Your Favourite Purchases of 2015

[Rinaldo]

And not expensive on Amazon MP.  I am always game for solo violin stuff. Ordered, thank you for this.

That's the spirit! I actually bought a used copy, out of curiosity / whim. Hope you like it.

I think I'll give it another try tomorrow, on your recommendation. My ears have changed a lot in 5 years.

Let us know if your opinion shifted!

[Brian]

Just listened to the two sonatas Op. 30. I don't know how much my opinion changed from then to now, but my opinion now is, it's 'enjoyably serious', if there is such a thing. Raasted is following Bach's footsteps so well - an alternative to the more hyper-romantic Ysaye sonatas. Now that I've listened to much more Reger and Busoni, Raasted seems to speak to the same ideas.

[NikF]

I find it difficult to have firm favourites, however in the spirit of this (interesting) thread...

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These interpretations are far different from others I've heard, but that's not a bad thing.


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Vivid music delivered via fine performances.


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Not without flaws, yet remains as lovely as the ex-girlfriend who made a gift of this CD to me. 

[kishnevi]

Easy choice for me this year
RICHTER
The Sony box
The Decca box
The bunch of single CDs on Alto/Regis

There are a number of others I liked but Slatioslav ranked first.

It occurred to me that the above might be too straightforward.
True, I enjoyed everything in the Richter boxes, and look forward to hearing them again, but the most musically fruitful purchase, in terms of opening up areas and perspectives of music new to me, would undoubtedly be the Boulez Ouevres Completes set.

[San Antone]

Although there are some other contenders (the Argerich and Pogorelich solo piano boxes), these Cinquecento recordings were the ones which are stand-outs.

[Todd]

For the first time since 2004, when Daniel Barenboim's Schumann symphony set was the easy first choice for me, I have one new recording that stands head and shoulders above the others:





Beethoven – Complete Piano Sonatas; Daniel-Ben Pienaar (Avie)


There were still some other knockout purchases.

The Other Best of the Best
Schubert – Piano Works; Jean-Rodolphe Kars (Decca)
Debussy/Messiaen – Piano Works; Jean-Rodolphe Kars (Decca)
Plainte calme – music of Ravel, Messiaen, Faure; Alexander Lonquich (ECM)
Schubert – D894, et al; David Fray [w/ Jacques Rouvier] (Warner)
Mozart – "Dissonances"; Quatuor Ebene (Erato/Virgin)
Smetana – String Quartets; Paavel Haas Quartet (Supraphon)
Liszt – Piano Works; Eric Heidsieck (King International)
Liszt – Holy Music; Michel Block (OM Records)
Sweelinck – Complete Keyboard works; Leon Berben (Aeolus)


The Best of the Rest
Pierre Monteux Complete RCA recordings (Sony)
Beethoven – Opp 78, 81/a, 90, 101; Penelope Crawford (Musica Omnia)
Beethoven – Opp 109, 110, 111; Maria Perrotta (Decca)
Beethoven – Complete Piano Sonatas; Takahiro Sonoda (Evica)
Schumann – Piano Works; Ragna Schirmer (Berlin Classics)
Shostakovich – String Quartets 14 & 15, 2 Pieces for String Quartet; Prazak Quartet (Praga)
Schubert – D845, D894; Michail Lifits (Decca)
Mussorgsky – Piano Works; Maurizio Baglini (Decca)
Scriabin – Complete Piano Works; Maria Lettberg (Capriccio)
Willem Mengelberg Concertgebouw Recordings (Decca)

[North Star]

     

     

     

One was missing from a baker's dozen:

[Mirror Image]

And what a nice list it is so far.

I've made quite a few purchases this year and here are six highlights:

Like Karlo, I have a few more to add...

[Camphy]

Favourites:

[vandermolen]

This doesn't mean that the CD was released in 2015 only that you discovered it this year:
Noting my success with posting images some of these will probably appear as blank discs in which case I will write the details in. I especially liked the Kurland Sounds for the 'Visions of Arctic Nights' by Esenvalds. It is coupled with Vasks's Symphony 2 which I think is one of the best symphonies written by a living composer. Milford's poetic and moving 'Darkling Thrush' (after a poem by Thomas Hardy is a short but very beautiful and poignant score - Milford had something of a tragic life which makes this even more moving. The Damase Symphony is one of the most inspiriting and warm-hearted symphonies I know. The rest of the CD is very enjoyable too.

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PS two Dutton CDs failed to appear; one included the 1920 version of 'A London Symphony' by Vaughan Williams which included some intensely poetic moments which the composer, mistakenly in my view, excised from the score in 1936, coupled with the two piano version of his Piano Concerto which is one of his finest and most underrated scores. The other Dutton CD contains 'The Darkling Thrush' by Robin Milford which I mentioned above.

