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
Weinberg: Symphony No. 17 / Vladimir Lande
Mieczysław Weinberg: Symphony No. 17 op.137 »Memory«, Suite for Orchestra. Siberian State Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Lande. Naxos 8.573565
Orchestral Music & Concertos
Lalo & Manén / Tianwa Yang
Édouard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole. Joan Manén: Concierto Espagnol. Tianwa Yang, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Catalonia, Darrell Ang. Naxos 8.573067
Chamber Music
Schulhoff: Complete String Quartets
Erwin Schulhoff: Complete String Quartets. Alma Quartet. 2 CDs, Gutman Records 161 (Direct Distribution/www.gutmanrecords.com)
Keyboard Music
Transcendental: Trifonov plays Liszt
Franz Liszt: 12 Études d’exécution transcendante, Études de Concert 1-3, Grand Études de Paganini 1-6. Daniil Trifonov. 2 CDs, Deutsche Grammophon 479 5529 (Universal)
Keyboard Music
Bach Mirrored / Maurizio Croci
»Bach Mirrored« Johann Sebastian Bach: Präludien & Fugen BWV 532 & 543, Fantasie & Fuge BWV 542 & 944, Präludium BWV 545a & 870b, Tokkata BWV 912, Fantasia Chromatica BWV 903. Maurizio Croci. Fra Bernardo fb 1611911 (Note 1)
Opera
Mikhail Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila
Albina Shagimuratova, Yuri Minenko, Almas Svilpa, Mikhail Petrenko, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Charles Workman, Elena Zaremba. Vladimir Ognovenko, Alexandre Polkovnikov. Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski, Regie Dmitri Tcherniakov. 2 DVDs, Bel Air BAC120 (Naxos)
Choral Music
The Mirror Of Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi: Missa in illo tempore. Madrigals by Nicola Vicentino, Cesare Trudino, Glaches de Wert, Luca Marenzio. Huelgas Ensemble, Paul van Nevel. deutsche harmonia mundi dhm 88875143482 (Sony)
Lieder and Vocal Recital
Mozart: Arias / Regula Mühlemann
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Opernarien. Regula Mühlemann, Kammerorchester Basel, Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli. Sony 8898 5337582
Early Music
François Couperin / Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset
François Couperin: Ariane Consolée par Bacchus, Concert instrumental sous le titre d’apothéose composé à la mémoire de l’incomarable Monsieur de Lully, Le Parnasse ou l’Apothéose de Corelli. Stéphane Degout, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset. Aparté AP130 (harmonia mundi)
Contemporary Classical Music
Luxus / LUX:NM
Works by Paul Frick, Gordon Kampe, Steingrimur Rohloff, Maximilian Marcoll, Sarah Nemtsov. Ensemble LUX:NM. Genuin GEN 16443 (Note 1)
Historical Recordings
Ginette Neveu – Beethoven / Brahms
Ludwig van Beethoven: Konzert für Violine & Orchester D-Dur op.61. Johannes Brahms: Konzert für Violine & Orchester D-Dur op.77. Ginette Neveu, Sinfonieorchester des SWF Baden-Baden, Hans Rosbaud; Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française, Roger Désormière. 2 CDs, SWR music 19018 (Naxos)
Crossover Productions
Federspiel: Smaragd
»…eng verbunden mit essen, trinken, küssen, atmen, leben«. Ensemble Federspiel. col legno WWE 20435 (harmonia mundi)
Federspiel won also in Jury Traditional Ethnic Music.
Film Music
Ennio Morricone — 60 Years Of Music
Susanna Rigacci, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Ennio Morricone. Decca 570007 (Universal)
Music Film
Philo Bregstein: Otto Klemperer’s Long Journey Through His Times
& Klemperer – The Last Concert. New Philharmonia Orchestra, Daniel Adni. 2 DVDs + 2 CDs, Arthaus 109289 (Naxos)
Music Film
Sami Yaffa: Sound Tracker – Explore The World In Music
Documentation by Otso Tiainen. 12 DVDs Monarda Arts/Arthaus Musik 109 295-306 (Naxos)
Jazz
Daniel Erdmann’s Velvet Revolution
A Short Moment Of Zero G. Daniel Erdmann, Théo Ceccaldi, Jim Hart. Budapest Music Center BMC CD239 (Note 1)
World Music
Gaye Su Akyol
Hologram Ĭmparatorluğu. Glitterbeat CD 132162 (Indigo)
German language Singer/Songwriters
Stoppok
Operation 17. Grundsound 131182 (Indigo)
Folk and Singer/Songwriters
Faustus
Death And Other Animals. Westpark 87323 (Indigo)
Pop
Solange Knowles
A Seat At The Table. Columbia 889853874620 (Sony)
The album also won in der R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop.
Rock
The Rolling Stones
Blue & Lonesome. Universal 572 383-3
Hard and Heavy
High Spirits
Motivator. High Roller HRR 500 (Soulfood)
Alternative
Radian
On Dark Silent Off. Thrill Jockey 424 (Good to Go)
Electronic and Experimental
Kate Tempest
Let Them Eat Chaos. Caroline LP CHAOS23, CD CHAOS24 (Universal)
Blues and Blues-related
Joe Bonamassa
Live At The Greek Theatre. 2CDs Mascot / Provogue PRD75072 (Die 4MA)
Spoken Word
Wolf Biermann: Warte nicht auf bessre Zeiten!
Burghart Klaußner. 10 CDs, HörbucHHamburg ISBN 978-3-95713-063-1
Recordings for Children and Youth
Unter meinem Bett 2
Songs for Children of the best German Bands and Songwriters. Laing, Das Bo & Co, Erdmöbel, Lisa Bassenge, Enno Bunger, Die Höchste Eisenbahn, Bela B, Cäthe, Locas In Love, Deniz Jaspersen, Die Liga der gewöhnlichen Gentlemen, Erobique & Jacques Palminger, Albrecht Schrader, Dota. 1LP + 1CD, Oetinger Audio ISBN 426-0-17378-827-3