The Best Classical CD's of 2004
Published: December 12, 2004
he classical recording business still has its problems, and it is anyone's guess how the Sony-BMG merger will affect the industry, but obituaries are still premature. Perhaps more labels are beginning to find virtue in the necessity to live small. For whatever reason, the number of truly excellent CD's seems to have risen over the last year or two. So it is with pleasure that the classical music critics of The New York Times here list some of their favorite CD's from 2000.
Till Fellner, pianist (ECM New Series) Bach is basic. And no Bach is more basic than the "Well-Tempered Clavier." So it's fitting that one of the most substantive and rewarding recordings of the year is the young Austrian pianist Till Fellner's lucid and articulate accounts of the 24 preludes and fugues of Book 1.
ANTHONY TOMMASINI
• Review (July 11)
Maurizio Pollini, pianist (Deutsche Grammophon) Always a probing interpreter, Maurizio Pollini plays these works with a passion that his recordings have rarely captured so vividly. Forget the links to Haydn that pianists often underscore in early Beethoven. Mr. Pollini's magnified dynamic contrasts, driven tempos and sharp-edged phrasing make for stormy, high-drama readings that point the way toward full-fledged Romanticism.
ALLAN KOZINN
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, pianist; Thomas Zehetmair, violinist; Clemens Hagen, cellist; Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Warner Classics) The Triple Concerto is still sometimes considered an acquired taste, but not with this lineup of soloists. Here are three of the most thoughtful and engaging musicians around, playing with easy collegiality, earthy vigor, sparkling clarity and a dashing sense of style. The Choral Fantasy is a generous parting gift.
JEREMY EICHLER
• Review (October 24)
Andrew Manze, violinist; Richard Egarr, organist and harpsichordist (Harmonia Mundi France) Biber uses 15 different tunings to mold the violin's voice around his own poetic vision, and these sonatas, by turns serenely prayerful and brilliantly virtuosic, are some of the best pre-Bach violin music out there. Andrew Manze offers stylish and unfussy readings that mix reverence and whimsy in equal parts.
JEREMY EICHLER
University of Michigan School of Music Orchestra and Choruses, Leonard Slatkin (Naxos) William Bolcom worked on his settings of the 46 poems of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" for 25 years. Leonard Slatkin conducts a gripping live performance of this ambitious masterpiece, over two hours of music for orchestra, multiple choruses and soloists that audaciously synthesizes wildly diverse musical styles.
ANTHONY TOMMASINI
• Concert Review (April 12)
Maggini Quartet (Naxos) Here are the first two chapters in a 10-installment "novel" of linked quartets by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who turned 70 this year. They manage to combine intellectual rigor and impressionistic evocations of place (Orkney, Scotland) and time (Sir Peter's own life) in wistful, thoughtful landscapes of music that whet a listener's appetite for the rest of the story.
ANNE MIDGETTE
University of Texas Wind Ensemble, conducted by Jerry Junkin (Reference Recordings) The contemporary works, by Michael Daugherty and David Del Tredici ("In Wartime"), are intriguing, but the real gem is a gleefully anachronistic arrangement of Tylman Susato's collection "Danserye," from 1551. The performance exudes the freshness of youth and a sheer joy in music-making. A glorious noise.
JAMES R. OESTREICH
• Review (April 4)
Leon Fleisher, pianist (Vanguard Classics) After decades of grappling with a hand injury, the eminent pianist Leon Fleisher has made his first recording of two-hand piano works in some 40 years. The performances of works by Bach, Debussy, Scarlatti, Chopin and Schubert could not be more elegant, insightful and affecting.
ANTHONY TOMMASINI
• Audio: Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in E Major, K. 380 (L. 23)
• Related Article: Two Hands, and Three Executives, Are Better Than one (September 26)
Michael Gordon, keyboardist, with ensemble (Nonesuch) Michael Gordon's recent works have mostly been large, theatrical post-Minimalist essays, but he is also a master of the quirky, genre-crossing miniature. He offers eight of those here. Jazz, rock and more esoteric pop styles mingle with electronic sound and conventional strings in these entrancing, imaginative scores.
