The New Yorker’s Best Classical Music Recordings of 2011
From The New Yorker, December 06 2011
In recent years, I’ve made two end-of-year lists for the magazine, one of memorable live performances and the other of notable recordings. For fear of short-changing a few promising events in the next couple of weeks—Stockhausen and Feldman at ISSUE Project Room, Busoni’s elephantine Piano Concerto with the American Symphony, and Stile Antico in the Music Before 1800 series, among others—I’ll withhold the “live” list until the holidays. Here, though, is a selection of exceptional classical releases from 2011, which may be of assistance as you seek the perfect gift for your curious nephew who likes Fauré. A few audio samples are embedded.
Lully, “Atys”; Bernard Richter, Paul Agnew, Sophie Daneman, Marc Mauillon, Nicolas Rivenq, Cyril Auvity, Stéphanie D’Oustrac, Jaël Azzaretti, with William Christie conducting Les Arts Florissants (FRA Musica DVD and Blu-ray) [see my review of “Atys” at BAM]
“Diva/Divo”: Arias by Massenet, Mozart, Gluck, Rossini, Gounod, Berlioz, Bellini, Strauss; Joyce DiDonato, Kazushi Ono, Lyon Opera Orchestra (Virgin Classics)
“Music for a Time of War”: Ives, Adams, Britten, Vaughan Williams; Carlos Kalmar conducting the Oregon Symphony, with Sanford Sylvan (PentaTone) [see my review of the Spring for Music concert that duplicated this program]
Haydn, String Quartets Op. 74; Takács Quartet (Hyperion)
Ives, Violin Sonatas; Hilary Hahn, Valentina Lisitsa (DG)
Fauré, Complete Chamber Music for Piano and Strings; Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Quatuor Ebène, Nicholas Angelich, Michel Dalberto, Gérard Caussé (Virgin Classics)
John Luther Adams, “Four Thousand Holes,” “… and bells remembered…”; Stephen Drury, Scott Deal, Callithumpian Consort (Cold Blue)
Liszt, “Harmonies du soir,” Ballade No. 2, Six Consolations, etc.; Nelson Freire (Decca)
Britten, “Winter Words,” “Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo”; Nicholas Phan, Myra Huang (Avie)
Berlioz, “Nuits d’été,” Handel arias; Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque (PBP)