ArkivMusic's Best of 2012

After reviewing another memorable year's worth of classical releases, we at ArkivMusic have chosen the following albums as the best classical recordings of the past 12 months. Each would be a great addition to any music library, and all are on sale now. (Sale ends 2/15/13.)

Browse 20 albums

1.

This trio of marvellous performances has been splendidly recorded at the Phoenix Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

French Impressions / Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk

Release Date: 01/10/2012 Label: Sony Catalog: 82026 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns, César Franck, Maurice Ravel

Performers: Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk

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2.

Alison Balsom brings the music of Purcell and Handel to life in this album of glorious Baroque music.

Sound The Trumpet / Alison Balsom, Trevor Pinnock, English Concert

Release Date: 10/22/2012 Label: Emi Classics Catalog: 40329 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: George Frideric Handel, Henry Purcell

Performers: Alison Balsom, Iestyn Davies, Lucy Crowe

Conductor: Trevor Pinnock

Orchestra/Ensemble: English Concert

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3.

Stile Antico (joined by Fretwork) explores the wealth of Tudor and Jacobean sacred music written for domestic devotion, rather than for church worship, offering a unique insight into the turbulent religious climate of the time and the thriving musical culture at its heart.

Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart / Stile Antico

Release Date: 02/14/2012 Label: Harmonia Mundi Catalog: 807554 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Thomas Tomkins, John Amner, John Taverner, Robert Ramsey ...

Orchestra/Ensemble: Stile Antico, Fretwork

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4.

An electrifying program of royal arias from the 17th and 18th centuries, composed by figures as famous as Handel and Vivaldi and as little known as Orlandini and Porta.

Drama Queens / Joyce DiDonato

Release Date: 11/06/2012 Label: Virgin Classics Catalog: 02654 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Giuseppe Maria Orlandini, Giovanni Porta, George Frideric Handel, Reinhard Keiser ...

Performers: Joyce DiDonato

Conductor: Alan Curtis

Orchestra/Ensemble: Il Complesso Barocco

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5.

Fearless performances from Vänskä, magnificently played by the Minnesota Orchestra, recorded in astonishing detail by the BIS engineers.

Sibelius: Symphonies No 2 & 5 / Vanska, Minnesota Orchestra

Release Date: 01/31/2012 Label: Bis Catalog: 1986 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Jean Sibelius

Conductor: Osmo Vänskä

Orchestra/Ensemble: Minnesota Orchestra

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6.

A search for the best recording of a given set of Vivaldi violin concertos gets easier with every new release from Rachel Podger... after these commanding performances, recorded with Channel Classics’ signature attention to realistic sound reproduction, future applicants need not apply.

Vivaldi: La Cetra / Podger, Holland Baroque Society

Release Date: 06/12/2012 Label: Channel Classics Catalog: 33412 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi

Performers: Rachel Podger

Orchestra/Ensemble: Holland Baroque Society

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7.

In a characteristically thrilling fusion of musical styles, L’Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar present a program of Spanish and Latin American music that ranges from the 17th century to the present day.

Los Pajaros Perdidos / Christina Pluhar, L'arpeggiata

Release Date: 03/13/2012 Label: Virgin Classics Catalog: 6785162 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Anonymous, Ariel Ramirez, Astor Piazzolla, Constantino Ramones ...

Performers: Philippe Jaroussky, Lucilla Galeazzi, Luciana Mancini, Quito Gato ...

Conductor: Christina Pluhar

Orchestra/Ensemble: L'arpeggiata

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8.

Mandolinist Avi Avital is one of the most exciting young musicians on today’s scene — deeply committed to building a fresh legacy for the mandolin through virtuosic performance and refreshing new repertoire.

Bach / Avi Avital

Release Date: 06/12/2012 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 001680102 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Performers: Avi Avital, Shalev Ad-El, Ophira Zakai, Ira Givol

Orchestra/Ensemble: Potsdam Chamber Academy

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9.

Everything about this disc is fabulous: the performances, the coupling, and the sonics. Antoni Wit’s Taras Bulba sounds like no other.

Janacek: Taras Bulba, Lachian Dances / Wit, Warsaw

Release Date: 04/24/2012 Label: Naxos Catalog: 8572695 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Leos Janácek

Conductor: Antoni Wit

Orchestra/Ensemble: Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra

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10.

If you don't believe the critical accolades praising 18-year-old pianist Benjamin Grosvenor's astonishing command of the instrument and vivid interpretive gifts, you will when you're done listening to this disc. A remarkable release no piano lover should miss.

