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.

Quarterly Critic’s Choice

Quarterly Critic’s Choices before 2010

4/2009

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)

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

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