Best Of The Year Discs for 2009

CLASSICAL, incl. Hi-Res & Reissues
THOMAS ADES: The Tempest — Simon Keenlyside/ Cyndia Sieden /Ian Bostridge / Royal Opera Chorus & Orch., Covent Garden/ Thomas Ades — EMI 6 95234 2 (2 CDs)
ALNAES: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 – Terje Mikkelsen, cond. – Sterling SACD CDS 1084-2
RICHARD ARNELL: Sinfonia quasi Variazioni, Op. 13; Symphony No. 1, Op. 31; Symphony No. 6, “ The Anvil ” — Royal Scottish Nat. Orch./ Martin Yates — Dutton 7217
ATTERBERG, FERNANDEZ, BARBER, R. STRAUSS – Toscanini conducts – Guild GHCD 2348
GRAZYNA BACEWICZ: Music for String Orchestra — Concerto for strings; Sinfonietta for strings; Sym. for string orch.; Music for strings, trumpets and percussion — New London Orch. / Ronald Corp — Hyperion CDA67783
J.S. BACH: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1 thru 6 – Academy of Ancient Music/Richard Egarr – Harmonia mundi multichannel SACD HMU 807461.62 (2 discs)
BACH: Well-Tempered Clavier (complete) — Angela Hewitt, piano — Hyperion CDA67741/4 (4 CDs)
BEETHOVEN: Cello Sonatas (complete); 12 Variations on “ See the Conquering Hero Comes ” ; 12 Variations on “ Ein Madchen ode rein Weibchen ” from The Magic Flute; 7 Variations on “ Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen ” from The Magic Flute — Zuill Bailey, cello/ Simone Dinnerstein, piano — Telarc 80740 (2 CDs)
BEETHOVEN: Symphonies No. 3 (”Eroica”) and No. 7 – The Concertgebouw Orch. of Amsterdam /Erich Kleiber – Pristine Classical PASC154
BEETHOVEN: Sym. No. 7 – Stokowski conducting – Cala CACD0551
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonatas – Joseph Fuchs/ Artur Balsam – Naxos Historical 8.111251-253
ALBAN BERG Orchestral Works: Piano Sonata Op. 1; Three Pieces; Der Wein; Passacaglia; Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Three Fragments from “ Wozzeck ” ; Symphonic Pieces from “Lulu”; Wine, Women & Song – Soloists/ Gothenburg Sym./Mario Venzago – Chandos multichannel SACD CHSA 5074 (2)
BERNSTEIN: Serenade after Plato’s “ Symposium ” ; BLOCH: Baal Shem – 3 Pictures of Chassidic Life; BARBER: Violin Concerto Op. 14 – Vadim Gluzman, v./Sao Paulo Sym. Orch./John Neschling – BIS multichannel BIS SACD-1662
BLOCH: Schelomo – Philadelphia Orchestra / Leopold Stokowski; R. STRAUSS: Don Quixote – Emmanuel Feuermann, cello /Philadelphia Orch. /Eugene Ormandy – Pristine Classical PASC168
YORK BOWEN: Sonata No. 2 in E minor; 2 pieces; Waltz in C; First Rhapsody for solo piano; Theme and Variations – Michael Dussek, John Reid, pianos — Dutton 7218
BENJAMIN BRITTEN = Unknown Britten — Les Illuminations; Rondo Concertante; In memoriam Dennis Brain; Untitled Fragment; Variations; Movements for a Clarinet Concerto — Soloists/ Northern Sinfonia /Thomas Zehetmair — NMC D140
ANTON BRUCKNER: Sym. No. 4 ‘ Romantic’ – Bayerisches Staatsorchester/ Kent Nagano – Sony Classical multichannel SACD 88697368812
BRUCKNER: Sym. No. 7 – Oskar Fried conducts – Music&Arts CD-1231
Sergiu Celibidache in Cologne – Orfeo d’Or C 725 085
Shura Cherkassky: The Complete HMV Stereo Recordings – First Hand FHR04
Reisenberg plays CHOPIN – Bridge 9276A/D
