Your records of the year 2019

[BBMmk2]

Bernard Haitink Portrait is mine, plus tge Mariss Jansons one, Tge Complete SACD Recordings.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Europadisc have just announced their "Top 10 o0f 2019":

Sibelius: Symphony #1/En Saga; GothenburgSO/Santtu-Matias Rouvali (ALPHA)
Chausson: Symphony in B minor/Poeme de l'Amour et de la Mer; Gens/ Orchestre National de Lille/Alexandre Bloch (ALPHA)
Schumann (R & C): Lieder; Kyle Stegall(Tenor)/Eric Zivian (fp) (AVIE)
Bach: Violin Concertos; Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin/Isabelle Faust (Harmonia Mundi)
Brahms: Violin Sonatas. Alina Ibragimova/Cédric Tiberghien (HYPERION)
Janacek: Piano Works; Jan Bartoš (SUPRAPHON)
Bach: Toccatas BWV 910-916; Mahan Esfahani (HYPERION)
Grétry: Raoul Barbe-Bleue; soloists/Orkester Nord/Martin Wåhlberg (APARTE)
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker; ‘Evgeny Svetlanov’State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia/Vladimir Jurowski (PENTATONE)
Palestrina: Lamentations; Cinquecento (HYPERION)

The Palestrina was also "confidently" named as the company's "Record of the Year"

[Goon525]

In no particular order:-

Stenhammer Symphony 2 and Serenade GSO Blomstedt (this might have come out late last year)
Sibelius 1 Rouvali
Shostakovich Symphonies from Boston Nelsons (not least for the outstanding sound quality)
Bach Violin Ctos Faust
Mozart 39 40 41 Ensemble Appassionata Herzog
Korngold Symphony Wilson
Bruckner 9 Pittsburgh Honeck
Bach Orchestral Suites Alessandrini
Falla El Amor Bruja etc Heras-Casada
Gluck Orfeo Ed Euridice Iestyn Davies et al

And my record of the year? Probably the Korngold Symphony. Music I didn’t know by a composer I hadn’t previously rated. Terrific disc.

[silvestrione]

Igor Levit, Life
Philipp Kopachevsky: Brahms Piano Sonata Op. 5, Klavierstücke Op.116-119

You see, that's why I'm struggling so hard to contribute, here, because nearly all of mine break the rules: even the Igor Levit Life is 2018. I'm amazed at a) the number of discs I've bought this year b) how hardly any meet the criteria for this thread!

Imogen Cooper, Iberia y Francia. The artistry on this disc takes my breath away.

[DublinJimbo]

In reverse order of release —

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 3, 6, 7 & 8 — Lorenzo Gatto, Julien Libeer (Alpha)
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, complete — State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov”/ Vladimir Jurowski (Pentatone)
Beethoven: Violin Concerto — Leonid Kavakos, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Sony)
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 2 & 5 — Martin Helmchen, Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin / Andrew Manze (Alpha)
Weinberg: Piano Trio, 3 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Violin Sonata No. 6 — Gidon Kremer, Yulianna Avdeeva, Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė (DG)
"Saga" (Ballads by Schumann, Loewe, Jensen Schubert) — Konstantin Krimmel, Doriana Tchakarova (Alpha)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 — Pittsburgh SO / Manfred Honeck (Reference)
Beethoven: Choral Fantasy, Triple Concerto — Bertrand Chamayou, Alexandra Conunova, Natalie Clein, David Kadouch, Accentus, Insula Orchestra / Laurence Equilbey (Warner)
Schubert: Piano Trios, Arpeggione Sonata, Fantasia — Trio Les Esprits (Sony)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1, En Saga — Gothenburg SO, Santtu-Matias Rouvali (Alpha)

It's interesting to see that four of these are on the excellent Alpha label.

[Braunschlag]

Paul McCreesh, An English Coronation. A superbly exuberant recording and all those youthful voices raising the roof. One of those discs where any supposed HIPP influences make no difference whatsoever - the music making transcends that debatable baggage

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Paul McCreesh, An English Coronation.

- great fun!

[Keraulophone]

Paul McCreesh, An English Coronation. A superbly exuberant recording and all those youthful voices raising the roof. One of those discs where any supposed HIPP influences make no difference whatsoever - the music making transcends that debatable baggage

On spinning this disc, my reaction was the same as that of the Times reviewer: ”This is an astonishing recording ... with bells ringing, the organ thundering, and the vibrant voices of 11 young choirs from the training programme Gabrieli Roar. It swept me away.” The huge scope of the enterprise equalled The Gabrieli Consort & Players’ first, magnificent ‘A Venetian Coronation 1595’ released on the Virgin label twenty-nine year’s ago.


I’ve noticed, since putting my toe in the door of the Twittersphere, that Paul MCreesh’s zeal and support for music education in this country have shone a much-needed blinding light on its vital importance but parlous present state. This noble project based in Ely Cathedral is but one laudable aspect of his crusade to return music education in our state schools to a semblance of what it ought to be.

.

[jayne lee wilson]

In reverse order of release —

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 3, 6, 7 & 8 — Lorenzo Gatto, Julien Libeer (Alpha)
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, complete — State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov”/ Vladimir Jurowski (Pentatone)
Beethoven: Violin Concerto — Leonid Kavakos, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Sony)
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 2 & 5 — Martin Helmchen, Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin / Andrew Manze (Alpha)
Weinberg: Piano Trio, 3 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Violin Sonata No. 6 — Gidon Kremer, Yulianna Avdeeva, Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė (DG)
"Saga" (Ballads by Schumann, Loewe, Jensen Schubert) — Konstantin Krimmel, Doriana Tchakarova (Alpha)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 — Pittsburgh SO / Manfred Honeck (Reference)
Beethoven: Choral Fantasy, Triple Concerto — Bertrand Chamayou, Alexandra Conunova, Natalie Clein, David Kadouch, Accentus, Insula Orchestra / Laurence Equilbey (Warner)
Schubert: Piano Trios, Arpeggione Sonata, Fantasia — Trio Les Esprits (Sony)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1, En Saga — Gothenburg SO, Santtu-Matias Rouvali (Alpha)

It's interesting to see that four of these are on the excellent Alpha label.

