Picks of the Year: 2013

During the past year there were three recordings that met my criteria for Want List inclusion: a) little-known music of the past hundred years, b) in impeccable performances, and c) represented via the finest audio technology. The last criterion is …

Picks of the Year: 2012

Here are the discoveries from the past year that made the biggest impact on me. I recommend them to all who enjoy worthy but lesser known music in great performances. Some may object that the piano music of Samuel Barber …

Picks of the Year: 2011

Of the new releases that came my way this past year there were two that met my criteria of rare but extraordinarily fine repertoire in excellent performances. One was the long-awaited first recording of the late (1926-2011) Lee Hoiby’s deeply …

Picks of the Year: 2010

The one entry that for me looms above other recent releases is the first complete recording, now issued as a boxed set, of all eight performable symphonies by William Schuman, issued in time to mark the 100th birthday of this …

Picks of the Year: 2009

This year, with only a bit of stretching, I was able to find four CDs that met my criteria of “neglected masterpieces,” rendered in brilliant performances. John Corigliano is not a particular favorite of mine, but he is unquestionably a …

Picks of the Year: 2008

Once again I come up with fewer than the prescribed number of selections. I hasten to add, however, that this is not a reflection on the quality of new releases, but, rather, attributable to my own scattered musical involvements. This …

Picks of the Year: 2007

Once again I’ve been unable to come up with five recent CDs that meet my criteria of great, little-known 20th-/21st-century music, definitively performed and expertly recorded. However, I hasten to emphasize that I do not attribute this to any diminution …

Picks of the Year: 2006

This year I was able to arrive at only four recent releases that met my criteria of great, little-known recent repertoire, beautifully performed, and superbly recorded. However, my abbreviated list is probably limited more by my own insufficient exposure than …

Picks of the Year: 2005

As far as I can recall, this is the first year that I actually had difficulty narrowing down my list of most significant new releases to five. I’m not sure how to explain it, but I am certainly glad that …

Picks of the Year: 2004

Another year has gone by, the mainstream classical music world continues to degenerate into terminal fluff, the number of retail stores selling classical recordings continues to dwindle, yet exciting repertoire continues to appear in superb recorded performances in sufficient quantity …