DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 / Passacaglia from 'Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk' Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons [ Deutsche Grammophon Shostakovich Under Stalin's Shadow / CD - released 12/Sep/2015 ] "Powerful and beautifully crafted, this recording - the first from the relationship between DG and the Boston Symphony under Nelsons - is a hugely impressive sign of just what this ensemble/maestro partnership may go on to achieve." Gramophone WINNER |
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS / HERBERT HOWELLS / FREDERICK DELIUS / SIR EDWARD ELGAR
Music for Strings John Wilson, Sinfonia Of London [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 3/Feb/2023 ] "I expect it has been said before, but the Sinfonia of London belongs in the Formula 1 class of orchestras, and in this repertoire sits in pole position." Gramophone Award Finalist 2023 - Orchestral |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Jonas Kaufmann - Verismo Arias Jonas Kaufmann (tenor) / Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano [ Decca Music Group / CD - released 2/Oct/2010 ] "Kaufmann has entered this world most completely. His Italian is good, as are his desire and ability to project clearly differentiated characters. He is never afraid to sing softly...and there is plenty of power when needed." Gramophone Award WINNER... |
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Korngold: Die tote Stadt (complete opera recorded in 2019) Bayerische Staatsoper / Jonas Kaufmann, Marlis Petersen, Andrej Filonczyk, Jennifer Johnston / Kirill Petrenko (cond) [ BSO Recordings DVD / 2 DVD - released 30/Jul/2021 ] GRAMOPHONE RECORDING OF THE YEAR - WINNER - "There's a depth and emotional intelligence to this staging that disarmed my initial resistance...on every level, a glorious achievement." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Opera |
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Korngold: Die tote Stadt (complete opera recorded in 2019) (Blu-ray) Bayerische Staatsoper / Jonas Kaufmann, Marlis Petersen, Andrej Filonczyk, Jennifer Johnston / Kirill Petrenko (cond) [ BSO Recordings Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 30/Jul/2021 ] "There's a depth and emotional intelligence to this staging that disarmed my initial resistance...on every level, a glorious achievement." Gramophone Award Finalist 2022 - Opera |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations Mitsuko Uchida (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 8/Apr/2022 ] 'If her performance comes across as a breathtakingly extravagant display of intellect and imagination, that's because this is what Beethoven's music is.' Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Piano |
FRANCESCO CAVALLI
Ombra mai fu: Francesco Cavalli Opera Arias Philippe Jaroussky (counter-tenor) / Ensemble Artaserse, with Emöke Baráth (soprano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 15/Mar/2019 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD NOMINATION 2019 WINNER - Recital |
SAINT-SAENS / FAURE / BERLIOZ / MASSENET etc
Sandrine Piau - Si j'ai aimé Sandrine Piau (soprano) / Le Concert de la Loge, Julien Chauvin [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 24/May/2019 ] Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Recital BBC Music Award Finalist 2020 |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Peter Grimes (complete opera) Stuart Skelton; Erin Wall; Roderick Williams; Susan Bickley; Hanna Husáhr / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner [ Chandos SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 4/Sep/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award WINNER 2021 - Opera |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 & 2 Andras Schiff (piano) [ ECM New Series / 4 CD Box Set - released 20/Sep/2012 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Instrumental |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Goldberg Variations Beatrice Rana (piano) [ Warner Classics / CD - released 1/Mar/2017 ] "Her detailing is one of the aspects that makes this performance so compelling, be it the bringing out of a new line in the repeat, subtle changes in phrasing, a touch of pedal - examples are to be found in every single variation." Gramophone |
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Schumann - Myrthen Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Camilla Tilling (soprano), Gerold Huber (piano) [ Sony Classical / CD - released 18/Oct/2019 ] "Certainly a top choice for this wonderful cycle." Gramophone Awards 2020 Short List - Solo Vocal |
HUGO WOLF
Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch Diana Damrau (soprano), Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Helmut Deutsch (piano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 11/Jan/2019 ] "We're presented with a welcome alternation of moods which beautifully showcase these musicians' enormous expressive versatility." BBC Music Choral & Song Choice April 2019 |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Ode for St Cecilia's Day Dunedin Consort, John Butt (Director), Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Ian Bostridge (tenor), Polish Radio Choir [ Linn Records / CD - released 12/Oct/2018 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD NOMINATION 2019 - Choral |
GABRIEL FAURE
Faure: Quintets with Piano Eric Le Sage (piano) / Quatuor Ébène [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 20/Mar/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Chamber |
GABRIELI / BENDINELLI / etc
A New Venetian Coronation, 1595 Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh [ Signum Records / CD - released 20/Aug/2012 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 2013: Early Music |
EUGENE YSAŸE
Ysaye: Sonatas For Solo Violin, Op.27 James Ehnes (violin) [ Onyx / CD - released 26/Mar/2021 ] 'Ehnes's 'centrist' approach keeps your attention focused on the music, leaving you to marvel at his technique only after you've stopped listening.' Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Instrumental |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Agrippina (complete opera) Joyce DiDonato, Elsa Benoit, Biagio Pizzuti, Franco Fagioli, Andrea Mastroni, Jakub Józef OrliĆski / l Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev [ Erato Classics / 3 CD - released 31/Jan/2020 ] "With DiDonato nonpareil in the title-role and a uniformly strong cast, this now becomes a first choice for Handel's Venetian masterpiece." Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Opera |
LEOPOLD GODOWSKY
Godowsky: The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 12/Jun/2000 ] "It is quite stunning, an extraordinary schievement even by Hamelin's own standards. No one with an interest in the piano should pass this by." Rosette (Highest Rating) - Penguin Stereo Guide |
THOMAS ADES
Adès Conducts Adès Mark Stone (baritone), Kirill Gerstein (piano), Christianne Stotijn (mezzo-soprano), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 28/Feb/2020 ] "...for proof that Adès does what he does with mind-boggling brilliance, look no further." Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Contemporary |
JOSEPH HAYDN
Haydn: The Seasons Marlis Petersen, Werner Güra & Dietrich Henschel / RIAS Kammerchor & Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs [ Harmonia Mundi / 2 CD - released 10/Feb/2014 ] Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice - Awards Issue 2004 Gramophone Awards 2005 Record of the Year Finalist Radio3 Building a Library First Choice - March 2008 Haydn's The Seasons is a two-hour vocal work that praises God and nature and... |
MOZART / MEHUL / OFFENBACH / LEONCAVALLO / LEHAR / WAGNER / RAVEL / etc
Michael Spyres - BariTenor Michael Spyres (baritone/tenor) / Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg, Marko Letonja, Choeur d'hommes de l'Opéra national du Rhine [ Erato Classics / CD - released 1/Oct/2021 ] "The range of roles is astonishing, but then so are these performances...Spyres really is a tenor - and a baritone, it seems - who has the operatic world at his feet." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Vocal & Ensemble |
LEOS JANACEK
Janácek: The diary of one who disappeared & other works Nicky Spence (tenor), Julius Drake (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 28/Jun/2019 ] "Not only does Spence's voice offer a rare mix of steely strength and velvety tenderness but his bright, vibrant timbre communicates a touching, wide-eyed sense of ardent longing, tinged with melancholy." Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Solo Vocal |
CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN
Alkan: Concerto and Symphony for Solo Piano Paul Wee (piano) [ BIS SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Nov/2019 ] "What is almost incredible is that the soloist Paul Wee is not a professional pianist but a highly successful international commercial London lawyer." Gramophone Awards 2020 Short List - Instrumental |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier - Book II [excerpts] Piotr Anderszewski (piano) [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 29/Jan/2021 ] GRAMOPHONE Award WINNER 2021 - Piano |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: String Quintets K.515 & 516 Quatuor Ébène, with Antoine Tamestit (viola) [ Erato / CD - released 17/Mar/2023 ] "While it's always dangerous to nominate an outright 'winner' in this inexhaustible music, the Ébène are second to none in colour and vitality, and unrivalled in their lyrical tenderness. For me they become a new benchmark." Gramophone Award Finalist |
FREDERICK DELIUS
