Best of the Year Discs for 2013

by | Jan 17, 2014 | Best of the Year

* = The 12 Multichannel Discs of the Month

CLASSICAL (incl. HI-RES), CLASSICAL REISSUES & CLASSICAL VINYL

BACH: Mass in b, BWV 232 – Soloists/ Collegium Vocale 1704/ Collegium 1704/ Vaclav Luks – Accent ACC 24283 (2 CDs)

BACH: St. Matthew Passion – Soloists/ RIAS Ch. Chorus/ Academie fur Alte Musik Berlin/ Rene Jacobs – Harmonia mundi SACD HMC 802156.58 (2 SACDs + DVD)

BACH: St. John Passion – Ian Bostridge (Evangelist) & other soloists/ Polyphony/ Orch. of the Age of Enlightenment/ Stephen Layton – Hyperion CDA67901 (2 CDs)

BACH: French Overture in b; SCRIABIN: Piano Sonata No. 5; MOZART: Variations on “Salve tu, Domine” by Paisiello; CARTER: Piano Sonata – Orion Weiss, p. – Yarlung Records 78873

A BEETHOVEN Odyssey, Volume 1 = Piano Sonatas: No. 1 in f, Op. 2/1; No. 3 in C, Op.2/3; No. 23 in f, Op. 57, “Appassionata” – James Brawn, p. – MSR Classics MS 1465

* BERLIOZ: Seven Overtures – Bergen Philharmonic Orch./ Sir Andrew Davis – Chandos SACD CHSA 5118

Derek BERMEL:  “Canzonas Americanas” – Canteloupe Music CA21088

* BRITTEN:  War Requiem – Soloists/ Netherlands Radio Choir / Netherlands Children’s Choir/ Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orch./ Jaap van Zweden – Challenge Classics, SACD CC72388 (2 discs)

BRITTEN: Les Illuminations, for soprano and string orchestra; Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge; Serenade for tenor, horn and string orchestra; Now sleeps the Crimson Petal – Candida Thompson – Channel Classics SACD CCS SA 32213

BRITTEN: String Quartets 1, 2 & 3 – Takacs Quartet – Hyperion CDA 68004

* BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 2 – Orch. de la Suisse Romande/ Marek Janowski – Pentatone Classics SACD PTC 5186 448

* COPLAND: Rodeo; Dance Panels: Ballet in Seven Sections; El Salon México; Danzon Cubano – Detroit Sym. Orch./ Leonard Slatkin – Naxos Pure Audio Blu-ray

Brett DEAN: “The Lost Art of Letter Writing” – BIS SACD-2016

DUTILLEUX: Correspondences for Soprano and Orch.; “Tout Un Monde Lointain…” for cello and orch.; Shadows of Time – Barbara Hannigan, sop./ Anssi Karttunen, cello /Orch. Philharmonique de Radio France/ Esa-pekka Salonen – DGG B0017944-02

Gloria Cheng, piano – “The Edge of Light” – Harmonia mundi HMU907578

ERASAMUS of Rotterdam: Praise of Folly – La Capella Reial de Catalunya/ Hesperion XXI/ Jordi Savall – Alia Vox SACD AVSA 9895 A/F (six discs)

Mohammed FAIROUZ:  “Native Informant” – Naxos 8.559744

* “Fiddler’s Spring” = Works of HOLST; RAUTAVAARA; LARSSON; RANGSTRÖM; NORDGEN; WEINER; TOBIAS – Ostrobothnian Ch. Orch./ Juha Kangas – Alba SACD ABCD 330

Michael GANDOLFINI: “From the Institutes of Groove” – BMOP 1028

Philip GLASS: “Einstein on the Beach” – highlights – Orange Mt. Music OMM0082 (CD/DVD)

* SIR EUGENE GOOSSENS Works, Vol. 2 – Melbourne Sym./ Sir Andrew Davis – Chandos SACD CHSA 5119

“Guilty Pleasures” – Rene Fleming, sop./ Philharmonia Orch./ Sebastian Lang-Lessing – Decca B0019033

* “here/after songs of lost voices” = HEGGIE: Camille Claudel: Into the Fire; Pieces of 9/11: Memories from Houston; Soliloquy; Friendly Persuasions: Homage to Poulenc; Rise & Fall; A Question of Light; Fury of Light – Var. performers – Pentatone Classics SACD PTC 5186 515 (2 discs)

HINDEMITH: The Complete Piano Concertos – Idil Biret, p./Yale Sym./Shimada – Naxos 8.573201-02

The Hours Begin to Sing: More Songs by American Composers – Soloists – Pentatone Classics SACD PTC5186 459

PENDERECKI: String Quartet No. 1; String Quartet No. 2; String Quartet No. 3 ‘Leaves of an unwritten diary’; LUTOSLAWSKI: String Quartet – Royal String Quartet – Hyperion CDA67943

Seppo POHJOLA: “Symphonies No. 1 & 2” – Finnish Radio Sym./ Oramo – Alba Records SACD ABCD339