[mjwal]

I buy very few discs nowadays for various reasons - age, size of existing collection etc. Part of my collection is elsewhere, and my memory fallible - but here goes:
William Lawes: Consorts to the organ - Phantasm (LINN) ...The best Lawes I've ever heard
Schumann: Carnaval, Davidsbündlertänze - Ammara (ARTS)...Very fresh performances of two of my favourite works
Brahms: Violin Concerto, 3rd Symphony - Szigeti/Ormandy; Furtwängler BPO '49 (Diapason)...The best transfers of both of these two great performances I've heard
Brahms: Sonatas for clarinet & piano Op.120, Op.118 - Coppola, Staier (harmonia mundi)...Period instruments which sound stunning, and great performances that I listen to again and again
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis - Klemperer, Schwarzkopf, Merriman, Simandy, Rehfuss Concertgebouw '57...It frightened me, and anyone who thinks Schwarzkopf is mannered or Klemperer lacks vim should hear this hurricane performance
Jolivet: Troisième symphonie, Concerto pour piano & orchestre, 1er concerto pour violoncelle & orch. - Descaves, Navarra ONF Jolivet, RSO Strasbourg Bour...All wonderful, the cello concerto being particularly striking as a performance
DVD Kurtág Kafka Fragments (CD & DVD): Tony Arnold, Kurtág, Moyses Pogossian in Budapest, with masterclass...riveting
P.S. I forgot one work that struck me with the force of revelation - having hitherto heard little by this composer - only a performance of his opera Baal in the early 70s, which confused me then - I'd love to hear and see it again. Friedrich Cerha: Spiegel + Monumentum and Momente - SWR Cambreling (Kairos). The main work, spread over 2 CDs, seems to me to have the strangeness and grandeur of a Bruckner symphony, though its methods are really quite different. Why this has not become a standard of "Neue Musik" is a mystery.

[Brian]

Schumann: Carnaval, Davidsbündlertänze - Ammara (ARTS)...Very fresh performances of two of my favourite works

Glad to hear this! Ammara is a very interesting pianist with unique takes. Her Ravel is great too.

[vandermolen]

I buy very few discs nowadays for various reasons - age, size of existing collection etc. Part of my collection is elsewhere, and my memory fallible - but here goes:
William Lawes: Consorts to the organ - Phantasm (LINN) ...The best Lawes I've ever heard
Schumann: Carnaval, Davidsbündlertänze - Ammara (ARTS)...Very fresh performances of two of my favourite works
Brahms: Violin Concerto, 3rd Symphony - Szigeti/Ormandy; Furtwängler BPO '49 (Diapason)...The best transfers of both of these two great performances I've heard
Brahms: Sonatas for clarinet & piano Op.120, Op.118 - Coppola, Staier (harmonia mundi)...Period instruments which sound stunning, and great performances that I listen to again and again
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis - Klemperer, Schwarzkopf, Merriman, Simandy, Rehfuss Concertgebouw '57...It frightened me, and anyone who thinks Schwarzkopf is mannered or Klemperer lacks vim should hear this hurricane performance
Jolivet: Troisième symphonie, Concerto pour piano & orchestre, 1er concerto pour violoncelle & orch. - Descaves, Navarra ONF Jolivet, RSO Strasbourg Bour...All wonderful, the cello concerto being particularly striking as a performance
DVD Kurtág Kafka Fragments (CD & DVD): Tony Arnold, Kurtág, Moyses Pogossian in Budapest, with masterclass...riveting

Interesting list. I shall look out for the Ormandy Brahms Symphony 3. I have always admired his recordings, especially his pioneering Shostakovich Symphony 4 and his early recording of Miaskovsky's eloquent 21st Symphony.

[mjwal]

There's a misapprehension here - the Violin Concerto is conducted by Ormandy, with Szigeti on the fiddle, whereas the 3rd symphony is conducted by Furtwängler. The odd combination of conductors is explained by the French record magazine's policy of publishing what it thinks are classic performances in good, usually new transfers, usually one composer per disc, one every month. One can order the discs alone from the magazine itself, if one doesn't get the mag regularly, or look on Amazon.fr, which in this case I did. It is a very good source for great historical performances and very bon marché.
Sorry to disappoint - I haven't actually heard any Ormandy Brahms 3, but apparently the 1960 recordings of all 4 by him and the Philadelphia have been reissued by Sony Japan, and there's a 1946 3rd on YouTube.

[Mandryka]

I buy very few discs nowadays for various reasons - age, size of existing collection etc. Part of my collection is elsewhere, and my memory fallible - but here goes:
William Lawes: Consorts to the organ - Phantasm (LINN) ...The best Lawes I've ever heard
Schumann: Carnaval, Davidsbündlertänze - Ammara (ARTS)...Very fresh performances of two of my favourite works
Brahms: Violin Concerto, 3rd Symphony - Szigeti/Ormandy; Furtwängler BPO '49 (Diapason)...The best transfers of both of these two great performances I've heard
Brahms: Sonatas for clarinet & piano Op.120, Op.118 - Coppola, Staier (harmonia mundi)...Period instruments which sound stunning, and great performances that I listen to again and again
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis - Klemperer, Schwarzkopf, Merriman, Simandy, Rehfuss Concertgebouw '57...It frightened me, and anyone who thinks Schwarzkopf is mannered or Klemperer lacks vim should hear this hurricane performance
Jolivet: Troisième symphonie, Concerto pour piano & orchestre, 1er concerto pour violoncelle & orch. - Descaves, Navarra ONF Jolivet, RSO Strasbourg Bour...All wonderful, the cello concerto being particularly striking as a performance
DVD Kurtág Kafka Fragments (CD & DVD): Tony Arnold, Kurtág, Moyses Pogossian in Budapest, with masterclass...riveting

Ca fait un bail! Tu es toujours en France profonde je suppose. Tout va bien?

