The Best of 2008 - All Classical Picks

Here are your All Classical hosts favorite classical releases from this past year. Thanks to a special partnership with ArkivMusic, a portion of the proceeds benefits your station, so enjoy The Best CDs of 2008!

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John Pitman

John Pitman's Picks
john@allclassical.org

Schubert: Piano Quintet "trout;" Mozart: Piano Quartet In E Flat / Zukerman, Bronfman, Et Al

This new RCA CD pairs two chamber music works which are just naturally beautiful in their own right. But this new performance is of extraordinary beauty and warmth. It has just the right level of energy without feeling rushed, and a wonderful attention to detail. The players are led by pianist Yefim Bronfman and violinist Pinchas Zukerman, and they sound like a group of old friends who know just how to bring out the best in one another.

Chopin: Complete Preludes / Rafal Blechacz

23-year-old Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz, winner of the 2005 Chopin competition in Warsaw, plays these preludes with more expression, warmth and freshness than I have heard in years with these extraordinarily original, beautiful and, sometimes, shocking pieces. Pianists with technical ability are plentiful; pianists who possess the ability to express themselves through music are very rare, and Mr. Blechacz displays it here.

Un Frisson Français - A Century Of French Song / Susan Graham, Malcolm Martineau

American mezzo-soprano Susan Graham is one of my favorite singers, and I’m happy to recommend her latest CD, “un frisson francais”. Frisson means “a tingle, a quiver, an emotional thrill.” Some haunting and some humorous, the collection includes “À Chloris”, one of the most beautiful songs I know, French or otherwise.

Christa Wessel

Christa Wessel's Picks
christa@allclassical.org

Fiesta / Dudamel, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra

It would be tempting to think that the attention being lavished on these youngsters is of the "aren't they cute" type. This CD released in July 2008 proves otherwise. Dudamel's charisma inspires these young people to explosive performances of Latin American favorites.

Brahms: Double Concerto, Etc / R. & G. Capuçon, Et Al

The musical connection between these brothers is sparklingly evident. I remember Carlos Kalmar popping his head into the on-air studio one day, his eyes wide, asking "Who are the performers in this recording?!?" He felt the excitement too.

Robert McBride

Robert McBride's Picks
robert@allclassical.org

Mahler: Symphony No 8 / Boulez, Robinson, Wall, Botha, Et Al

This 2007 release is not only a sensitive and revealing interpretation of Mahler's so-called "Symphony of a Thousand," it is also one of the most impressive recordings I've ever heard, of anything. The balance of clarity and fullness is incredible.

Handel: Water Music, Music For The Royal Fireworks / Savall

The most colorful and opulent performances anyone could want of this glorious music, in stunning sound recorded in 1993 and remastered and re-released in 2008. Fit for a king in every way.

R. Strauss: Four Last Songs / Renée Fleming

Renee Fleming has performed Strauss's Four Last Songs more than any other music and it shows in these glowing, transporting performances.

Schubert: Das Tod Und Das Mädchen / Jerusalem Quartet

Every recording this quartet has made has been beautiful, but in this music they really show their range, from no-vibrato desolation to full-blooded passion, always in the service of the music's intent. To die for.

John Burk

John Burk's Picks
johnb@allclassical.org

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No 1, Etc / Argerich, Et Al

Martha is paired with cellist Mischa Maisky for some absolutely stunning live recordings from the 2006 Lugano Festival. I simply can’t recommend this music by these superb artists highly enough. And another thing—enhanced CDs are music CDs to which data tracks have been added. They’ll play on your CD player but in the CD or DVD-ROM drive in your computer, these tracks often include music videos, photos, liner notes, Web features, and other content. Bonus!

Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending; Tavener / Benedetti, Litton

A popular staple of the violin repertory (The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams) and several quietly transporting pieces by the contemporary composer Sir John Tavener. Featuring the hot Scots violinist Nicola Benedetti and the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Andrew Litton conducting.

Brandi Parisi

Brandi Parisi's Picks
brandi@allclassical.org

Schoenberg, Sibelius: Violin Concertos / Hilary Hahn, Esa-pekka Salonen, Swedish Radio S.O.

This is really a choice for someone who is looking for something off the beaten path. It's a wonderful performance of an extraordinarily challenging piece (the Schoenberg,) both for performer and listener. Approach with caution and give it a few listens before judging.

Poulenc: Gloria & Motets / Layton, Gritton, Polyphony, Et Al

First, let's be clear: if it's French and written after 1880, there's a good chance I'm a fan. No one-note sacred introspection here... Francis Poulenc's Gloria evokes the broadest range of human emotion, without being cloying or maudlin. In fact, there's a shimmering simplicity in parts of this piece that give way to (seriously!) moments of humor and brevity. Church pews would overflow if all sacred messages were this enjoyable.

