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.
Orchestral Music & Concertos
Antonin Dvorák: Symphonic Poems
after Karel Jaromir Erben. Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras. Supraphon SU 4012-2 (Codaex)
Orchestral Music & Concertos
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5
Till Fellner, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Kent Nagano, ECM New Series 2114
Chamber Music
Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartets
Trio Wanderer, Antoine Tamestit, HMC 902032 (Helikon Harmonia Mundi)
Keyboard Music
Hommage à Chopin
Edvard Grieg, Pyotr Tschaikowski, Federico Mampou et al. Jonathan Plowright, Hyperion Records CDA67803 (Codaex)
Keyboard Music
Vincent Lübeck: Organ Works
Léon Berben (Organ), Aeolus AE-10571 (Note 1)
Opera
Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung. Peter Seiffert, Juha Uusitalo, Lance Ryan, Petra Maria Schnitzer, Jennifer Wilson et al., Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Musical direction: Zubin Mehta, Stage direction: La Fura dels Baus. 4 DVD, C-Major 700508, 700708, 700908, 701108 (Naxos)
Choral Music
Ernst Krenek: Six Motets
after Franz Kafka, op. 169, Five Prayers op. 97, Kantate von der Vergänglichkeit des Irdischen op. 72, Lamento della Ninfa (Monteverdi/ Krenek), Drei gemischte A-Cappella-Chöre op. 22, Two Choruses on Jacobean Poems op. 87. Caroline Stein (soprano), Philip Mayers (piano), RIAS Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann, HMC 902049 (Harmonia Mundi)
Early Music
Guillaume de Machaut: Ballades
Ensemble Musica Nova, Lucien Kandel, Aeon AECD 0982 (Note 1)
Early Music
John Sheppard: Media vita
& other liturgical works. stile antico, HMU 807509 (Harmonia Mundi)
Contemporary Classical Music
Thierry Pécou: Symphonie du Jaguar, Vague de pierre
Ensemble Zellig, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, François-Xavier Roth & Jonathan Stockhammer. HMC905267 (Harmonia Mundi)
Contemporary Classical Music
Iannis Xenakis: Orchestral Works
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Arturo Tamayo. 5 CD, Timpany 5C1177 (Note 1)
Historical Recordings
»Gott, welch Dunkel hier ...« – Hour Zero
Dresden opera szenes in first radio recordings after 1945. Christel Goltz, Elfride Trötschel, Hans Hopf et al., Staatskapelle Dresden, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Grosses Rundfunkorchester Dresden. 3 CD + Bonus-DVD + Booklet, Profil Hänssler PH 10007 (Naxos)
Historical Recordings
Richter in Hungary 1954-1993
Swiatoslav Richter, Nina Dorliac, Ungarische Staatsphilharmonie, János Ferencsik. 14 CD, BMC 171 (Codaex)
Crossover Productions
Studio Dan: Creatures & other stuff
Jazzwerkstatt records jwr 02/09
Film Music
Alexandre Desplat: The Ghost Writer
Varèse Sarabande / Colosseum 3970072 (Alive)
Music Film
Mariza: Terra Em Concerto
Capitol 6085789 (EMI)
Jazz
Scott Hamilton Scandinavian Five
Live At Nefertiti. CD + DVD, STUCD 09182 Stunt Records (Sunny moon)
Jazz
Paul Motian: Lost In A Dream
Chris Potter, Jason Moran. ECM 2128
Jazz
To Fly To Steal
Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman Quartet. Intakt Records 168
World Music
Amparo Sánchez: Tucson-Habana
Wrasse Records WRASS257
Traditional Ethnic Music
Grigore Lese: Romania, Lapus Song
Ocora C 600023 (Harmonia Mundi)
Traditional Ethnic Music
Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
Ali and Touamani. World Circuit WCD083 (Indigo/ Nuzzcom)
German language Singer/Songwriters
Doppelbock: Voodoo-Jodel
with Christine Lauterburg and Barbara Berger. Narrenschiff Nar 2009060
Nu & Extreme (until 2014)
Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer
Warp Records WARP 172 (Rough Trade/ Good to Go)
Nu & Extreme (until 2014)
Scuba: Triangulation
Hotflush Recordings HFLP003 (Alive)
Blues and Blues-related
Blues Company & the Fabulous BC Horns
O’Town Grooves, Featuring Sax Gordon Beadle & Ana Popovic. in-akustik 9096
R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop
Bob Blank: The Blank Generation
Blank Tapes NYC 1975-1985, Strut / !K7 STRUT053 (Alive)
Recordings for Children and Youth
Hermann Schulz: Mandela and Nelson
The International match. Read by Axel Prahl. 2 CD, ISBN: 9783939375777, Hörcompany (Schaak und Herzog)
Spoken Word
Anton Cechov: Ein Duell
Speaker: Ulrich Matthes. 4 CD, ISBN 978-3-257-80270-2 (Diogenes)