Best of the Year Discs for 2012

by | Dec 28, 2012 | Best of the Year

= 12 Best Multichannel Discs of the Month

CLASSICAL (Incl. HI-RES), CLASSICAL REISSUE & CL. VINYL
ACHRON: Complete Suites for Violin and Piano –  Shaham/Erez – Hyperion CDA 67841
VOLKMAR ANDREAE: Symphony in C Major, Op. 31; Notturno and Scherzo, Op. 30; Music for Orchestra, Op. 35; Kleine Suite, Op. 27 – Bournemouth Sym. Orch. / Marc Andreae – Guild GMCD 7377
ARNOLD: Overtures – London Philharmonic/ Malcom Arnold – Reference Recordings HRx 176.4/24bit files HR-48
* BACH: Sonatas No. 1 in b, BWV 1014; No. 3 in E, BWV 1016; in g, BWV 1020; in b, BWV 1030; in E-flat: Siciliana – Lara St. John, v./ Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp – Ancalagon SACD 139
BEETHOVEN: Diabelli Variations – Andreas Staier, fortepiano – Harmonia Mundi HMC 902091
* BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique; Ov. to Beatrice and Benedict – Scottish Ch. Orch./ Robin Ticciati – Linn SACD CKD 400
YORK BOWEN: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 – BBC Philharmonic/Sir Andrew Davis – Chandos 10670
BRAHMS: Sym. No. 1 – Furtwaengler/Hamburg Philh. – Tahra TAHRA FURT 2010
* BRITTEN: War Requiem – Soloists/ Choir of Eltham College/ London Sym. Chorus/ London Sym./Gianandrea Noseda – LSO Live SACD LSO0719 (2 discs)
ALFREDO CASELLA: Concerto for Orchestra; War Pages; Suite – Orch.  Sinfonica di Roma/Francesco La Vecchia – Naxos 8.573004
Mordecai Shehori plays CHOPIN Etudes – Cembal d’amour CD 170
DE FALLA: Nights in the Gardens of Spain; The Three-Cornered Hat – Clara Haskil, p./Concerts Lamoureux/Markevitch; Teresa Berganza/ Suisse Romande /Ansermet – Praga Digital SACD PRD/DSD 350 064
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 7; Othello Overture; The Wood Dove – Malaysian Philharmonic Orch. / Claus Peter Flor – BIS SACD, SACD-189
ELGAR: Cello Concerto; CARTER: Cello Concerto; BRUCH: Kol Nidre – Alisa Weilerstein, c. – Staatskapelle Berlin/ Daniel Barenboim – Decca B00175592-02
* EDUARD FRANCK: String Quintets in E minor and C Major – Audite SACD 92.578
HANDEL: Agrippina (complete opera) – Soloists / Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / René Jacobs – Harmonia mundi HMC 902088.90, (3 discs)
Bernard HERRMANN: The Battle of Neretva (1969); The Naked and the Dead – highlights – Moscow Sym. Orch./ Stromberg – Tribute Film Classics TFC1007
KALINNIKOV: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 – Malaysian Philharmonic Orch./ Kees Bakels – BIS-1155
“A  Lotus Blossoming” – ZEMLINSKY: Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano – MESSIAEN: Quartet for the End of Time – Ensemble Liaison – Melba MR 301132
* LUTOSLAWSKI [Orchestral Works II]: – Louis Lortie, p./ BBC Sym./ Edward Gardner – Chandos SACD CHSA 5098
* LUTOSLAWSKI: [Orch. Works III] – BBC Sym. Orch./ Edward Gardner – Chandos SACD CHSA 5082
* MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 in D, “Titan” – Budapest Festival Orch./ Ivan Fischer – Channel Classics SACD CCS SA 33112
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 4; “Italian”; Symphony No. 5, “Reformation Symphony” – Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen / Ola Rudner  – Ars Produktion SACD ARS 38 111
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA: Cello Concerto No. 2, “Towards the Horizon”; Modificata; Percussion Concerto, “Incantations” – Ondine Records ODE 1178-2
ROSSINI: Sonate a Quattro – Salvatore Accardo etc. – Philips/F.I.M. LIM UHD 049
“Russian Orchestral Works” – GLAZUNOV: Symphony No. 5; TCHAIKOVSKY: Hamlet; BORODIN: Prince Igor Ov.; In the Steppes of Central Asia – BBC Philharmonic Orch./ Vassily Sinaisky – Chandos BB 028
SCHUBERT: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163 – Arcanto Quartett / Olivier Marron, 2nd cello – Harmonia mundi HMC 902106
* SCHUMANN: Konzertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra; WAGNER: Siegfried-Idyll; R. STRAUSS: Metamorphoses – Bavarian State Orch./ Kent Nagano – Farao Classics SACD S 108061
FRANZ SCHREKER: Der ferne Klang – Soloists /Opera Choir of Augsburg Th. /Augsburg Philharmonic Orch. /Dirk Kaftan – ARS Producktion SACD ARS 38 080 (2 discs)
Beecham conducts SCHUBERT: Ninth – Somm Beecham 29