The Butterfly Lovers - Tchaikovsky, Gang Chen / Shaham

Written in 1959 by Chinese composers Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, the concerto utilizes Chinese melodies, chord structures and patterns, but was written in the western tonal system. The result is an ethereal, delicate work that sounds unlike any violin concerto you've heard before. This new recording by one of the foremost violinists of our time is an opportunity to (re)discover this unusual gem.

Pat McElroy

Pat McElroy's Picks
pat@allclassical.org

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven / Rafal Blechacz

A terrific Viennese Classical collection. Three major sonatas by the first Polish pianist winning the Chopin Prize in 30 years. This exceptional performance was cited by one West German critic as "perfect". I agree.

Beethoven, Clement: Violin Concertos / Rachel Barton Pine

The world Premier of a Clement Violin Concerto paired with Beethoven, a contemporary. Great for a gift; (your friend won't have this one.) The Clement is an impressive and major discovery of exceptional beauty. Rachel Barton Pine nails it!

Feeney: Dracula

The Dracula Ballet, first recorded in 1996, has been out for awhile but is still not known. This is an intense, beautiful and very fresh look at a familiar theme. It has excited enthusiastic listener comments whenever we have aired an excerpt. Nearly 80 minutes for the three acts. Exceptional, evocative, fresh and lyrical too. A quality recording; now if some company would only dance it, they would create quite a stir, I think.

Edmund Stone

Edmund Stone's Picks
edmund@allclassical.org

Vintage Cinema - Music From King Kong, Robin Hood, Spellbound, Sunset Boulevard, Etc / Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

This is the 87th Telarc recording by Kunzel and the Cincinnatti Pops. It covers the first 30 years of Hollywood blockbusters, from "King Kong," "Robin Hood," and "Spellbound," to "Sunset Boulevard," "On the Waterfront," and "El Cid" We’re treated to Max Steiner, Miklos Rosza, Erich Korngold, Franz Waxman, Alex North, and Leonard Bernstein in this high-resolution CD, which comes with a descriptive booklet with notes on each movie.

Atonement - Original Soundtrack

This late 2007 release gained traction when Marianelli earned an Oscar nomination and subsequently the Academy Award in 2008 for "Atonement". The composer incorporates the sound of a typewriter, used sparingly but with great effect. The layered score is built organically and we’re treated to multiple simultaneous themes that work together but never interfere with the movie's direction. It's the second time pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet has worked on a Marianelli score—the first was the nominated "Pride and Prejudice."

Ed Goldberg

Ed Goldberg's Picks
ed@allclassical.org

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos / Pinnock, European Brandenburg Ensemble

Pinnock first recorded the Brandenburgs 20 years ago. His reverence for the music has been replaced by a desire to highlight the new and daring quality of Bach’s music in its time. These performances do just that, approaching the material as though it were newly-discovered. I’ve enjoyed playing these for our listeners, and appreciate Pinnock’s fresh take on what have become warhorses of the repertoire.

Birds On Fire - Jewish Music For Viols / Fretwork

The title is something of a misnomer, as most of the music can not be definitively attributed to Jewish composers, and one ringer is a contemporary composer. The music was composed for the Tudor court in England at a time when Jews were officially banned from Britain, but whose music sneaked in as “Venetian.” The only overtly Jewish composer represented is Salamone Rossi, whose entire career was spent in Mantua. So, what do we have? We have well-played late-Renaissance/early Baroque music, and modern material which, while good, jars in context. Still, I like this CD for the period music, the good performances and the Rossi selections.

Andrea Murray

Andrea Murray's Picks
andreamurray@allclassical.org

Ravel: Complete Piano Works Vol 2 / Artur Pizarro

Ravel was a masterful orchestrator. But his solo piano music is every bit as rich, in its own way, as his symphonic work. There are whole worlds of sound in these pieces, and Pizarro seems to delight in exploring every corner of Ravel’s tonal landscapes. This is the final volume of Pizarro’s 2-part Ravel release.

John Adams: Hallelujah Junction - A Nonesuch Retrospective

Named for a California highway interchange, “Hallelujah Junction” is also the title of an Adams work for two pianos, as well as his recent autobiography. This is a solid 2-disc overview of the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s output and includes not only the expected selections from the operas “The Death of Klinghoffer” and “Nixon In China,” but also chamber, choral, electronic and orchestral works from throughout his varied career.

Grieg: Songs / Katarina Karnéus, Julius Drake

Grieg is one of my favorite composers, but until recently I’d heard very few of his lieder. I was happy to rectify this by enjoying these 24 settings of poems by Hans Christian Anderson, Ibsen, Goethe and others. Swedish mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus does a fine job with these songs, which evoke the composer’s lovely Lyric Pieces for piano.

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