We’re catching up on some Grammy nominees and, of course, there were the holiday music releases, but along with all of those are some stand-out performances worth sampling. French mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre recorded a wide-ranging program of love songs. Speaking of French music, Xavier Phillips (pictured) and Cédric Tiberghien collaborated to cover all of Fauré’s music for cello. Two other noteworthy new releases cover music by Arvo Pärt, one by Cappella Romana and one by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Enjoy!
Akmi Duo – Beyond the Wall
Joseph Alessi, UNLV Wind Orchestra, Thomas G. Leslie – Joe’s Tango: Concerto for Trombone & Other Works
Nicholas Angelich – Hommage
Howard Arman, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks – Angelus ad Pastores: Weihnachtsgeschichte
Piotr Beczała, Rosa Feola, Quinn Kelsey, Daniele Rustioni – Verdi: Rigoletto
Leonard Bernstein – The Maestro: The Very Best of Leonard Bernstein
Brooklyn Rider – The Wanderer
A.B. Spellman, Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith – Passion for Bach and Coltrane by Jeff Scott
Julia Bullock, Christian Reif – Walking in the Dark
Cappella Romana, Alexander Lingas – Arvo Pärt: Odes of Repentance
Gautier Capuçon – Destination Paris
Chiaroscuro Quartet – Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 74 & 130
David Childs, Rex Richardson, Black Dyke Band, Nicholas Childs – Peter Graham: Force of Nature
Ya-Fei Chuang, Laurence Cummings, Academy of Ancient Music, Robert Levin – Mozart: Piano Concertos K242, K315f, K365
Concert Clemens, Adam Riis, Carsten Seyer-Hansen – Hugo Distler: Die Weihnachtsgeschichte
Christoph Croisé, Oxana Shevchenko – 1883: R. Strauss, Grieg, Fauré
Lise Davidsen – Christmas from Norway
Delgani String Quartet, Clarice Assad – Soul of Brazil
Lea Desandre, Thomas Dunford – Idylle
Karine Deshayes, Les Paladins, Jérôme Corréas – Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate!
Maxim Emelyanychev, Scottish Chamber Orchestra – Felix Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5
Maxim Emelyanychev, Ivan Podyomov, Il Pomo d’Oro – Mozart: The Symphonies – Symphonies 29 & 40; Oboe Concerto
Ensemble Resonanz, Riccardo Minasi- Mozart: Symphonies 36 ‘Linz’ – 38 ‘Prague’
Isabelle Faust, Anne Katharina Schreiber, Antoine Tamestit, Jean-Guihen Queyras – Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet & Quintet
Eric Ferring, Quatuor Agate, Madeline Slettedahl – We have tomorrow
The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park – Morning Star
Ghost Train Orchestra, Kronos Quartet – Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog
Nathanaël Gouin, Sinfonia Varsovia, Aleksandar Markovic – Caprice
Andrew Grams / Chineke! Orchestra – The Nutcracker Suite: Tchaikovsky arr. Ellington, Strayhorn, Tyzik
Thomas Guthrie, Barokksolistene – Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin
IKON, David Hill – Venite, Gaudete!: Choral Music for Christmas
John Jeter, Fort Smith Symphony – Louis Wayne Ballard: The Four Moons; Devil’s Promenade; Fantasy Aborigine No. 3 ‘Kokopelli’; Scenes from Indian Life
Tõnu Kaljuste, Maria Listra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra – Arvo Pärt: Tractus
Kebyart – Traum der Jugend
King’s College Choir of Cambridge, Britten Sinfonia, Daniel Hyde – Rutter: Orchestral Carols
Wilhem Latchoumia – Villa-Lobos: Do Brasil
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra – Berlioz: Les Nuit d’Été; Ravel: Shéhérazade; Saint-Saëns: Mélodies Persanes
Alexandra Mackenzie, Ingrid Sawers – Beyond Twilight: Music for cello & piano by female composers
Oleg Maisenberg, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Adam Fischer – Grieg: Piano Concerto, Op. 16; Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy, Op. 15
Anthony McGill, Pacifica Quartet – American Stories
Choir of Merton College, Oxford; Benjamin Nicholas – Bob Chilcott: Christmas Oratorio
Anne Akiko Meyers, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel – Fandango: Márquez, Ginastera
The Mozartists, Ian Page – Sturm und Drang, Vol. 3
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, London Symphony Orchestra – Maestro: Music by Leonard Bernstein [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Aisslinn Nosky, Handel & Haydn Society – Mozart: Violin Concertos, Vol. 2
Maxime Pascal, Le Comèdie-Française, Le Balcon – Weill-Brecht-Hauptmann: L’Opéra de Quat’sous
Bruno Philippe, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach, Tanguy de Williencourt – Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1; Franck, Fauré, Poulenc
Xavier Phillips, Cédric Tiberghien – Fauré: L’Oeuvre pour Violoncelle et Piano
Rowan Pierce, Roderick Williams, Christopher Glynn – Schubert in English, Vol. 4
Mathieu Romano, Ensemble Aedes, Les Siècles – Poulenc: Stabat Mater; Litanies à la Vierge noire
Johannes Rostamo, Jacob Mühlrad, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Pablo Heras-Casado – Jacob Mühlrad: REMS
François-Xavier Roth, Les Siècles – Saint-Saëns: Symphonic Poems; Le Carnaval des Animaux; L’Assassinat du Duc de Guise
Sacconi Quartet – Schubert: Death and the Maiden; Beethoven: Quartet Op. 131
Esa-Pekka Salonen, San Francisco Symphony – Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
La Serenissima, Adrian Chandler – Unlocked: Brescianello, Vol. 2
Shara Nova, A Far Cry – The Blue Hour
Lay Clerks of St. Albans Cathedral Choir, St. Albans Cathedral Girls Choir, Oliver Morrell, Tom Winpenny – Elizabeth Poston: Carols and Anthems
St. John’s College Choir, Cambridge; Andrew Nethsingha – Advent Live, Vol. 3
St. Martin’s Voices, Andrew Earis – A Winter Breviary: Choral Works for Christmas
Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset – Jean-Baptiste Lully: Thésée
Simon Trpceski, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Cristian Măcelaru – Brahms: Piano Concertos
Georgy Vasiliev, Julia Muzychenko, Sebastian Weigle – Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve
Roderick Williams, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder – Frederick Delius: Eine Messe des Lebens (A Mass of Life)
John Wilson, Sinfonia of London, Sinfonia of London Chorus – Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé – Complete Ballet
Pieter Wispelwey – In Memoriam II: The Scordatura Album
Seth Parker Woods – Difficult Grace