ALLAN KOZINN
• Audio: 'Tinge'
• Related Article: The New York Composer Better Known Abroad (May 9)
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Harry Bicket (Avie) In this age of hyperbole "great artist" is an overused term. But it's the only one possible for Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who sings with something that goes deeper than mere beauty to get to the pure essence of what music - all music - is about.
ANNE MIDGETTE
• Review (September 7)
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; Pierre-Laurent Aimard, pianist (Warner Classics) Susan Graham homes in on the expressive core of these lovably quirky songs, swinging from tender and heartfelt to playfully puckish. Then, Pierre-Laurent Aimard applies his fabled new-music chops to the "Concord Sonata," making it sound like the thrillingly gnarled, restlessly visionary music it once was - and still is.
JEREMY EICHLER
Theo Bleckmann, vocalist; Phil Kline, guitarist; others (Cantaloupe) From the words American G.I.'s in Vietnam etched on their Zippo lighters, Phil Kline has fashioned brilliant American lieder for the 21st century. Tinged with elements of the psychedelic 60's, as in an elegiac fugue on a Doors song, they communicate with a direct vernacular eloquence.
ANNE MIDGETTE
• Review (January 11)
Hilliard Ensemble (ECM New Series) This 14th-century poet and composer wrote music whose spare and haunting beauty can at first seem disorienting to modern ears. These motets, in a sumptuous performance by the Hilliard Ensemble, make a wonderful introduction, with their undulating polyphony, shivery dissonances and supple vocal lines, each built around its own poetic text.
JEREMY EICHLER
• Review (June 13)
• Audio: 'De souspirant cuer' | 'Fins cuers dous'
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Chailly (Decca) Riccardo Chailly's version of Mahler's Third is at once mystically expansive and luxuriously detailed. He expertly paces and parses the enormous finale, with an ear for the music's lumbering nobility, its trademark mixture of sadness and hope. The Concertgebouw plays with remarkable warmth and depth.
JEREMY EICHLER
• Audio: Symphony No. 3. V. Lustig Im Tempo Und Keck Im Ausdruck
Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Simon Rattle (EMI Classics) Clearly, Simon Rattle continues to energize the storied Berlin Philharmonic. This is a gripping account of Olivier Messaien's ecstatic and amazing final work for orchestra, completed in 1991.
ANTHONY TOMMASINI
• Audio: II. La Constellation du Sagittaire
Ian Bostridge, Patrizia Ciofi; European Voices; Concert d'Astrée, conducted by Emanuelle Haïm (Virgin Veritas) Ian Bostridge proves ideal for the role of Orfeo, as he has proved ideal for so many others. And Emmanuelle Haïm came to the fore this year as one of the freshest younger presences on the international music scene with this recording and the Purcell listed elsewhere.
JAMES R. OESTREICH
• Audio: 'Tu sei morta mia vita'
• Review (March 21)
Véronique Gens, Simon Keenlyside; Concerto Köln, conducted by René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi France) Take a well-known opera, add the conductor René Jacobs, and you get something so fresh and alive you feel you're hearing it for the first time. Following his outstanding "Così Fan Tutte" of 1999, this "Nozze" has the engrossing immediacy of a film and the musical quality of, well, its leads: Simon Keenlyside and the fabulous Concerto Köln.
ANNE MIDGETTE
• Review (June 27)
• Audio: 'Se vuol ballare' | 'Via, resti servita'
Leif Ove Andsnes, pianist; Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (EMI Classics) From his earlier recordings and concert appearances, one might peg Leif Ove Andsnes as a Romantic, but his stylish accounts of these concertos are among the most revelatory Mozart recordings of the year. Mr. Andsnes produces an appropriately crystalline piano sound, but his phrasing is assertive and energetic, qualities the superb ensemble mirrors.
