Recordings. Works by Bach, Schumann, Beethoven, Mozart and Strawinsky. Szymon Goldberg (Violin) et al. (1950-1970). Music & Arts 8 CD MACD 1223 (Note 1)

• Friedrich Gulda: The Early RIAS-Recordings. Works by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, Prokofjev et al. Friedrich Gulda (Piano), RIAS-Sinfonieorchester, Igor Markevitch (1950-1959). Audite 4 CD 21.404 (Edel)

Contemporary Classical Music

• Hans Abrahamsen: Schnee – Ten Canons for nine Instruments. Ensemble Recherche. Winter & Winter 910 159-2 (Edel)

Film Music

• Alexandre Desplat: Coco Avant Chanel. Varèse Sarabande/Colosseum VSD 6968 (AL!VE)

Spoken Word

• Sibylle Lewitscharoff: Apostoloff. Reader: Sibylle Lewitscharoff. Der Hörverlag/rbb, 4 CD, ISBN 978-3-86717-502-9

Pop and Rock

• Gossip: Music For Men. Sony Music 97 52922-2

Nu and Extreme

• Ian Simmonds: The Burgenland Dubs. Music Krause/Kompakt mkcd003 (Fatplastics Recordstore)

German Songs, Folk and Folklore

• ewo2: avantipopolo 2. … in dieser Zeit. Jump Up 19

• Loudon Wainwright III: High Wide & Handsome. Proper Records CD 052 (Rough Trade)

• Deitsch: Heimat. Artes Records ARCD 3044

World Music

• Mayra Andrade: stória, stória. RCA Victor / Sony Music 88697526792

Jazz and Blues

• Naurabox Fortissimo – Eine deutsche Jazzologie. Michael Naura. 6 CDs, Gateway 4M Kulturbox 1

• Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters: Living In The Light. Stony Plain SPCD1340 (Fenn Music Service)

• James Carter / John Medeski: Heaven On Earth. Half Note HN 4542 (Rough Trade)

Black Music

• Mos Def: The Ecstatic. Downtown VVR 706844 / V2 Cooperative (Universal 0602527068442)

Recordings for Children and Youth

• Brigitte Jünger: Kunststücke für Kinder. Rembrandt »Die Nachtwache«. With Walter Gontermann, Friedhelm Ptok, Marion Mainka et al. Igel Genius, ISBN 978-3-89353-279-7

• Markus Vanhoefer: Johann Sebastian Bach – The Christmas Oratorio. With Stefan Wilkening, Stefan Hunstein, Burchard Dabinnus, Gabriel Ascanio Hecker et al. Igel Genius, ISBN 978-3-89353-274-2

Crossover Productions

• Aki Takase / Louis Sclavis: Yokohama. Intakt CD 165 (Records)