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 2/2024, published on 5th April 2024
Chamber Music
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Dissonances
String Quartets KV 421, 465, Divertimento KV 138. Quatuor Ebène. CD Virgin 070922 2 (EMI)
Keyboard Music
Mitsuko Uchida – Schumann
Robert Schumann: Fantasie op. 17, Davidsbündlertänze. Mitsuko Uchida (piano). CD Decca 478 2936 (Universal)
Keyboard Music
Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 10
Bagatelles. Ronald Brautigam. SACD BIS Records 1882 (Klassik Center Kassel)
Opera
Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Staging of Theater Lübeck, Anthony Pilavachi (Stage Direction), Roman Brogli-Sacher (Musical Direction). 7 DVD Musicaphon M56929 (Klassik Center Kassel)
Opera
André Campra: Le Carnaval de Venise
Opéra-ballet. Salomé Haller, Marina de Liso, Andrew Foster-Williams, Alain Buet et al., Choeur et Orchestre du Concert spirituel, Hervé Niquet. CD Glossa GCD 921622 (Note 1)
Choral Music
György Ligeti: Requiem
& Apparitions, San Francisco Polyphony. WDR Sinfonieorchester and Rundfunkchor, SWR Vokalensemble, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Péter Eötvös. CD/ Audio-DVD, BMC CD 166 (Codaex)
Choral Music
Ludus verbalis
Works by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ohana, Francis Poulenc, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Einojuhani Rautavaara et al. Ensemble Vocal Aedes, Mathieu Romano. CD Eloquentia EL 1128 (Harmonia Mundi)
Lieder and Vocal Recital
Krassimira Stoyanova: Slavic Opera Arias
Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Pavel Baleff. CD Orfeo C830111A
Early Music
Tomás Luis de Victoria: Sacred Works
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone. 10 CD Archiv Produktion 477 9747 (Universal)
Early Music
Georg Philipp Telemann: Complete Orchestral Suites Vol. 4
Pratum Integrum Orchestra. 2 CD Caro Mitis CM 0022010-2 (Klassik Center Kassel)
Contemporary Classical Music
Luigi Nono: Risonanze erranti, Post-prae-ludium per Donau
Susanne Otto (alto), Roberto Fabbriciani (flute) Klaus Burger (tuba), Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Experimentalstudio des SWR, Detlef Heusinger. CD NEOS 11119 (Codaex)
Contemporary Classical Music
Michael Gordon: Timber
Slagwerk Den Haag. CD Cantaloupe CA21072 (Naxos)
Historical Recordings
Ludwig van Beethoven: Fidelio, 1948 Dresden Recording
Christel Goltz, Bernd Aldenhoff, Josef Herrmann, Gottlob Frick, Elfride Trötschel, Erich Zimmermann, Werner Faulhaber, Staatskapelle Dresden, Joseph Keilberth. CD (+ DVD) Profil PH10033 (Naxos)
Crossover Productions
Navidad de los Andes
Dino Saluzzi, Anja Lechner, Felix Saluzzi. CD ECM 2204 (Universal)
Music Film
Sounds and Silence
On road with Manfred Eicher. A film by Peter Guyer and Norbert Wiedmer. DVD Arsenal/ ECM 5050 (Universal)
Music Film
Brötzmann
Documentary about the jazz musician Peter Brötzmann by René Jeuckens, Thomas Mau and Grischa Windus. DVD Siegersbusch 001 (Indigo)
Music Film
Eastern Voices At Morgenland Festival Osnabrück
Documentary by Frank Scheffer and Günter Wallbrecht, live Performances Alim & Fargana Qasimov, Ibrahim Keivo, Salar Aghili, Harir Shariatzadeh, Yulduz Turdieva, Morgenland Chamber Orchestra, Nader Mashayekhi. DVD Euro Arts 2058688 (Naxos)
Jazz
Trio 3 & Geri Allen: Celebrating Mary Lou Williams
Live at Birdland New York. CD Intakt Records 187 (harmonia mundi)
Jazz
Archie Shepp, Joachim Kühn: Wo!Man
CD Archie Ball ARCH 1102 (harmonia mundi)
Jazz
Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond
At the Free Trade Hall. CD Solar Records 4569900 (harmonia mundi)
World Music
Charles Lloyd, Maria Farantouri: Athens Concert
2 CD ECM 2205/06 (Universal)
Traditional Ethnic Music
Eastern Voices
Alim & Fargana Qasimov, Yulduz Turdieva, Ibrahim Keivo et al: Eastern Voices – live recorded at Morgenland Festival 2006-2010. CD Dreyer Gaido 21069
German language Singer/Songwriters
Klaus der Geiger: Von allen Seiten
CD Westpark Music 87218
Folk and Singer/Songwriters
Vladimirska: Night Trains
CD Gusstaff Records Gram1101
Blues and Blues-related
Jimmy Reiter: High Priest Of Nothing
CD Pogo Pop JGOP001
Blues and Blues-related
Billy C. Farlow feat. Mercy
Alabama Swamp Stomp. CD Crosscut Records CCD 12013
R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop
Jill Scott: The Light Of The Sun
CD Blues Babe Records/ Warner 9362-49572-7
Spoken Word
So sprach Achill
The Ilias retold by Alessandro Baricco. 21 actors of the Thalia Theater Hamburg. 4 CD Osterwold-Audio / Hörbuch Hamburg ISBN 978-3-86952-098-8
Recordings for Children and Youth
Sylvia Heinlein: Mittwochtage
oder »Nichts wie weg!« sagt Tante Hulda. Ulrike C. Tscharre (speaker) et al., CD Igel Records 978-3-89353-377-0
Recordings for Children and Youth
Gudrun Pausewang: Die Wolke
Laura Maire (speaker). 2 CD Silberfisch ISBN 9783867426909