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 1/2025, published on 5th January 2025
Orchestral Music & Concertos
Joseph Haydn: 12 London Symphonies
Live at Wiener Konzerthaus. Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski, 4 CD, Naïve Classique V5176 (Indigo)
Orchestral Music & Concertos
Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos
Paul Lewis (Piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek, 3 CD, HMC 902053-55 (Harmonia Mundi)
Keyboard Music
Jean-Pierre Leguay: Improvisations
Notre-Dame de Paris, IFO classics ORG 7235.2 (Codaex)
Choral Music
The Sibelius Edition, Vol. 11: Choral Music
YL Male Voice Choir, Orphei Drängar, Jubilate Choir, Dominante Choir et al., 6 CD, BIS-1930/32 (Klassik Center Kassel)
Early Music
Heinrich Ignaz F. Biber: Rosary Sonatas Nos. 1-16
Daniel Sepec (violin), Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Michael Behringer (harpsichord), Lee Santana (lute), 2 CD, Coviello COV 21008 (Note 1)
Contemporary Classical Music
Saed Haddad: Le contredésir and other Works
Ensemble modern, Franck Ollu and Martyn Brabbins; Nina Janßen (clarinet), Saar Berger (horn), Michael M. Kasper (violoncello), Bassem Alkhouri (qanun), Hermann Kretzschmar (piano) Ulrike Stortz (violin), Noriko Kawai (piano), Wergo WER 6578 2 (Note 1)
Historical Recordings
Pierre Monteux
with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Isaac Stern, Leon Fleisher, Rudolf Serkin and Leonid Kogan, Unpublished Concert Recordings 1958/ 1959, 11 CD, Westhill Radio Archive WHRA 6034 (Note1)
Music Film
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui: Rêves De Babel
Documentary on DVD about the choreographer and dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui by Don Kent and Christian Dumais-Lvowski. BelAir Classiques BAC064 (Harmonia Mundi)
Jazz
Good Times
Martin Sasse Trio plus Charlie Mariano. Nagel Heyer Records, NH 2093 (RoughTrade/ Good to Go)
World Music
Natacha Atlas: Mounqaliba
In A State Of Reversal. World Village WVF 479048 (Harmonia Mundi)
Traditional Ethnic Music
Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova
Intimate dialogue, Live At Morgenland Festival Osnabrück. Dreyer Gaido CD 21060 (Note 1)
German language Singer/Songwriters
Felix Meyer: Von Engeln und Schweinen
HoPla Musikproduktion HOP 66705
Folk and Singer/Songwriters
Čači Vorba: True speech
Oriente RIENCD75 (Fenn Music)
Pop
Sky At Night: I Am Kloot
piasr 210 (Rough Trade/ Good to Go)
Nu & Extreme (until 2014)
Mount Kimbie: Crooks & Lovers
Mount Kimbie, Hotflush/ Alive HFCD004
Blues and Blues-related
Spread The Love
Ronnie Earl And The Broadcasters. Stony Plain SPCD 1347 (Fenn Music)
R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop
Aloe Blacc: Good Things
Vertigo 0602527506739 (Universal)
Recordings for Children and Youth
Sven Preger, Ralph Erdenberger: Faust Jr.
The detective agency of science. True Vampires. Speaker: Ingo Naujoks, Bodo Primus et al., Age: From 10 years, 978-3-89353-309-1, Igel Genius