ALLAN KOZINN
• Review (December 5)
Susan Graham, Ian Bostridge; European Voices; Concert d'Astrée, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm (Virgin Veritas) This spectacular recording has everything: the clarity and zestiness of period instruments, thoughtfully applied vocal ornamentation and a healthy measure of conductorial adventurousness, to say nothing of the superb cast. Susan Graham is a regal but passionate Dido, and Ian Bostridge is as dynamic an Aeneas as you'll find on disc.
ALLAN KOZINN
• Review (March 7)
Evelyn Glennie, percussionist; Cho-Liang Lin, violinist; Helsinki Philharmonic, conducted by Leif Segerstam (Ondine) The notion of writing a sequel to Wagner's "Götterdämmerung," and casting it as a percussion concerto, may seem odd, but it is vintage Christopher Rouse. In "Der Gerettete Alberich," a virtuosic percussion line portrays the title role, supported by a rich orchestral score that quotes "Ring" motifs and Led Zeppelin.
ALLAN KOZINN
• Review (August 29)
Ian Bostridge, tenor; Leif Ove Andsnes, pianist (EMI Classics) The meticulous and relentlessly shifting nuance of Ian Bostridge's reading of Schubert's culminating song cycle may not be to everyone's taste. But each sorry turn in the lovelorn wanderer's winter journey is clearly meant to be savored in all its agonizing detail, and Mr. Bostridge is a faithful and compelling guide, beautifully seconded by Leif Ove Andsnes.
JAMES R. OESTREICH
• Concert Review (October 18)
Ionna Forti, soprano; Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Charles Dutoit; others (Decca) Morbid curiosity made me listen to the "Zorba" ballet music; the music's raw excitement and unexpected charm made me listen again. And again. Higher minds and ears will fault the music, if not for its film and folk connections, then for its derivations from Orff and Verdi. Their loss.
JAMES R. OESTREICH
Concerto Köln, conducted by Werner Ehrhardt (Deutsche Grammophon Archiv) It stands to reason that there were good and worthy composers working in Beethoven's shadow, though we haven't heard much of their music. Now, courtesy of the adventurous Concerto Köln, meet Johann Wilhelm Wilms, a German who had a stellar career in Amsterdam, an ebullient and engaging musical personality.
JAMES R. OESTREICH
• Review (September 5)
Rolando Villazón, tenor; Munich Radio Orchestra, conducted by Marcello Viotti (Virgin Classics) Wow, a tenor with a beautiful voice who modifies his vocal style and color to suit the pieces he's singing, imbuing them with genuine feeling and artistry while delivering all the right vocal thrills. Mr. Villazón could be just the tenor we've all been waiting for.
ANNE MIDGETTE
• Concert Review (October 14)
Deborah Voigt, soprano; Bavarian Radio Symphony, conducted by Richard Armstrong (EMI Classics) one of the great dramatic sopranos of all time, in radiant voice, gives enthralling performances of extended scenes from Wagner and Strauss operas.