Chopin, Liszt, Ravel / Benjamin Grosvenor

Release Date: 02/28/2012 Label: Decca Catalog: 001642102 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Maurice Ravel

Performers: Benjamin Grosvenor

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11.

“Mr. Schiff is, in Bach, a phenomenon. He doesn’t so much perform it as emit, breathe it.” (4 CDs)

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Books I & II / Andras Schiff

Release Date: 09/25/2012 Label: Ecm Catalog: 001733702 Number of Discs: 4
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Performers: András Schiff

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12.

This is Debussy in the great French tradition, the sort of playing and conducting that used to be associated with national schools of performance.

Debussy: Orchestral Works / Deneve, Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Release Date: 05/29/2012 Label: Chandos Catalog: 5102 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Claude Debussy

Conductor: Stéphane Denève

Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Women Of The Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus

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13.

The adventurous singer explores the secrets of early Baroque mystery man Agostino Steffani and uncovers a treasure of beautiful music.

Mission / Cecilia Bartoli

Release Date: 10/02/2012 Label: Decca Catalog: 001742002 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Agostino Steffani

Performers: Cecilia Bartoli, Rosario Conte, Philippe Jaroussky

Conductor: Diego Fasolis

Orchestra/Ensemble: I Barocchisti, Swiss Radio Chorus

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14.

A terrific Falla collection. Nights in the Gardens of Spain is marvelous. Bavouzet's performance has an especially noteworthy vitality and sparkle. The excellent performance of The Three-Cornered Hat is about as good as it gets.

Falla: Nights In The Gardens Of Spain, The Three-Cornered Hat / Mena, Bavouzet, BBC Philharmonic

Release Date: 02/28/2012 Label: Chandos Catalog: 10694 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Manuel de Falla

Performers: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Raquel Lojendio

Conductor: Juanjo Mena

Orchestra/Ensemble: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

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15.

You'll be wow-ed by Lisa Smirnova's commanding, fluid, captivating technical display, and by the uninhibited color and characterful expression she elicits from her modern piano .

Handel: The Eight Great Suites / Lisa Smirnova

Release Date: 01/24/2012 Label: Ecm Catalog: 001641002 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: George Frideric Handel

Performers: Lisa Smirnova

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16.

A better-cast Don Giovanni than this one would be hard to find nowadays. With ideal or near-ideal singers in six of the eight roles, this recording has to be considered among the best available.

Mozart: Don Giovanni / D'Arcangelo, Damrau, Villazon, DiDonato, Nezet-Seguin, Mahler CO

Release Date: 09/18/2012 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 001724802 Number of Discs: 3
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Performers: Vitalij Kowaljow, Konstantin Wolff, Diana Damrau, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo ...

Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Orchestra/Ensemble: Mahler Chamber Orchestra

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17.

The New York Philharmonic is a powerhouse orchestra, Nielsen is a powerhouse symphonist, and Alan Gilbert revels in the music’s energy and dynamism.

Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 / Gilbert, New York Philharmonic

Release Date: 09/25/2012 Label: Dacapo Catalog: 6220623 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Carl Nielsen

Performers: Erin Morley, Joshua Hopkins

Conductor: Alan Gilbert

Orchestra/Ensemble: New York Philharmonic

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18.

A “Vladimir Horowitz Tribute”... Wang’s impressive prowess and effusive personality can withstand the comparison... an enchanting release.

Fantasia / Yuja Wang

Release Date: 04/10/2012 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 001660602 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov, Domenico Scarlatti, Christoph W. Gluck, Isaac Albeniz ...

Performers: Yuja Wang

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19.

Exquisitely recorded, detailed and energetic recordings by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.

Bach: Complete Orchestral Suites / Freiburger Barockorchester

Release Date: 11/08/2011 Label: Harmonia Mundi Catalog: 902113 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Orchestra/Ensemble: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra

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20.

The singing is impeccable--the breathing, the phrasing, all of the ensemble work shows musicians at one with each other and with the music at hand.

Endbeginning / New York Polyphony

Release Date: 02/28/2012 Label: Bis Catalog: 1949 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Thomas Crecquillon, Jacobus Clemens non Papa, Anonymous, Josquin Des Préz ...

Performers: Christopher Dylan Herbert, Geoffrey Dunstan Williams, Geoffrey Silver, Craig Phillips

Orchestra/Ensemble: New York Polyphony

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ArkivMusic's Best of 2012