Anthony Collins Conducts British Music — SULLIVAN: Overture di ballo; GARDINER: Shepherd Fennell Dance; Grainger: Shepherd’s Hey; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis; Fantasia on “ Greensleeves ” ; DELIUS: Walk to the Paradise Garden; A Song of Summer – New Sym. Orch. of London / London Sym. Orch. – Beulah 1PD26
Echo & Risposta = Virtuoso instrumental music from the Abbey Church of Muri; Canzonis and Sonatas by: Becker, Re, Corradini, Rossi, Gussago, Castello, Etc. – Les Cornets Noirs — Audite multichannel SACD 92572
FALLA: Three-Cornered Hat; La vida breve — Interludio y danza – Suisse Romande /Ernest Ansermet /Teresa Berganza, sop. – Esoteric stereo-only SACD ESSD-90016
FURTWÄNGLER – The Complete RIAS Recordings (Live recordings from 1947-1954) – Yehudi Menuhin/ Gerhard Taschner/ Berlin Philharmonic/ Wilhelm Furtwängler – Audite 21403, (12 CDs + bonus CD)
GRIEG: Piano Concerto; Violin Sonata No. 3; Wedding Day at Troldhaugen; Album Leafs Op. 28 Nos. 1 & 2; Erotikon – Percy Grainger piano roll/Kristiansand Sym. Orch./Rolf Gupta; Bjora – 2L pure audio Blu-ray + hybrid SACD
Szymon Goldberg in Concert – Music&Arts CD-1223
Hilde Gueden, soprano – Nimbus Prima Voce NI 7952/3
HAMERIK: Symphonies – Dausgaard – DaCapo SACD 6200002 (4 discs)
HANDEL: “Twelve Grand Concertos” — Concerti Grossi Op. 6 1-12 – Arte dei Suonatori/ Martin Gester – BIS multichannel SACD1705/06 (3 discs)
HAYDN: Nine Piano Trios – Beaux Arts Trio – PentaTone multichannel SACD PTC 5186 180-1
The Virtual HAYDN – The Complete Works for Solo Keyboard – Tom Beghin plays 7 historical keyboards in 9 virtual rooms – Naxos Box Set (3 pure audio Blu-ray discs + 16:9 video Blu-ray)
And If the Song be Worth a Smile = Works of BOLCOM; GETTY; HEGGIE; GARNER; CORIGLIANO; WOOLF — Lisa Delan, soprano/ Susanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano/ Matt Haimovitz, cello; Kristin Pankonin, p. — Pentatone Multichannel SACD 5186 099
MIECZYSLAW KARLOWICZ: Violin Concerto in A major Op.8; Eternal Songs Op.10 — Agata Szymczewska,violin / Sinfonia Varsovia / Jerzy Maksymiuk — BeArTon multichannel SACD CDB042
STÃLE KLEIBERG: Violin Concerto; Double Bass Concerto – Marianne Thorsen/ Göran Sjölin /Trondheim Sym. Orch. /Daniel Reuss – 2L multichannel SACD 2L59
Constant Lambert conducts – Historic-Recordings HRCD 00030
LANGGAARD: Messis – Flemming Dreisig, pipe organ – DaCapo SACD 6.220528/29 (2)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 10 (Adagio) – Soloists /London Sym. Chorus & Orch. / Valery Gergiev – LSO Live multichannel 2-SACDs 0666
MAHLER: Symphony No. 4 – Miah Persson, soprano /Budapest Festival Orch. /Iván Fischer – Channel Classics multichannel SACD CCSSA26109
MAHLER: Symphony No. 8 — Soloists/Choir of Eltham College/ Choral Arts Society/ London Sym. Chorus and London Sym. Orch./Valery Gergiev — LSO Live multichannel SACD LSO0669
MENDELSSOHN: Magnificat in D; Jesu meine Freude; Tue es Petrus; Wir glauben all an einem Gott; Gloria — Soloists/ Stuttgart Ch. Choir/ German Ch. Phil. of Bremen/F. Bernius – Carus SACD 83.216
MOZART: Piano Quartet No. 1 KV478, Piano Quartet No. 2 KV493 – Mozart Piano Quartet — Mark Gothoni/ Hartmut Rohde/Peter Hörr/ Paul Rivinius – MD&G SACD
MOZART – Clara Haskil and Ferenc Fricsay – Audite CD 23.421
