[Retitled] Critics Choice 2011

[amateur51]

Moreover who is to say a classic is essential or even a classic? No doubt Panjandrum could

In the matters of what strikes one as a record of the year, surely one know best for oneself what fits the bill. We cannot let others dictate to us what we like or savour.

Quite so Alf-Prufrock!

However I greatly enjoy being led by a Programme such as this and by some of the members here to consider pieces/performances that they have enthused about and that make welcome discoveries for me - an expensive approach sometimes, no doubt, but the wonderful Spotify often assists in keeping the mistakes to a minimum.

[Nick Armstrong]

Bah humbug!

I have to confess that this struck me as a bizarre undertaking. It seems de rigueur for someone to play the part of Marley's Ghost on these occasions:last year, Jeremy Summerly took it upon himself to criticise Rob Cowan's choices; this year, Harriet Walters seemed determined to have nothing but contumely for dear old Simon Hayes' choices.

You really do seem to have listened to a different programme from the one I heard, a programme in which Dame Harriet took a rather truculent part (I wonder what one of leading actresses was doing reviewing CDs)

Opened the Xmas bottle of Baileys a few days early, Panny, you festive old thing you??!

[french frank]

By request, thread moved from BAL to CD Review and retitled.

[makropulos]

Bah humbug!

I have to confess that this struck me as a bizarre undertaking. It seems de rigueur for someone to play the part of Marley's Ghost on these occasions:last year, Jeremy Summerly took it upon himself to criticise Rob Cowan's choices; this year, Harriet Walters seemed determined to have nothing but contumely for dear old Simon Hayes' choices. Incidentally, given that these were supposed to be their records of the year, did anyone else find it odd that Hayes admitted that he could conceive of better performances of the Arne than the one under review? I mean,come on, unless the record is superlative in every respect how can it be the record of the year? It also struck me, that none of the pieces chosen were of undisputed masterpieces. Interesting repertoire but not "essential classics" to use a phrase in currency.

Harriet *Smith* surely?

Really, I didn't find it at all bizarre - they were asked to talk about their favourite records of the year (not necessarily "indusputably great") - and why does a record have to be "superlative in every respect" to be a favourite? For instance, many of my favourites are live performances (with occasional slips) or survive in questionable sound (but that doesn't stop me finding them quite wonderful) and so on.

As for picking an "undisputed masterpiece" that had nothing to do with the task at hand - but the Bartók Second Violin Concerto, Smetana's Má Vlast, Dvorak's Op. 96 and 106 Quartets, Tallis's Spem in Alium, Ravel's Gaspard... these are hardly minor works.

[Nick Armstrong]

Harriet *Smith* surely?

Quite