Music
An impressive collection of nine new releases (seven of which are reviewed here). While some might not displace the classic recordings of Debussy already out there, this gathering offers some welcome and fresh interpretive contrasts.
Our critic’s twelve favorite classical music performances that he reviewed this past year.
Quite properly, Miles Evans evokes rather than mimics his dad’s arrangements on this excellent disc.
This year’s version – the 48th! – of The Christmas Revels is delightful and refreshing way to bid adieu to a tumultuous 2018.
Septuagenarian, Edwin Ayoung, better known as Crazy, easily carried the rest of the night with his exuberant performance.
The Tallis Scholars are unquestionably today’s most renowned exponent of Renaissance sacred music.
None of the opera recordings I have reviewed this past year beats this Cradle for dramatic vitality, musical imagination, and ongoing political relevance.
The success or failure of this show rests primarily on the physical presence, voice and acting of the actor playing the celebrated lyric tenor Roland Hayes.
Handel & Haydn Society’s Haydn and Mozart is about as good as it gets; Martyn Brabbins’ recording of A Sea Symphony is one of the year’s best releases; and for elegance and technical command, you can’t go wrong with Tilson Thomas and his San Francisco Symphony.
Classical Music Commentary: Best Opera and Vocal Recital Recordings, 2018
A list of the most memorable opera and vocal recital recordings of the year.
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