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ArkivMusic's Best Classical Recordings of 2011 25 albums
best of 2011 We've selected 25 titles that we think represent the best in classical recording from the past year, from important discoveries of lesser-known and newly unearthed works to big surprises that conveyed how much more today's artists have to say about the enduring masterworks in the canon. Don't miss these must-have releases, all on sale now!
SALE ENDS AT MIDNIGHT EST TUESDAY, JANUARY 31ST!
best of 2011

This is great Beethoven. The sheer excitement that Chailly generates has to be heard to be believed. Really, there's no comparison. (5 CDs)
1.  Beethoven: Complete Symphonies / Chailly, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester

Release Date: 11/21/2011   Label: Decca   Catalog: 001609802    Number of Discs: 5 
Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:  Lilli Paasikivi,  Katerina Beranova,  Robert Dean Smith,  Hanno Müller-Brachmann
Conductor:  Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
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CD  $54.99
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These performances are stunning. Pierné was the French Mahler, a superb conductor whose exquisitely finished, brilliantly scored pieces, as heard here, are simply irresistible.
2.  Pierne: Piano Concerto, Ramuntcho Suites, Marche Des Petits Soldats / Mena, Bavouzet, BBC Philharmonic

Release Date: 01/25/2011   Label: Chandos   Catalog: 10633   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Gabriel Pierné
Performer:  Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Conductor:  Juanjo Mena
Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
CD  $18.99
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Música Callada (Music of Silence) is one of the most beautiful and elusive works in the entire piano repertoire. This beautifully engineered disc must be its finest modern recording.
3.  Silent Music - Mompou's Musica Callada / Jenny Lin
   
Release Date: 04/26/2011   Label: Steinway & Sons   Catalog: 30004   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Federico Mompou
Performer:  Jenny Lin
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A performance in which immaculate ensemble and beautifully smooth sonority never overwhelm the music's purposeful forward thrust. Magnificent.
4.  Dvorak: String Quartets No 12 & 13 / Pavel Haas Quartet

Release Date: 12/21/2010   Label: Supraphon Fl   Catalog: 4038   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Antonín Dvorák
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Pavel Haas String Quartet
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A major Liszt recital from one of today’s most admired recording artists playing one of the peaks of the repertoire. Piano lovers cannot afford to miss this.
5.  Liszt: Piano Sonata In B Minor, Fantasy And Fugue / Hamelin

Release Date: 04/12/2011   Label: Hyperion   Catalog: 67760   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Franz Liszt
Performer:  Marc-André Hamelin
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I’ve never felt so drawn in to Beethoven’s drama before, nor so convinced by it. With glorious singing and playing and a great conductor on the podium, this set is a winner. (2 CDs)
6.  Beethoven: Fidelio / Abbado, Kaufmann, Stemme, Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Release Date: 08/02/2011   Label: Decca   Catalog: 001570502   Number of Discs: 2 
Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:  Peter Mattei,  Nina Stemme,  Rachel Harnisch,  Christoph Strehl  ... 
Conductor:  Claudio Abbado
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Lucerne Festival Orchestra
CD  $35.99
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A gorgeously romantic work paired with a masterpiece of atmosphere and melody whose bittersweetness will stay with you for days, quite wonderfully played.
7.  Suk: Fairy Tale / Ludwig, Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic
   
Release Date: 03/29/2011   Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572323   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Josef Suk
Performer:  Michael Ludwig
Conductor:  JoAnn Falletta
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
CD  $8.99
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One of those releases which only comes along once in a blue moon – a newly rediscovered Renaissance masterpiece given its first commercial recording. An adventurous and truly magnificent release.
8.  Striggio: Mass In 40 Parts / Robert Hollingworth, I Fagiolini [CD & DVD]

Release Date: 04/29/2011   Label: Decca   Catalog: 001565500   Number of Discs: 2 
Composer:  Alessandro Striggio,  Vincenzo Galilei,  Anonymous,  Thomas Tallis
Conductor:  Robert Hollingworth
Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Fagiolini
CD  $18.99
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In these scintillating performances, three splendid musicians – Leif Ove Andsnes, Christian Tetzlaff, and his sister Tanja Tetzlaff – convince you that the Schumann trios are consistently inspired and major scores. (2 CDs)
9.  Schumann: Piano Trios / Leif Ove Andsnes, Christian Tetzlaff, Tanja Tetzlaff
   
