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
Orchestral Music & Concertos
Schostakowitsch: Symphonies Nos. 9 & 15
Dmitri Schostakowitsch: Symphonies No. 9 E flat major op.70 and No.15 A major op.141. Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Andrey Boreyko. Hänssler Classic CD 93.284
Orchestral Music & Concertos
Vilde Frang – Tschaikowsky, Nielsen
Peter Tschaikowsky: Violon Concerto op.35 D major. Carl Nielsen: Violon Concerto op.33. Vilde Frang, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Gullberg Jensen. EMI 6 02570 2
Chamber Music
Artemis Quartett – Schubert: String Quartets
Franz Schubert: String Quartets No.13 D 804 A minor »Rosamunde«, No.14 D 810 D minor »Der Tod und das Mädchen« and No.15 D 887 G major. Artemis Quartett. 2 CD. Virgin Classics 5 0999960 251220 (EMI)
Keyboard Music
Schumann: Charakter Pieces I
Robert Schumann: Papillons op.2, Intermezzi op.4, Romanzes op.28 and various small works. Florian Uhlig. Hänssler Classic CD 98.646 (Naxos)
Keyboard Music
Heinrich Scheidemann: Organ Works
Heinrich Scheidemann: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott WV 76, Fantasia in d WV 83, Kyrie Summum WV 12 et al. Hans Leo Hassler: Motette Verbum caro factum est. Leo van Doeselaar, at the van Hagerbeer Organ of Pieterskerk, Leiden. Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG 906 1746-6 (Codaex)
Opera
Peter Tschaikowsky: Eugen Onegin
With Krassimira Stoyanova, Bo Skovhus, Andrej Dunaev et al. Choir of Nederlandse Opera, Royal Concert Gebouw Orkest, Mariss Jansons. Direction: Stefan Herheim. DVD Opus Arte OA 1067 (Naxos)
Choral Music
Herr auf dich traue ich – Nicolai: Psalms
Otto Nicolai: Psalms No.31, No.54, No. 84, No.97 and No.100, Liturgy No.1 and Offertorium in Assumptione Beatae Mariae Virginis. Kammerchor Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius. Carus 83.299 (Note 1)
Lieder and Vocal Recital
Marlis Petersen – Goethe Lieder
Works by Walter Braunfels, Ernst Krenek, Franz Liszt, Hans Sommer, Robert Schumann, Manfred Trojahn, Hugo Wolf et al. Marlis Petersen, Jendrik Springer. Harmonia Mundi HMC 902094
Early Music
Castello, Fontana: Sonate concertate
Dario Castello: 2 Sonatas for Violin solo, 4 Sonatas for Violin and Bassoon. Giovanni Battista Fontana: 4 Sonatas for Violin solo, 3 Sonatas for Violin and Bassoon. John Holloway, Jane Gower, Lars Ulrik Mortensen. ECM New Series 2106/4764641 (Universal)
Contemporary Classical Music
Mauricio Kagel: Chorbuch, Les Inventions d’Adolphe Sax
Cor de Jong, Sepp Grotenhuis, Nederlands Kamerkoor, Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, Klaas Stok, Mauricio Kagel. Winter & Winter 910 191-2 (edel)
Historical Recordings
Samson François – The Debussy Recordings
Claude Debussy: Preludes Livres I & 2, Children’s Corner, Suite Bergamasque, Image I & 2 et al. 3 CD, EMI 50999 638754 2 3
Crossover Productions
Matthias Schriefl: Six, Alps & Jazz
young german jazz. ACT 9670-2 (edel)
Jazz
Ella Fitzgerald: The 1961 Amsterdam Concert
Solar Records 4569915. (harmonia mundi)
Jazz
Louis Sclavis Atlas Trio: Sources
ECM 2282/279 9532 (Universal)
German language Singer/Songwriters
Kai Degenhardt: Näher als sie scheinen
Plattenbau 12030
Folk and Singer/Songwriters
Bande Italiane
Banda Ionica, Opa Cupa, Banda Olifante, Bandadriatica, Municipale Balcanica. Network Medien 495138 (Membran Media)
Pop
Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between
BIG LAKE 471107-2 (Rough Trade)
Independent (until 2014)
Beach House: Bloom
Bella Union / Cooperative Music 0602527976488 (Universal)
Nu & Extreme (until 2014)
WIXIW: Liars
mute CDSTUMM343 (GoodToGo)
Blues and Blues-related
Colin Linden: Still Live
CrossCut Records CCD 12012. (In-Akustik)
R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop
Georgia Ann Muldrow: Seeds
Epistrophik Pea 1989975
Spoken Word
Unerwartet Marseille
Peter Kurzeck tells. 2 CD. Stroemfeld Verlag, Frankfurt ISBN 978-3-86600-007-0
Recordings for Children and Youth
James Krüss: Die Seefahrt nach Rio
With Songs by Wolfgang von Henko, read by Nicki von Tempelhoff. HörCompany Hamburg ISBN 978-3-942587-25-9