Delius: Sea Drift / Cynara (with Holst - The Hymn of Jesus) Roderick Williams (baritone) / Hallé Choir & Hallé Youth Choir, Halle Orchestra, Mark Elder [ Halle / CD - released 15/Nov/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD NOMINATION 2014 |
GEORGE BENJAMIN
Benjamin: Written on Skin (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Christopher Purves, Barbara Hannigan, Bejun Mehta, Victoria Simmonds / George Benjamin (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Aug/2014 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER 2014 - Contemporary |
J. S. BACH
Sean Shibe: Bach Sean Shibe (guitar) [ Delphian / CD - released 22/May/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award WINNER 2021 - Instrumental |
MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: Orchestral Works (Incls Ma Mère L'oye, Boléro & La Valse) Sinfonia of London, John Wilson [ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 28/Jan/2022 ] "What really shines here is the illumination of so many colouristic permutations, sounding for all the world as if Ravel had just in this moment heard them." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Spatial Audio |
GIACHES DE WERT
Giaches de Wert: Divine Theatre - Sacred Motets Stile Antico [ Harmonia Mundi SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 1/Mar/2017 ] "It is a testament to Werts's emotional immediacy that this album is one of their (Stile Antico's) most engaging recording; polyphony to grab one's attention rather than to carpet a devotional daydream" Gramophone Award Nomination 2017 - Early Music |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Late Quartets Opus 95, 127, 130-133, 135 Takacs Quartet [ Decca Records / 3 CD Box Set - released 12/Dec/2004 ] "Excellent recordings too: sonorous, and with well-judged sense of four-voices-in-one. It doesn't feel all risky to say that this is probably the finest modern set of these great quartets." (BBC) |
TAVERNER / CORNYSH / ANONYMOUS / HENRY VIII
Western Wind: Music by John Taverner & Court Music for Henry VIII Taverner Choir & Players, Andrew Parrott [ Avie / CD - released 1/Mar/2016 ] "Parrott is perhaps more persuasive in conveying its pacing...the sound recording successively juggles a wide range of distributions, from harpsichord to choir, with no apparent discontinuity." (Gramophone Award WINNER 2016 - Early Music) |
JOSEF HAYDN
Haydn: Piano Trios [Nos 14, 18, 21, 26 & 31] Trio Wanderer [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 20/Apr/2018 ] "There is enough clarity around each instrument to make every line audible, which hasn't necessarily been the case in the Wanderer's previous recordings of Romantic music" Gramophone Editor's Choice June 2018 |
FROBERGER / CASPAR / COUPERIN / MUFFAT / etc
Pour passer la Melancolie Andreas Staier (anon. French harpsichord, late 17th century, Joseph Collesse, 1749, restored by Laurent Soumagnac 2000-4) [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 20/Feb/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 2013: Baroque Instrumental |
JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: Tapiola / En Saga / Eight Songs Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano) / Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu (conductor) [ Ondine SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 24/Aug/2017 ] "Lintu's Tapiola does indeed settle into one of the finest performances on record, reconciling the obvious with the mysterious...Again, [En Saga] is a superb performance: rich down below, perky up top, full of delectable solos" Gramophone |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Dissonance Asmik Grigorian (soprano), Lukas Geniušas (piano) [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 8/Apr/2022 ] "Grigorian is utterly compelling throughout. Even on disc, without the visuals, you can hear how Grigorian lives and breathes each song...Pianist Lukas Geniušas is an equal partner dramatically." Gramophone Award WINNER 2022 - Song |
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
J.S. Bach: St Matthew Passion Benjamin Bruns, Christian Immler, Carolyn Sampson, Damien Guillon, etc / Bach Collegium Japan chorus & orchestra / Masaaki Suzuki [ BIS SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 7/Feb/2020 ] "The musicians convey it with infectious zeal...Generic early music politesse is relegated to the shadows" Gramophone Awards 2020 WINNER - Choral |
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Quartet No. 3 / Piano Quintet Belcea Quartet, Piotr Anderszewski (piano) [ Alpha Classics / CD - released 20/Apr/2018 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD NOMINATION 2019 - Chamber |
CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI
Monteverdi: Selva morale e spirituale (complete) Cantus Calln / Junghanel [ Harmonia Mundi Heritage / 3 CD - released 20/Aug/2015 ] Gramophone Award Winner 2002: Baroque vocal - "This set is a remarkable achievement. Anybody at all interested in Monteverdi's music will want to own it." |