The experts' choice: 5 favourite recordings from 2011

[Pianorak]

Five cherished recordings new to my collection in 2011:

Jorge Bolet – Liszt Etudes d’Exécution Transcendante (1970)
Garrick Ohlsson: Chopin Preludes & Nocturnes
Nelson Freire: Schumann Papillons etc.
Kathryn Stott: Chabrier Piano Works
Cuarteto Latinoamericano: Piazzolla Milonga del Ángel etc.

The Jorge Bolet is probably the definitive performance (if there be such a thing) of that work, with special mention of the Ricordanza, IMO.

I didn’t include the Germaine Thyssens-Valentin Fauré Nocturnes, aware she followed the composer’s instructions. But was Fauré right? Give me K. Stott and J-P Collard any day.

[makropulos]

My five for 2011 - a tough choice, but here goes:
Suk: Asrael - Mackerras/Czech PO - Supraphon
Bach: Concertos etc. Vol. 5 (and/or Vol. 6) - Café Zimmermann - Alpha (I've been collecting this marvellous series since first finding Vol. 1 in the Grenoble Fnac around 2001, so it's great to have the whole lot now).
Tchaikovsky: Pathéthique Symphony - Mackerras/Philharmonia - Signum
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 - Chailly/Leipzig - Accentus DVD
Vaughan Williams: Job and Symphony No. 8 - Boult/LPO - ICA DVD

[EdgeleyRob]

The following are new to my collection this year and have given me the most pleasure -

Janacek Glagolitic Mass / Kubelik Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra et al.

Martinu complete symphonies / Jarvi Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.

Bartok complete string quartets / Keller Quartet .

ShostakovicH 6 & 12 / Petrenko RLPO.

Mathias Piano Concertos 1 & 2 , RVW Fantasy for piano and orchestra / Mark Bebbington Ulster Orchestra George Vass

[Nick Armstrong]

Mathias Piano Concertos 1 & 2 , RVW Fantasy for piano and orchestra / Mark Bebbington Ulster Orchestra George Vass

Ah! I was going to get that when it came out, forgot about it. Thanks!

[Black Swan]

Interesting what everyone is enjoying from 2011.

My current favorites are:

Mahler: Symphony No. 8 - Chailly/Leipzig - Accentus DVD
Birtwistle: Night's Black Bird, The Shadow of Night and The Cry of Anubis - Halle/Wigglesworth - NMC
Dvorak: Quartet's No. 12 & 13 - Pavel Haas Quartet - Decca
Hanson: Symphonies, Reissues by Naxos - Schwarz/Seattle Symphony - Naxos
Handel: The Eight Great Suites (Keyboard) - Lisa Smirnova - ECM, this is my favorite Christmas gift to myself an excellent recording of all eight suites

John

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I've "saved" making my choice because I knew that Santa was bringing me a set that I suspected should go on my "list".

My "mighty handful":

Belohlavek / BBCSO: Martinu Symphonies. (Glowing, resonant recordings of the performances that first opened my cloth ears to this glorious Music.)
Wigglesworth / Halle: Birtwistle Shadow of Night etc.
Burger; Heusinger / Experimentalstudio des SWR: Nono Risonanze erranti (I've been hoping for a recording of this late masterpiece since 1995. I wasn't disappointed.)
Krivine / La Chambre Philharmonique: Beethoven Symphonies. (Santa's special delivery: performances that made me think again and again "What magnificent Music!" rather than "What good interpretations.")

and
Sarah Leonard; Zoltan Pesko / Frankfurt Radio SO: Feldman, Neither. (A work I sort-of knew about, but which I hadn't heard before buying this disc. It now spontaneously creeps into my subconscious regularly).

(A bit of a cheat, this last: re-issued this year from original recordings made in 1990. But then, as I pointed out earlier, there was nothing in the original Post about "New Recordings".)

Best Wishes.