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

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)

Open