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 4/2024, published on 5th October 2024

Quarterly Critic’s Choice

Orchestral Music & Concertos

Beethoven / Isabelle Faust, Berliner Philharmoniker, Bernard Haitink

Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Conzerto op.61 D major & Symphony No. 6 op.68 F major (Pastorale). Isabelle Faust, Berliner Philharmoniker, Bernard Haitink. Blu-ray EuroArts 2061294 (Warner)

Orchestral Music & Concertos

Marie Jaëll: Musique symphonique, Musique pour piano

David Bismuth, Xavier Phillips, Dana Ciocarlie, Romain Descharmes, Chantal Santon-Jeffery, Nicolas Stavy, Lidija & Sanja Bizjak, David Violi, Brussels Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille, Hervé Niquet, Joseph Swensen. 3 CDs Ediciones Singulares ES1022 (Note 1)

Orchestral Music & Concertos

Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Pablo Heras-Casado

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Symphonies No.3 op.56 A minor (Scottish) & No. 4 op.90 A major (Italian). Freiburger Barockorchester, Pablo Heras-Casado. harmonia mundi HMC 902 228

Chamber Music

Debussy: Chamber Music / Kuijken Ensemble

Claude Debussy: String Quartet op.10 L 85, Sonata for Cello L 135, Syrinx for Flute solo L 129, Sonata for Flute, Viola & Harp L 137, Sonata for Violin & Piano L 140. Kuijken Ensemble. Arcana A 392 (Outhere/Note 1)

Keyboard Music

Domenico Scarlatti: 18 Sonatas

Yevgeny Sudbin. SACD BIS-2138 (Klassik Center)

Keyboard Music

Widor: Master of the Organ Symphony

Charles-Marie Widor: Organ Symphonies Nos.5 & 6, Méditation from Organ Symphony No.1, Prélude & Finale from Organ Symphony No.3, Adagio from Organ Symphony No.2, Choral & Finale from Organ Symphony No.7. Gerard Brooks, Daniel Roth, John R. Near, Anne-Isabelle de Parceveaux. 2 CDs, 2 DVDs Fugue State Films FSF DVD 010 (Naxos)

Opera

Claude Vivier: Kopernikus

Svea Schildknecht, Dorothea Winkel, Uta Buchheister, Barbara Ostertag, Neal Banerjee, Ji-Su Park, Florian Kontschak, Opera Factory Freiburg, Holst-Sinfonietta, Klaus Simon. bastille musique bm001 (rudi mentaire distribution)

Lieder and Vocal Recital

Henze: Being Beauteous, Chamber Music of 1958

Hans Werner Henze: Being Beauteous, Chamber Music of 1958. Anna Prohaska, Peter Gijsbertsen, NDR Sinfonieorchester, Peter Ruzicka. Wergo WER 73342 (New Arts International)

Early Music

JS Bach: Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord / Leila Schayegh

Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord BWV 1014-1019. Leila Schayegh, Jörg Halubek. Glossa GCD 923507 (Note 1)

Contemporary Classical Music

Clara Iannotta: A Failed Entertainment. Works 2009-2014

Quatuor Diotima, Trio Catch, Ensemble InterContemporain, Talea Ensemble, Ensemble Garage, Ensemble Recherche, Orchestre des Élèves du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, Matthias Pintscher, Tito Ceccherini. Edition RZ 10023 DAAD/parallele 23 (www.edition-rz.de)

Historical Recordings

The Mono Era 1948-1957

Various Works, various artists. 51 CDs, Deutsche Grammophon DG 479 5516 (Universal)

Crossover Productions

Tord Gustavsen: What was said

Tord Gustavsen, Simin Tander, Jarle Vespestad: What was said. ECM 4758697 (Universal)

Music Film

Robert Trujillo Presents: Jaco

Jaco Pastorius. Featuring Sting, Flea, Bootsy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Peter Eskine, Herbie Hancock. 2 DVDs Iron Horse JP1002 (Galileo MC)

Jazz

Matthias Nadolny, Bob Degen: You’re My Everything

Klaeng-records 013 (www.klaengrecords.de)

Jazz

Angelika Niescier, Florian Weber: NYC Five

Intakt Records CD 263 (harmonia mundi)

World Music

Jaimeo Brown: Transcendence Work Songs

Motema 234152 (Membran)

Traditional Ethnic Music

Mauretanien: Nouakchott & Chinguetti

CD & DVD benkadi fòli serie I. Traditional Music Vol.9, benkadi fòli serie III. Africa in pictures Vol.2 (www.benkadi.org)

German language Singer/Songwriters

Dota: Keine Gefahr

Kleingeldprinzessin 12719 (Broken Silence)

Folk and Singer/Songwriters

Värttinä: Viena

Westpark Music 87305 (Indigo)

Pop

David Bowie: Blackstar

Sony 888 75173862

Alternative

Animal Collective: Painting With

Domino Records WIG CD 362 (GoodToGo)

Club and Dance

Moomin: A Minor Thought

Digipack. Smallville CD 11 (Rough Trade)

Blues and Blues-related

Tommy Schneller Band: Backbeat

Timezone TZ 1036 (www.timezone-records.com)

R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop

Anderson .Paak: Malibu

Steel Wool Entertainment SW 234141 (Membran)

Spoken Word

Margot Friedlander: Versuche, dein Leben zu machen

With Malin Schwerdtfeger. 8 CDs, speak low. Rowohlt Berlin ISBN 978-3-940018-16-8

Recordings for Children and Youth

Andreas Steinhöfel: Anders

Radio Play. Udo Wachtveitl, Friederike Kempter, Walter Renneisen. Silberfisch ISBN 978-3-86742-575-9

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