Tribute to David Oistrakh – Berlin Classics 0184612 BC
Andre Previn 80th Birthday Celebration — Previn, cond. & piano/ London Sym. Orch./John Williams, guitar/ John Williams, cond./ Itzhak Perlman, violin/ Pittsburgh Sym./various guest soloists — RCA Red Seal 88697 47250 2
Rachmaninoff Plays RACHMANINOFF — Zenph Re-Performance — Sony BMG/RCA Red Seal 88697-48971-2
Paul Robeson: The Complete EMI Sessions 2 15586-2
NED ROREM: On an Echoing Road — The Prince Consort/ Alisdair Hogarth, dir. & piano — Linn Multichannel SACD 342
SCHUBERT – Furtwangler conducts – Tahra TAH Furt 2006
SCHUBERT: Sonata in D, Op. 53; 3 Piano Pieces, Op. post. D 946 — Sergey Koudriakov, piano — Audite multichannel SACD 92.546
SCHUBERT: Winterreise — Mark Padmore, tenor/ Paul Lewis, piano — Harmonia mundi 907484
SCHUMANN: Dichterliebe Fritz Wunderlich – Hanssler CD 93.701
SHOSTAKOVICH: The Nose (complete opera) – Soloists/ Mariinsky Orch./Valerie Gergiev – Marinsky (2)
SMETANA: String Quartet No. 1; SIBELIUS: String Quartet No.4 Op. 56; Andante Festivo – Kocian Quartet – Praga Digitals multichannel SACD PRD/DSD 250257
Song of Songs = Works of CLEMENS NON PAPA, PALESTRINA, GUERRERO, GOMBERT, LASSUS, VICTORIA, LHERITIER, CEBALLOS, VIVANCO — Stile Antico — Harmonia mundi multichannel SACD 807489
R. STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben; SCHUBERT: Unfinished Symphony – Sanderling cond. – BBC Legends BBCL 4262
R. STRAUSS – Dimitri Mitropoulos conducts – Medici Arts MM035-2
TCHAIKOVSKY & GRIEG Piano Concertos – N. Freire, p./ R. Kempe cond. – HDTT HDCD170
TCHAIKOVSKY, WOLF and SCHNEIDERHAHN – Talich conducts – Pristine Audio PASC 138
Turbulent Heart = VIERNE: Les Djinns; Eros; Ballade du desespere; Psyche; CHAUSSON: Poem of Love and the Sea — Steve Davislim, tenor/ Queensland Orchestra/ Guillaume Tourniaire — Melba Multichannel SACD 301123
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS: Complete Choros and Bachianas Brasileiras – Soloists / Members of Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet with Nigel Shore, cor anglais/ Anders Miolin, guitar / Sao Paulo Sym. Orch. & Choir /John Neschling & Robert Minczuk (BB) — BIS (7 CDs) BISCD1830-32
WEISS: Suites: L’Infidele; in F; in D-minor; Tombeau — Eduardo Eguez, lute — M•A Recordings 078
JOHANN WILHELM WILMS: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4; Overture in D — NDR Radio Philharmonic/ Howard Griffiths — CPO Multichannel SACD 777 209
JAZZ incl. Hi-Res
Ruby Braff – For the Last Time – Historic final performance at Nairn, Scotland – Arbors Jazz ARCD 19368 (2 CDs)
BOB BROOKMEYER: Music for String Quartet and Orchestra – Gustav Klimt String Quartet/Metropole Orch./Bob Brookmeyer – Challenge Jazz
Alex Cline — Continuation — Cryptogramophone
Nels Cline — Coward — Cryptogramophone
Leonard Cohen – Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 – CD & DVD
John Coltrane — Side Steps — 5-CD box set – Prestige/Concord PRS 31345 — (1956-1958)
Chick Corea & Hiromi – Duet – Concord Records 30735 (2 CDs)
Eddie Daniels and Roger Kellaway Live at The Bakery – A Duet of One – IPO Recordings IPOC1015
Eric Dolphy – Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot, Volume 2: Recorded Live [Remastered] – Prestige/Concord
