Records of the Year 2021

[RichardB]

If you go to the Microsoft Store, you'll find VLC media player - although I haven't used it myself to any great degree its a standard recommendation for a media player capable of playing many formats

VLC is great. It's the only software I use for video playback. But for audio I use Vox (also free I think).

[Mario]

It was explained to me by Microsoft’s OneDrive Support (rather helpful I thought), that Groove is not a music player, but merely a database, and can therefore only play tracks, not whole albums.

Microsoft themselves suggested “Music Player”, which matches the music on your device and plays it without pauses between tracks.

Better still is Microsoft’s Music Player MP3, which for a one-time fee of Eur 5.99 unlocks ALL Premium features.

Mario

[Barbirollians]

It looks tempting. I would download it except the B minor sonata is broken up, so I wouldn't be able to listen seamlessly - will get the CD some time soon.

CD was on offer for £4.99 on Amazon the other day- not sure if it still is.

[kea]

I genuinely can't recall any specific favourite, but it's been a long year, and I've spent most of it not listening to music. I don't think I've heard anything released after, say, July, despite adding quite a few new releases to my collection for eventual listening. I do have vague positive memories of the following:

Anna Vinnitskaya Chopin Ballades & Impromptus
Artem Belogurov & Menno van Delft playing a variety of 18th century music for one and two keyboardists
Masaaki Suzuki Bach St. John Passion
Bernard Haitink Bruckner 5 & Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the BRSO
Danish String Quartet Beethoven Op. 131
Alamire Byrd 1588 Songs
Eduard Erdmann Schubert D894-960
Éric Heidsieck Fauré Barcarolles
Eybler Quartet Haydn Op. 33
Frédéric Chiu Prokofiev Complete Piano Works
Herbert Kegel Hindemith Selected Orchestral Music
Ivo Kahánek Dvořák Complete Piano Works
Jean-Guihen Queyras Beethoven Cello Sonatas
Osmo Vänskä Bruckner 3
Svetlin Roussev Grieg/Medtner Violin Sonatas
Takács Quartet/Zoltán Kocsis Schumann Quartets & Schubert Trout Quintet
Ulf Wallin/Roland Pöntinen Reger Complete Violin Sonatas
Zoltán Kocsis Beethoven Op. 111/Schubert D960 (on DVD)

but I could only say with confidence that most of these albums were certainly not released in 2021, and that the Kocsis solo recital would probably be my top selection.

[HighlandDougie]

As well as a good number of the excellent releases listed above, I've derived much pleasure from Leif Ove Andses's "Mozart Momentum" 2 CD set of works written by WAM in 1785/86. Excellent accompaniment by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and imaginative playing from LOA. It includes what is now one of my favourite interpretations of K466 so it will be interesting to see if Tom Service even mentions it next Saturday.

[cloughie]

As well as a good number of the excellent releases listed above, I've derived much pleasure from Leif Ove Andses's "Mozart Momentum" 2 CD set of works written by WAM in 1785/86. Excellent accompaniment by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and imaginative playing from LOA. It includes what is now one of my favourite interpretations of K466 so it will be interesting to see if Tom Service even mentions it next Saturday.

Looks interesting!

[Alison]

As well as a good number of the excellent releases listed above, I've derived much pleasure from Leif Ove Andses's "Mozart Momentum" 2 CD set of works written by WAM in 1785/86. Excellent accompaniment by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and imaginative playing from LOA. It includes what is now one of my favourite interpretations of K466 so it will be interesting to see if Tom Service even mentions it next Saturday.

I found this performance too Beethovenian. Must listen again to see if I feel the same. I doubt that I’ll be explain my opinion!

[HighlandDougie]

I found this performance too Beethovenian. Must listen again to see if I feel the same. I doubt that I’ll be explain my opinion!

Alison

I think that I know what you mean but I also think that K466 can take this type of approach. I particularly like the K482 in this set - wonderful woodwind playing from the Mahler CO (whom I heard last year in this concerto with Mitsuko Uchida in the RFH - also pretty good as a performance).

[Mandryka]

I genuinely can't recall any specific favourite, but it's been a long year, and I've spent most of it not listening to music. I don't think I've heard anything released after, say, July, despite adding quite a few new releases to my collection for eventual listening. I do have vague positive memories of the following:

Anna Vinnitskaya Chopin Ballades & Impromptus
Artem Belogurov & Menno van Delft playing a variety of 18th century music for one and two keyboardists
Masaaki Suzuki Bach St. John Passion
Bernard Haitink Bruckner 5 & Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the BRSO
Danish String Quartet Beethoven Op. 131
Alamire Byrd 1588 Songs
Eduard Erdmann Schubert D894-960
Éric Heidsieck Fauré Barcarolles
Eybler Quartet Haydn Op. 33
Frédéric Chiu Prokofiev Complete Piano Works
Herbert Kegel Hindemith Selected Orchestral Music
Ivo Kahánek Dvořák Complete Piano Works
Jean-Guihen Queyras Beethoven Cello Sonatas
Osmo Vänskä Bruckner 3
Svetlin Roussev Grieg/Medtner Violin Sonatas
Takács Quartet/Zoltán Kocsis Schumann Quartets & Schubert Trout Quintet
Ulf Wallin/Roland Pöntinen Reger Complete Violin Sonatas
Zoltán Kocsis Beethoven Op. 111/Schubert D960 (on DVD)

but I could only say with confidence that most of these albums were certainly not released in 2021, and that the Kocsis solo recital would probably be my top selection.

Some of these I can enthusiastically endorse - the Kocsis Schubert, the Mozart sonata in the Belogurov/van Delft (not heard the rest), the Erdmann 894 especially and maybe the 959, the Heidseick barcarolles. But my main reason for posting was to say thank you for pointing out the Eybler Haydn (I enjoyed their Beethoven very much) and the Danish Quartet’s op 131 too - I liked their Shostakovich 15 possibly more than any other!

[Mandryka]

New releases (in no particular order):

1) Martinu - Les Fresques, Parables, Estampes etc - Netopil (Supraphon)
2) Barbara Monk Feldman - Verses (Another Timbre)
3) Andrew McIntosh - A moonbeam is just a filtered sunbeam (Another Timbre)
4) Victoria - Officium Hebbdomadae Sanctae - Savall (Alia Vox)

Others:

1) John Cage - Two2 - Knoop/Thomas (Another Timbre)
2) Kali Malone - The Sacrificial Code (Perfect)

I like the McIntosh, thanks for mentioning it.

[Dave2002]

I'm having difficulty grasping what you mean by "broken up, so I wouldn't be able to listen seamlessly". Do you not have access to a basic audio editor such as Audacity? Just copy and paste the four movements together. That said, some players have no problem playing FLACs, etc. seamlessly. Then there are those CD players which, contrary to the Philips/Sony spec., do not support gapless playback.

Audacity should do the job. Perhaps worth trying that if there are only two files to be joined together. It's pretty easy to use. If there are many short files to be joined - which can happen sometimes - then it is almost certainly easier to buy a CD - assuming that one's player is not one which won't do gapless playback.

[BBMmk2]

A veritable treasure trove!

[Dave2002]

That Liszt recital is magnificent - probably my favourite performance now of the sonata.

Just been trawling through earlier threads to find pieces to listen to on Tidal. Grosvenor's Liszt is stunning.

[Joseph K]

Grosvenor's Liszt is stunning.

Agreed!