Yes, 4 or 5 in my list too.... and many other fascinating releases through 2019... so the very enterprising Alpha is definitely....

LABEL OF THE YEAR!

[Nick Armstrong]

Ah, but do you have the version on Naxos for trombone and piano (I'm not making this up...)?

As deployed on Record Review this morning

[Braunschlag]

‘I’ve noticed, since putting my toe in the door of the Twittersphere, that Paul MCreesh’s zeal and support for music education in this country have shone a much-needed blinding light on its vital importance but parlous present state. This noble project based in Ely Cathedral is but one laudable aspect of his crusade to return music education in our state schools to a semblance of what it ought to be.’


Exactly! I was drawn to it by the Times review first of all and then the promise of hearing PM’s choral education work (I’d sneaked a look at the booklet first).
How refreshing to see and, above all hear, the results of his work. What a refreshing change to hear challenging music sung by enthusiastic children in what must have been a glorious occasion. Far removed from all that lowest-common-denominator ‘outreach’ stuff that plagued schools a decade or so earlier (yes, I do know, I taught for 25 years and some of it was very low level indeed).

[ARBurton]

Paul McCreesh, An English Coronation. A superbly exuberant recording and all those youthful voices raising the roof. One of those discs where any supposed HIPP influences make no difference whatsoever - the music making transcends that debatable baggage

Seconded wholeheartedly!

[Stanfordian]

'Records of the Year' - 2019

Gounod ‘Faust’ (opera in four acts, version 1859)
Benjamin Bernheim, Véronique Gens, Les Talens Lyriques / Christophe Rousset, recorded live 2018 Paris, Bru Zane BZ1037

Ravel - ‘Daphnis et Chloé’ Suites, La Valse, Le Tombeau de Couperin
Münchner Philharmoniker / Sergiu Celibidache rec. live 1979-87, Münchner Philharmoniker Recordings MPHIL0010

J.S. Bach Cantatas
Soloists: Céline Scheen, Nicholas Scott, Benoît Arnould, Le Banquet Céleste / Damien Guillon rec. 2018, Alpha Classics 448

Saint-Saëns - String Quartet No. 1, Piano Quintet
Quatuor Girard, Guillaume Bellom rec. 2018, B-Records LBM018

Puccini ‘Tosca’
Anja Harteros, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Ludovic Tézier, Staatskapelle Dresden/Christian Thielemann, recorded live 2018, C Major Blu-ray 748404

Messiaen - ‘Le Tombeau resplendissant’, ‘Les Offrandes oubliées’, méditation symphonique, ‘Un sourire’, ‘L'Ascension’
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich / Paavo Järvi, recorded 2019, Alpha Classics 548

‘Visions’ - Véronique Gens
Arias from oratorios Massenet, Franck; operas Saint-Saëns, Niedermeyer, Halévy, Godard, Février; opéra-comique David, cantatas Bizet, Bruneau - Véronique Gens (soprano), Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Hervé Niquet, recorded 2017 Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich, Alpha Classics 279

‘Destination Rachmaninov - Arrival’
Rachmaninov, Piano Concertos No’s 1 & 3, Vocalise' & 'The Silver Sleigh Bells' transcribed for piano - Daniil Trifonov (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra / Yannick Nézet-Séguin, recorded live 2018/19, Deutsche Grammophon 483 6617.

‘Offenbach Colorature’ - Jodie Devos
Operetta and opera arias, Jodie Devos (soprano), Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Laurent Campellone, with Adèle Charvet (mezzo-soprano, recorded 2018 Bayerischen Rundfunk, Munich, Alpha Classics 437

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6
Berliner Philharmoniker / Kirill Petrenko, recorded live 2017 Berlin, Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings BPHR190261 SACD

‘Confidence’ - Julien Behr
French Romantic arias from Gounod, Delibes, Bizet, Lehár, Godard & Victorin de Joncières - Julien Behr (tenor), Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon / Pierre Bleuse, recorded 2017, Auditorium de Lyon, France, Alpha Classics 401

Alpha Classics is my label of the year with 5 of my 11 choices

[AmpH]

RECORD OF THE YEAR : J S BACH - The Toccatas - Mahan Esfahani ( harpsichord ) ( Hyperion )

TCHAIKOVSKY - Solo Piano Works - Peter Donohoe ( Signum )

RAUTAVAARA - Vigilia - Helsinki Chamber Choir ( BIS )

H/JC/JM/JS BACH - Kantaten - Vox Luminis / Meunier ( Ricercar )

LA MORTE DELLA RAGIONE - Il Giardino Armonico / Antonini ( Alpha )

SCHUMANN - Dichterliebe etc - Pregardien / Piau / Le Sage ( Alpha )

BEETHOVEN - Piano Sonatas - Igor Levit ( Sony )

PIERRE MONTEUX - Complete Decca Recordings

ALBERT ROUSSEL Edition ( Erato )

[Alison]

Thanks for the steer on Peter Donohoe^s Tchaikovsky which I had missed.

Good stuff for Christmas. Dumka a little masterpiece.