Anyway, I enjoyed the Brahms clarinet sonatas too. Staier's more interesting to me in romantic music than earlier stuff. I liked the Lawes less than you - I'm not sure whether it's the music or the performances but I got much more out of the Lawes by Concordia and Jonathan Dunford and Les Voix Humaines. I think it has something to do with Phantasm's articulation and voicing, too cantabile and not enough individuality to each voice. But I'm not sure. I'll check out the Kurtag and the Schumann. Shame you can't come to London for Kafka Fragments early next year at RFH (or maybe QEH)

[mjwal]

Ca fait un bail! Tu es toujours en France profonde je suppose. Tout va bien?

Anyway, I enjoyed the Brahms clarinet sonatas too. Staier's more interesting to me in romantic music than earlier stuff. I liked the Lawes less than you - I'm not sure whether it's the music or the performances but I got much more out of the Lawes by Concordia and Jonathan Dunford and Les Voix Humaines. I think it has something to do with Phantasm's articulation and voicing, too cantabile and not enough individuality to each voice. But I'm not sure. I'll check out the Kurtag and the Schumann. Shame you can't come to London for Kafka Fragments early next year at RFH (or maybe QEH)

Ja, lang, lang ist's her...Actually I'm in Berlin now, Mandryka. - I'll certainly try to hear the Lawes recordings you recommend, I've been an enthusiast ever since the first LPs of his works (was it L'Oiseau Lyre?) came out. - I have to say that I listen much less than I did, and miss a lot of CD issues. I just missed a Kurtag concert here in Berlin, in fact - but I needed a rest from the work...I read much of the night, and go south in the spring.

[TheGSMoeller]

Add this recent purchase to my earlier list, in fact shoot it to the top, phenomenal set...

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[Que]

Add this recent purchase to my earlier list, in fact shoot it to the top, phenomenal set...

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And fully justified, absolutely great set! For me one of the highlights of Harnoncourt's later career.

Q

[Que]

2015 was another fruitful year of musical explorations. Ready to post my favourites! Though if I have a look at my list of last year, that was pretty awesome as well....
Im sure that during the Christmas Holidays some items from the still-to-listen-to pile will make their way onto the list by ways of an addendum.


Early Music has been my passion for a few years now, and there still seems no end to the amazing discoveries in this field.
It is a good time to be a Early Music fan anyway - so many great music ensembles and historical performing practices have reached a new hight.
I had some slight hesitation to include the Victoria set, probably to the surprise of some. It did not quite live up to my, perhaps very high, expectations. Nevertheless a really excellent and comprehensive Victoria set.
Top picks in this category are IMO the Gioseffo Zarlino by Singer Pur, the Lassus items by the Egidius Quartet and Orlando di Lasso Ensemble Hannover, the Music for Henri V by the Binchois Consort and the Requiem by Antoine de Févin.

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A long time passion has been harpsichord music, still some great additions this year! 
Top picks: the Farnaby, the Rousset items and Kuhnau by Katzschke.

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And here are the organ music picks:
All these are top pick, really....

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Baroque Music in general has been a favourite ever since I discovered Bach's music more than 20 years ago:
Again it is hard to distinguish between them. The Weiss set by Michel Cardin has a special place in my heart, however. Again the Orlando di Lasso Ensemble Hannover is mentioned, this time in what I think is a mandatory performance of the Schütz madrigals. A long awaited and rewarding reissue was the recording of Delalande's Symphonies pour les Soupers du Roy. And finally a new recording of Bach's Brandenburgs I actually liked!

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[r]

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Music from the Classical and Transitional Eras sound particularly well on period instruments  - some special items of this year:
A top pick is Beghin's Haydn set - sheer genius, as far as I'm concerned.... Greatest musical discovery was the Joseph Woelfl set by Laure Colladant.
As far as comprehensive sets of Mozart Masses go, the set by Peter Neumann is mandatory and a joy forever.

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And here is the best of the rest:

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It is an awful lot, isn't it?
I must have either an extremely lucky hand or must have a completely indiscriminate taste....

If pressed for the ultimate favorites for 2015:

Requiem d'Anne de Bretagne by Antoine de Févin
Silvius Leopld Weiss, The complete London manuscript, Michel Cardin
Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet, Die Kunst der Fuge
Joseph Woelfl, piano sonatas, Laure Colladant
The virtual Haydn, Tom Beghin

Q

[The new erato]

Considering that you are one of those who think before they buy, that's a lot indeed.