ANTHONY TOMMASINI
• Audio: Richard Strauss: Elektra, Op. 58: 'Ich kann nicht sitzen'
■ CD 가이드 클래식 명반 100선
1. 몬테베르디 "성모 마리아의 저녁 기도": 가디너(아르히브)
2. 바흐 "브란덴부르크 협주곡": 레온하르트, 브뤼헨, 빌스만, 쿠이켄 외(세온/소니)
3. 바흐 "무반주 첼로 모음곡": 카잘스(EMI)
4. 바흐 "골트베르크 변주곡": 굴드 1981 version(CBS/소니)
5. 바흐 "마태 수난곡": 가디너(아르히브)
6. 비발디 "사계": 유로파 갈란테, 파비오 비온디 (오푸스111)
7. 헨델 "메시아": 가디너(필립스)
8. 모차르트 교향곡 전집: 호그우드(르와조 리르)
9. 모차르트 혼 협주곡집: 브레인, 카라얀(EMI)
10. 모차르트 클라리넷 협주곡: 브레머, 비첨(EMI)
11. 모차르트 피아노 협주곡 20번, 21번: 굴다, 아바도(DG)
12. 모차르트 바이올린 소나타 K.301, 304, 376, 378: 그뤼미오, 하스킬(필립스)
13. 모차르트 "피가로의 결혼": E. 클라이버(데카)
14. 모차르트 "마술 피리": 솔티 구반(데카)
15. 모차르트 "돈 지오바니": 줄리니(EMI)
16. 모차르트 "레퀴엠": 헤레베헤(아르모니아 문디)
17. 베토벤 교향곡 전곡: 가디너(아르히브)
18. 베토벤 교향곡 4번: C. 클라이버(오르페오)
19. 베토벤 교향곡 5번, 7번: C. 클라이버(DG)
20. 베토벤 교향곡 6번 "전원": 블롬슈테트(베를린 클래식스)
21. 베토벤 교향곡 9번 "합창": 푸르트뱅글러[바이로이트 실황](EMI)
22. 베토벤 피아노 협주곡 전곡: 켐프, 켐펜(DG)
23. 베토벤 바이올린 협주곡: 오이스트라흐, 클뤼탕(EMI)
24. 베토벤 3중 협주곡: 리히터, 오이스트라흐, 로스트로포비치, 카라얀(EMI)
25. 베토벤 바이올린 소나타 전곡: 무터(DG)
26. 베토벤 피아노 소나타집: 길렐스(DG)
27. 베토벤 현악 4중주 전집: 부다페스트 현악 4중주단
28. 베토벤 "피델리오": 클렘페러(EMI)
29. 베토벤 "장엄 미사": 가디너(아르히브)
30. 로시니 "세빌리아의 이발사": 바르비소(데카)
31. 파가니니 바이올린 협주곡 전6곡: 아카르도, 뒤트와(DG)
32. 베버 "마탄의 사수": C. 클라이버(DG)
33. 슈베르트 교향곡 8번 "미완성": 클렘페러(EMI)
34. 슈베르트 피아노 5중주 "송어": 커즌, 빈 8중주단 단원들(데카)
35. 베를리오즈 "환상 교향곡": 카라얀 70년대 연주(DG)
36. 쇼팽 피아노 협주곡 1번: 폴리니, 클레츠키(EMI)
37. 쇼팽 피아노 협주곡 2번: 아르헤리치, 로스트로포비치(DG)
38. 쇼팽 "녹턴": 피레스(DG)
39. 쇼팽 "왈츠" 14곡: 리파티(EMI)
40. 벨리니 "노르마": 칼라스, 코렐리, 세라핀(EMI)
41. 멘델스존 교향곡 3번 "스코틀랜드": 마그(데카)
42. 멘델스존 "한여름 밤의 꿈": 클렘페러(EMI)
43. 도니제티 "람메르무어의 루치아": 칼라스, 탈리아비니, 세라핀(EMI)
44. 슈만 피협: 리파티, 카라얀(EMI)
45. 리스트 피아노 협주곡: 리히터, 콘드라신(필립스)
46. 바그너 "니벨룽의 반지": 뵘 바이로이트 축제 실황(필립스)
47. 바그너 "트리스탄과 이졸데": 푸르트뱅글러(EMI)