SHOSTAKOVICH: Orango – Prologue; Symphony No. 4 – DGG B0016868-02
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No.1; Piano Con. No. 2; Violin Con. No. 1 – Praga Digitals SACD PRD/DSD 350 059
SMETANA: Ma Vlast – Lovro von Matacic – Orfeo C 836 112B
Charles Villiers STANFORD: Organ Works – Thomas Winpenny – Resonus RES10104
* R. STRAUSS: Eine Alpensinfonie; Symphonic Fantasy from “Die Frau ohne Schatten” – Sao Paulo Sym./ Frank Shipway – BIS SACD 1950
R. STRAUSS: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Burleske – B. Janis/F. Reiner – HDTT HDCD 264
* STRAVINSKY: Rite of Spring; Firebird Suite; Scherzo; Tango – Budapest Festival Orch./ Ivan Fischer – Channel Classics SACD CCS SA 32112,
* TCHAIKOVSKY :  Symphony No. 1,  “Winter Daydreams;”  The Snow Maiden (excerpts) – Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/ Dmitri Kitajenko – Oehms SACD OC668
ANDREW VIOLETTE: Sonata for Cello & Piano, Sonata for Clarinet & Piano – Innova Records 832
VIVALDI: La Cetra – Twelve Violin Concertos Op. 9  –  Rachel Podger, violin / Holland Baroque Soc. – Channel Classics SACD CCS SA 33412 (2 discs)
WAGNER: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg – Soloists /Rundfunkchor Berlin /Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin/ Marek Janowski – PentaTone Classics SACD PTC 5186 402 (four discs)
JAZZ, POP, FOLK, WORLD (Incl. HI-RES)
Lynne Arriale – Solo – Motéma MTM-83
Beach Boys Re-mastered CD Box Set – Capitol/EMI
David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars – 40th Ann. Edition – Capitol DBZSK40 (vinyl + audio DVD)
Don Cherry – Organic Music Society (1973) – Caprice/Caprice CAP 21827 (2012)
Chicago/The Blues Today – Vanguard/Pure Pleasure USD 792167/8 (3 vinyl LPs)
The Clayton Brothers – The Gathering – Artist Share AS 0118
Anat Cohen – Claroscuro – Anzic ANZ 0040
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas – Columbia/Sony Music 88697 98671 2
Deep Blue Organ Trio – Wonderful – Origin Records 82595
Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Paco DeLuca – Friday Night in San Francisco – Columbia /ORG 125 (2-45 rpm vinyls)
Bill Evans – Live at Art D’Lugoff’s Top of the Gate – Resonance Records HCD 2012
Vijay Iyer Trio – Accelerando – ACT 9542-2
Keith Jarrett – Sleeper (1979/2012) – ECM 2290/91 B0017162-02
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis – Consummation – Blue Note/Pure Pleasure PPAN BST 84346 (vinyl)
Branford Marsalis Quartet – Four Mf’s Playing Tunes – Marsalis Music MARS 0018 (CD + vinyl)
Wes Montgomery – Echoes of Indiana Avenue – Resonance Records HCD 2011
Pink Floyd The Wall – Immersion Box Set – Capitol/EMI
* Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here – EMI/Analogue Productions SACD 5099952243325
John Pizzarelli – Double Exposure – Telarc – TEL 33221 02
Muddy Waters/Rolling Stones – Checkerboard Lounge: Live Chicago 1981 – Eagle Rock Entertainment EV 305529 (CDs + DVD)
Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band – Concord Music CPI 341110
The Paul Winter Sextet – Count Me In: 1962-1963 – Living Music LMU-44
MUSIC (Classical & Jazz) & MOVIE BLU-RAYS & DVDs 
Fellini, Jazz & Co., Blu-ray – EuroArts 2058404
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Sony Pictures 10252929
Hugo, Blu-ray 3D Blu-ray – Paramount 14624
Jazz Icons Series 5 (6 DVDs) – Reelin’ in the Years/Mosaic DVDBX 6001
Kinshasa Symphony, Blu-ray – C Major 709004
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5; The Year 1941 – São Paulo Sym. / Marin Alsop – Naxos audio-only Blu-ray NBD0031
PUCCINI: La Boheme (complete opera), Blu-ray – Kultur 4601
The Lion King, 3D Blu-ray 4-disc Diamond Edition – Disney 106671
Moonrise Kingdom, Blu-ray – Universal Studios Home Entertainment 62123585
Souvenir = TCHAIKOVSKY: Souvenir de Florence; Serenade for Strings in C; CARL NIELSEN: At the Bier of a Young Artist; Suite for String Orchestra – Trondheim Solistene – 2L audio-only Blu-ray  2L 90-PABD
Titanic, 3D Blu-ray – 4-Disc Combo – Paramount 14682
“The Triumphal Way” – Works of BERLIOZ, SAINT-SAENS, DUKAS, MILHAUD, TOMASI & BOZZA – Band of The Norwegian Armed Forces – 2L audio-only Blu-ray & SACD 2L086-SABD
Up, 3D Blu-ray – 5-Disc Combo – Disney 107692
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