Release Date: 05/03/2011   Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 94180   Number of Discs: 2 
Composer:  Robert Schumann
Performer:  Leif Ove Andsnes,  Christian Tetzlaff,  Tanja Tetzlaff
CD  $23.99
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This young man has technique to burn, and despite his insistence that his and Julian Bream’s styles are “different,” one cannot help but hear much of the older master in this beautifully played recital.
10.  Mediterraneo / Milos Karadaglic
Release Date: 06/21/2011   Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001557902   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Isaac Albeniz,  Francisco Tarrega,  Anonymous,  Carlo Domeniconi  ... 
Performer:  Milos Karadaglic
Conductor:  Paul Watkins
Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Chamber Orchestra
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A collection of short works for chorus that Villa-Lobos wrote throughout his career. Each is fascinating. Fresh, appealing, and a sheer delight.
11.  Villa-Lobos: Choral Works / Creed, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart
   
Release Date: 02/22/2011   Label: Hänssler Classic   Catalog: 93268   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Heitor Villa-Lobos,  Johann Sebastian Bach
Conductor:  Marcus Creed
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Stuttgart Southwest German Radio Vocal Ensemble
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A Beethoven experience you will not want to miss.
12.  Beethoven: Piano Concertos 4 & 5 / Sudbin, Vanska, Minnesota Orchestra
   
Release Date: 01/02/2011   Label: Bis   Catalog: 1758   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:  Yevgeny Sudbin
Conductor:  Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Minnesota Orchestra
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I have no hesitation in calling this the most visually beautiful opera video ever. Few could imagine such a glorious production. The cast, chorus, and orchestra are all superb under Kent Nagano's sparkling, shiny direction.
13.  Rimsky-Korsakov: Le Coq D'or / Nagano, Schagidullin, Trifonova, Orchestre De Paris, Mariinsky Theatre Chorus

Release Date: 07/26/2011   Label: Arthaus Musik   Catalog: 107387   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performer:  Olga Trifonova,  Andrei Breus,  Albert Schagidullin,  Elena Manistina
Conductor:  Kent Nagano
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestre de Paris,  St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater Chorus
DVD  $29.99
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Here is the world’s finest Baroque orchestra eagerly joining with one of the world’s best harpsichordists in concertos by a composer who right now seems to be winning new recognition as the giant musical personality he was. (2 CDs)
14.  C. P. E. Bach: Sei Concerti / Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester

Release Date: 04/12/2011   Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902083   Number of Discs: 2 
Composer:  Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach
Performer:  Andreas Staier
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
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CD  $22.99
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This is, by any standard, a major release – a mandatory purchase for anyone who loves this music or wants to get to know it. These performances are every bit as fine as the classic recordings by Ancerl, Kubelik, and Mackerras.
15.  Janacek: Glagolitic Mass, Sinfonietta / Libor, Bentch, Wit, Warsaw PO
   
Release Date: 11/15/2011   Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572639   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Leos Janácek
Performer:  Wojciech Adalbert Gierlach,  Ewa Marciniec,  Timothy Bentch,  Christiane Libor  ... 
Conductor:  Antoni Wit
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra,  Warsaw Philharmonic Chorus
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An absolutely superb piano recital and a glorious addition to the Scarlatti discography.
16.  Scarlatti: Sonatas / Alexandre Tharaud
   
Release Date: 03/08/2011   Label: Virgin Classics   Catalog: 42016   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Domenico Scarlatti
Performer:  Alexandre Tharaud
CD  $16.99
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It is hard to think of another superior in vocal brilliance, interpretative depth, and mature artistry.
17.  Verismo Arias / Jonas Kaufmann, Antonio Pappano, Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia

Release Date: 04/19/2011   Label: Decca   Catalog: 001546302   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Riccardo Zandonai,  Umberto Giordano,  Francesco Cilèa,  Ruggero Leoncavallo  ... 
Performer:  Jonas Kaufmann,  Rosa Feola,  Cristina Reale,  Eva-Maria Westbroek
Conductor:  Antonio Pappano
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Santa Cecilia Academy Rome Orchestra
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There are no finer period-instrument Haydn symphony performances available than these. McGegan captures the music's full grandeur as well as its intimacy.
18.  Haydn: Symphonies 88, 101 & 104 / McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque

Release Date: 06/14/2011   Label: Philharmonia Baroque (Label)   Catalog: 2   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Franz Joseph Haydn
Conductor:  Nicholas McGegan
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
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CD  $17.99
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The spirit and tradition of this music is almost entirely lost now. This masterpiece from Joel Frederiksen and his Ensemble Phoenix Munich resides among the best of a formidable mountain of first-rate vocal-music recording projects made this year.
19.  Rose Of Sharon / Joel Frederiksen, Ensemble Phoenix Munich

Release Date: 05/10/2011   Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 902085   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Benjamin Franklin White,  Henry Carey,  Philip Phile,  Anonymous  ... 
Conductor:  Joel Frederiksen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ensemble Phoenix Munich
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For the first time, the dozens of film and television programs Glenn Gould made with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1954 to 1977 are collected in their entirety in this special 10-DVD set.
20.  Glenn Gould On Television - Complete CBC Broadcasts 1954-1977

Release Date: 10/24/2011   Label: Sony   Catalog: 795210   Number of Discs: 10 
Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Gustav Mahler,  Glenn Gould  ... 
Performer:  Glenn Gould,  Maureen Forrester,  Patricia Rideout,  Elizabeth Benson-Guy
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Canadian String Quartet
DVD  $96.99
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This is a terrific recording of one of Handel's truly great operas. Joyce DiDonato's voice is so beautiful, her mastery of the Handelian idiom so impeccable; her way of coloring each aria to fit its text is just about unmatchable. (3 CDs)
21.  Handel: Ariodante / Curtis, Didonato, Gauvin, Lemieux, Lehtipuu
   
Release Date: 06/07/2011   Label: Virgin Classics   Catalog: 70844   Number of Discs: 3 
Composer:  George Frideric Handel
Performer:  Sabina Puértolas,  Marie-Nicole Lemieux,  Karina Gauvin,  Joyce DiDonato  ... 
Conductor:  Alan Curtis
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Il Complesso Barocco
CD  $33.99
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A captivating label debut. Batiashvili and her partners’ performances provide more than an hour of riveting listening.
22.  Echoes Of Time / Batiashvili, Salonen, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Release Date: 02/15/2011   Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001520302   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Dmitri Shostakovich,  Giya Kancheli,  Arvo Pärt,  Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  Lisa Batiashvili,  Hélène Grimaud
Conductor:  Esa-Pekka Salonen
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
CD  $18.99
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Whatever possesses humans to refine the art of singing to such a level of sonorous purity and expressive simplicity as exemplified by the three women of Trio Mediaeval?
23.  A Worcester Ladymass / Trio Mediaeval

Release Date: 03/15/2011   Label: Ecm   Catalog: 001529802   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Anonymous,  Gavin Bryars
Performer:  Anna Maria Friman,  Linn Andrea Fuglseth,  Torunn Ostrem Ossum
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Trio Mediaeval
CD  $18.99
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Here is the passion, the joy, the truth of a master singer connecting with his listeners — and what a voice!
24.  Arrivederci / Vittorio Grigolo

Release Date: 09/20/2011   Label: Sony   Catalog: 791134   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Giuseppe Verdi,  Giacomo Puccini,  Friedrich von Flotow,  Francesco Cilèa  ... 
Performer:  Vittorio Grigolo
Conductor:  Pier Giorgio Morandi
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Parma Teatro Regio Orchestra
CD  $14.99
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Neschling offers exceptional performances of these three works, and the competition is very strong, including the likes of Bernstein, Szell, Ormandy, and Steinberg. Most recordings of them are good to excellent. These are excellent.
25.  Hindemith: Nobilissima Visione, Mathis Der Maler, Symphonic Metamorphosen / Neschling
   
Release Date: 07/26/2011   Label: Bis   Catalog: 1730   Number of Discs: 1 
Composer:  Paul Hindemith
Conductor:  John Neschling
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchestra
SuperAudio CD  $19.99
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