48. 바그너 "파르지팔": 카라얀(DG)
49. 베르디 "오텔로": 카라얀(데카)
50. 베르디 "라 트라비아타": C. 클라이버(DG)
51. 베르디 "팔스타프": 카라얀(EMI)
52. 베르디 "레퀴엠": 가디너(필립스)
53. 브람스 교향곡 4번: C. 클라이버
54. 브람스 피아노 협주곡 1번, 2번: 길레스(DG)
55. 브람스 바이올린 협주곡: 오이스트라흐, 클렘페러(EMI)
56. 브람스, 모차르트 클라리넷 5중주: 블라흐, 빈 콘체르트하우스 현악 4중주단(웨스트민스터) ♥
57. 그리그 피아노 협주곡: 리파티, 갈리에라(EMI)
58. 브루크너 교향곡 5번: 반트, 베를린 필(RCA)
59. 브루크너 교향곡 7번: 블롬슈테트(데논)
60. 브루크너 교향곡 8번: 첼리비다케(EMI)
61. 브루크너 교향곡 9번: 줄리니(DG)
62. J. 슈트라우스 왈츠집: 보스코프스키(데카)
63. 빈 필의 신년 음악회(J. 슈트라우스 외): 카라얀 87년(DG)
64. J. 슈트라우스 "박쥐": 카라얀(데카)
65. 비제 "카르멘": 카라얀(RCA)
66. 포레 레퀴엠: 코르보(에라토)
67. 차이코프스키 교향곡 4번-6번: 카라얀, 베를린 필(DG)
68. 차이코프스키 피아노 협주곡 1번: 아르헤리치, 콘드라신(필립스)
69. 차이코프스키 바이올린 협주곡: 정경화, 뒤트와(데카)
70. 차이코프스키 피아노 3중주 "어느 위대한 예술가의 추억": 아슈케나지, 펄먼, 해럴(EMI)
71. 말러 교향곡 2번 "부활": 래틀, 버밍엄시 교향악단(EMI)
72. 말러 교향곡 8번: 솔티(데카)
73. 말러 "대지의 노래": 페리어, 파차크, 발터(데카)
74. 말러 교향곡 9번: 카라얀 신반[실황](DG)
75. 마스카니 "카발레리아 루스티카타", 레온카발로 "팔리아치": 카라얀(DG)
76. 푸치니 "라 보엠": 카라얀(데카)
77. 푸치니 "토스카": 칼라스, 데사바타(EMI)
78. 푸치니 "나비 부인": 카라얀(데카)
79. 드보르자크 교향곡 8번, 9번: 쿠벨릭(DG)
80. 드보르자크 첼로 협주곡: 로스트로포비치, 카라얀(DG)
81. 드뷔시 관현악곡집: 마르티농(EMI)
82. 드뷔시 전주곡집: 치머만(DG)
83. 슈트라우스 관현악곡집: 켐페(EMI)
84. R. 슈트라우스 "살로메": 솔티(데카)
85. R. 슈트라우스 "엘렉트라": 솔티(데카)
86. R. 슈트라우스 "로젠카발리어": 카라얀(EMI)
87. 스트라빈스키 관현악 전곡집: 스트라빈스키(CBS/소니)
88. 시벨리우스 교향곡 전집: 데이비스(RCA)
89. 엘가 첼로 협주곡: 뒤프레, 바비롤리(EMI)
90. 레스피기 로마 3부작: 토스카니니(RCA)
91. 베르크 "보체크": 아바도(DG)
92. 바르토크 "현, 타악기, 첼레스타를 위한 음악" 외: 라이너(RCA)
93. 거쉰 "포기와 베스": 래틀(EMI)
94. 브리튼 "피터 그라임즈": 브리튼(데카)
95. 프로코피에프 피아노 협주곡 3번: 아르헤리치, 아바도(DG)
96. 라흐마니노프 교향곡 2번: 아슈케나지(데카)
97. 라흐마니노프 피아노 협주곡 2번: 아슈케나지, 프레빈(데카)
98. 오르프 "카르미나 부라나": 요훔(DG)
99. 쇼스타코비치 교향곡 5번: 콘드라신(멜로디야)
100. 슈베르트 가곡 전집: 피셔-디스카우, 무어(DG)
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