RACHMANINOV: All-Night Vigil – Latvian Radio Choir/ Sigvards Klava – Ondine SACD ODE 1206-5

“Winter Morning Walks” = MARIA SCHNEIDER: Winter Morning Walks; Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories – Dawn Upshaw, sop./ Australian Ch. Orch./ St. Paul Ch. Orch. – ArtistShare

* SCHUBERT: Winterreise – Christoph Pregardien, tenor/ Michael Gees, p. – Challenge Classics SACD CC72596

The Soviet Experience Vol. III – SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartets 9, 10, 11, 12; WEINBERG: String Quartet No. 6 – Pacifica Quartet – Cedille CDR 90000 138

The Soviet Experience Vol. IV – SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartets 13, 14, 15; SCHNITTKE: String Quartet 3 – Pacifica Quartet – Cedille CDR 90000 145

AUGOSTINO STEFFANI: Stabat Mater; Beatis vir; Non plus me ligate; Triduanas a Domino; Laudate pueri; Sperate in Deo; Qui diligit Mariam – Soloists/ Swiss Radio Chorus, I Barocchisti/ Diego Fasolis – Decca 0018947

* R. STRAUSS: Don Juan; Death and Transfiguration; Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks – Pittsburgh Sym. Orch./ Manfred Honeck – Reference Recordings/Fresh! SACD FR-707

* “This England” = ELGAR: Cockaigne; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No. 5; BRITTEN: Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes – Oregon Sym./ Carlos Kalmar – PentaTone SACD 5186 471

* WAGNER: Das Rheingold (comp. opera) – Soloists/ Berlin Radio Sym. Orch./ Marek Janowski – Pentatone Classics SACD PTC 5186 406 (2 discs)

 

JAZZ, POP, FOLK, WORLD MUSIC (Incl. HI-RES)

Beatles…Sgt. Pepper – vinyl Parlaphone/EMI

Eric Burdon – ‘Til Your River Runs Dry – ABCKO  8927-2

The New Gary Burton Quartet – Guided Tour – Mack Avenue MAC1074

Miles Davis Quintet – Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 – Columbia/Legacy (3 CDs & 1 DVD) 88725418532

Deep Purple – The Audio Fidelity Collection – 4-CD Box Set AFZB 019

Aaron Diehl, piano – The Bespoke Man’s Narrative – Mack Avenue MAC 1086

Simone Dinnerstein & Tift Merritt – Night – Sony Classical 88691976572

Fleetwood Mac – Tusk – vinyl Warner Brothers/Reprise 531909

Bill Frisell – Big Sur – Okeh 88883 71738 2

Jimi Hendrix – The Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set – Sony/Legacy Records

LA 6 – Frame of Mind – Jazzed Media JM 1066

Joe Locke – Lay Down My Heart – Motema MTM-121

Midnight Oil – Essential Oils – Columbia/Legacy  (2 CDs) 88725 49763

Alan Parsons – I Robot (2 CDs) – Legacy/Arista Records 88883718652

Houston Person – Nice ’n’ Easy – HighNote HCD 7257

Joshua Redman – Walking Shadows – Nonesuch 532288-2

Rolling Stones…Let It Bleed – vinyl ABKCO 0018771

Woody Shaw – The Complete Muse Sessions – Mosaic MD7-255

Richard Thompson – Electric [deluxe CD] – New West/Proper PRPCDX108

Frank Wess – Magic 101 – IPO Recordings IPOC 1023

 

MUSIC & MOVIE BLU-RAYS & DVDs (Incl. 3D) 

Avatar, Blu-ray 3D – Fox

The Colón Ring: Wagner in Buenos Aires, Blu-ray – C Major

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, Blu-ray – Criterion

Santana & McLaughlin: Invitation to Illumination: Live at Montreux 2011 – Blu-Ray – Eagle Vision EVB334579

Broadway Musicals – A Jewish Legacy – Acorn Media

Life of Pi, Blu-ray 3D – Fox

Bryan Ferry, Live in Lyon Nuits de Fourviere,  Blu-ray – Eagle Vision

Lord of the Flies, Blu-ray – Criterion

MAHLER: Symphonies Nos. 1 – 10; Totenfeier; Das Lied von der Erde – Royal Concertgebouw/var. conductors (11 Blu-rays) – RCO Live

Miles Davis with Quincy Jones, Live at Montreux 1991, Blu-ray – Eagle Eye Media

A Monster in Paris, Blu-ray 3D – Shout Factory

Monsters Inc., Blu-ray 3D 5-Disc Combo Pack – Pixar-Disney

JOHN ADAMS: Nixon in China (complete opera), Blu-ray – Nonesuch

On The Waterfront, Blu-ray – Criterion

The Quatsi Trilogy, Blu-ray, 3 discs – Criterion

VERDI: Requiem, Blu-ray – Unitel

VERDI: Rigoletto, Blu-ray – Unitel

Schindler’s List, Blu-ray – Universal

Allen Toussaint – Songbook DVD – Rounder Records

Wings of Life, Blu-ray – Disney Nature

Zero Dark Thirty, Blu-ray – Sony Pictures

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