RECORDINGs Of THE YEaR

award-winning discs

Recording of the Year

Bartok Violin Concerto no 2 eötvös seven ligeti Violin Concerto patricia Kopatchinskaja vn ensemble modern; hessen radio symphony orchestra / peter eötvös Naïve B b v5285 ‘Performances of the Bartók and Ligeti concertos have tended to be judged as ‘folksy’ or ‘modernist’; for Kopatchinskaja and Eötvös they’re one and the same. Eötvös drives Bartók’s first movement manically, while the second movement is conspicuously swept clean of romanticised affectation in favour of a more chaste mode of expression.

And even navigating Ligeti’s most far-flung harmonic and textural terrain, you sense that Kopatchinskaja never forgets that the composer, forever looking forwards, was also unpacking sonic memories of his homeland. Against robust competition, this disc forged ahead to take our Award of Awards because it has a story to tell – and exactly the right people are telling it.’

‘a new venetian coronation 1595’ gabrieli consort & players / paul mccreesh winged lion/signum F siGCD287 ‘This is relatively simple music in some ways, though astonishingly powerful in these beautifully transparent performances.’

‘…pour passer la mélancolie’ andreas staier hpd harmonia Mundi F hMC90 2143 ‘Whether you know him as a pianist, fortepianist or harpsichordist, in Schubert, Mozart, Bach or Byrd (or even not at all), this disc will surely be a revelation.’

JS bach Motets monteverdi choir / sir John eliot gardiner sDG F sDG716 ‘A questing energy, drawn from the heart of the text, explodes this holy grail of vocal polyphony towards startlingly fresh and illuminated readings.’

bartók violin sonatas Barnabás Kelemen vn zoltán Kocsis pf hungaroton F Í hsaCD32515 ‘An artful blend of fantasy, fire and intellectual rigour, facilitated by an amazing technique and a frequently beautiful sound.’

elgar The apostles soloists; hallé choir, Youth choir and orchestra / sir mark elder halle M b CDhlD7534 ‘The choir is vast – 250 voices. The grandest moments in the extensive choral parts are simply overwhelming in this brilliantly engineered recording.’

mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition prokofiev visions fugitives. sarcasms steven osborne pf hyperion F CDa67896 ‘The dramatic impact of “Baba Yaga” is all the more terrifying and Osborne lets rip but never bashes the instrument into submission.’

puccini il trittico sols incl gallo, Jaho & larsson; royal opera house, covent garden / antonio pappano opus arte M c ◊ oa1070D ‘An emotionally involving production; excellent playing and singing; and filming of the highest quality that today’s technology can afford.’

Suk a summer’s Tale. Prague BBc so / Jiří Bělohlávek Chandos F Í ChaN5109 ‘Jiří B∆lohlávek’s innate affinity with a whole spectrum of Czech music shines through with a special glow in this coupling of Suk’s symphonic poems Prague and A Summer’s Tale. ’

38 GRAMOPHONE RECoRDinGS of thE YEAR 2013

Wagner arias Jonas Kaufmann ten orchestra of the deutsche oper Berlin / donald runnicles Decca F 478 5189 ‘The German tenor has already recorded half a dozen recital discs but this celebration of Wagner 200 may be his most rounded outing to date.’

dutilleux Correspondances. Tout un monde lointain. The shadows of Time Barbara hannigan sop anssi Karttunen vc radio France po / esa-pekka salonen DG F 479 1180Gh ‘A 97th birthday present-turned-memorial to a man who stuck to his own meticulously crafted path’

gramophone.co.uk