Bill Evans Trio — Turn Out the Stars — The Final Village Vanguard Recordings, June 1980 — Nonesuch 518043-2 — (6 CDs)
Joel Harrison – Urban Myths – HighNote – HighNote HCD 7194
Jon Hassell – Last night the moon came dropping its clothes in the street – ECM 2077
Joe Henry – Blood from Stars – Anti
Fred Jackson, tenor sax – Hootin’ ‘n’ Tootin’ – Blue Note/Analogue Productions/EMI stereo-only SACD CBNJ 84094 SA
Oliver Jones & Hank Jones, pianos – Pleased To Meet You – Justin Time Records JUST 236-2
Sara K., Made In The Shade, Audio-only Blu-ray + Multichannel SACD (2009) – Stockfisch Records SFR 357.7052.2
Steve Kuhn Trio with Joe Lovano – Mostly Coltrane – ECM
Adam Marsland – Go West – Karma Frog
The Ed Palermo Big Band – Eddy Loves Frank – Cuneiform Rune
Tiempo Libre – Bach In Havana – Sony Classical 88697-44701-2
Allen Toussaint – The Bright Mississippi – Nonesuch
Gianluigi Trovesi all’opera – Profumo di Violetta – ECM B0012221-02
Ben Webster – My Romance (Audiophile version) Top Music/Ultra Disc stereo-only UD-SACD 8934.2
Jessica Williams – The Art of the Piano – Origin Records 82542
Gerald Wilson Orchestra — Detroit — Mack Avenue Records MAC 1049
MUSIC DVDs & BLU-RAYS (Classical, Jazz & Pop)
Martha Argerich, Live at Verbier Festival – Medici Arts 3078928
BEETHOVEN: The Complete Nine Symphonies – Berlin Philharmonic/ Claudio Abbado – Medici Arts 2057378 (4 DVDs)
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique – Keeping Score series, Blu-ray (2009) – SFS Media Blu-ray
Bernstein Conducts Bernstein (1985-86/2008) – DGG
Electric Heart – Documentary on trumpeter Don Ellis (2008) – Sights and Sounds Film
Bill Frisell – Blues Dream Live – Image Entertainment
Glenn Gould – Hereafter – documentary by Bruno Monsaingeon – Medici Arts 3073314
HANDEL: Giulio Cesare (complete opera) (2006) – Sarah Connolly (Giulio Cesare)/ Danielle De Niese (Cleopatra)/ others /Glyndebourne Chorus/ Orch. of the Age of Enlightenment/ William Christie – Opus Arte OA 0950 D
JAZZ ICONS Series IV – Coleman Hawkins, Art Farmer, Anita O’Day, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith – Reelin’ in the Years Productions (8 DVDs box, 7 separately)
CHARLES IVES: Holidays Symphony – Keeping Score series (2009) – SFS Media Blu-ray
Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette — Live in Japan 1993 & 1996 (2008) – ECM DVD 177 2710
Quincy Jones 75th Birthday Celebration, Montreux 2008 – Eagle Vision Blu-ray
KHACHATURIAN: Spartacus ballet – Bolshoi Ballet – Blu-ray – Decca 074 3304
Diana Krall Live in Rio (2009) – Eagle Vision Blu-ray
The Complete Monterey Pop Festival (1967/2009) – The Criterion Collection Blu-ray 167
MONTEVERDI: L’incoronazione di Poppea (complete opera) (2009) – Danielle De Niese (Poppea)/ Alice Coote (Nerone)/ Glyndebourne Chorus/ Orch. of the Age of Enlightenment/ Emmanuelle Haim – Decca 074 3339
Grigory Sokolov, piano – Live in Paris (2002/2009) — film by Bruno Monsaingeon – Medici Arts DVD3073888
Woodstock – 3 Days of Peace and Music – 40th-Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition – Warner Bros. Blu-ray (1969/2009)

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