The Well-Tempered Ear
The New York Times names the top 25 classical recordings of 2020 and includes sample tracks
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FOWARD A LINK TO IT or SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
What did the holidays bring you?
Did Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa bring you a gift card?
A subscription to a streaming service?
Maybe some cash?
Or maybe you just want to hear some new music or new musicians or new interpretations of old classics?
Every year, the music critics of The New York Times list their top 25 recordings of the past year. Plus at the end of the story, the newspaper offers a sample track from each recording to give you even more guidance.
This year is no exception (below).
In fact, the listing might be even more welcome this year, given the coronavirus pandemic with the lack of live concerts and the isolation and self-quarantine that have ensued.
The Ear hasn’t heard all of the picks or even the majority of them. But the ones he has heard are indeed outstanding. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear a sample of the outstanding Rameau-Debussy recital by the acclaimed Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olafssen, who scored major successes with recent albums of Philip Glass and Johann Sebastian Bach.)
Here is a link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/arts/music/best-classical-music.html
Of course not all critics agree.
The Ear has already listed the nominations for the Grammy Awards (a link is below), and more critics’ picks will be featured in coming days.
You should also notice that a recording of Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison” — featuring soprano Sarah Brailey (below), a graduate student at the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music and a co-founder of Just Bach — is on the Times’ list as well as on the list of Grammy nominations.
What new recordings – or even old recordings — would you recommend?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AlexanderScriabin, #AmazonMusic, #AmericanJazz, #AnnaThorvaldsdottir, #AnthonyTommasini, #AntoineForqueray, #ArchivMusic, #AshFure, #AvieRecords, #BangonaCan, #BarnesandNoble, #BaroqueDance, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueOpera, #BavarianRadioSymphoyOrchestra, #BenjaminGrosvenor, #BlackAmericans, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CarolinWidmann, #CelloSuites, #ChamberMusic, #ChandosRecords, #ChoralMusic, #ChristmasHoliday, #ClaudeDebussy, #CorinnadaFonseca-Wollheim, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #DanillTrifonov, #DavidGreilsammer, #DavidHertzberg, #DeccaRecords, #DeutscheGrammophon, #DriftMultiply, #DukeEllington, #ElimChan, #EriksEsenvalds, #EthelSmyth, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FairyTale, #FergusonMissouri, #FranzSchubert, #FredericChopin, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GeorgeLewis, #GiftCard, #GraduateStudent, #GrammyAward, #GrammyAwards, #HermannScherchen, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #HolidayGift, #HolidayGiftGuide, #IgorStravinsky, #InternationalContemporaryEnsemble, #JacobStockinger, #JanLadislavDussek, #Jean-EfflamBavouzet, #Jean-FéryRebel, #Jean-PhilippeRameau, #JohannNepomukHummel, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnnyGandelsman, #JosephC.PhillipsJr., #JosephWölfl, #JoshuaBarone, #JoyceDiDonato, #JustBach, #KarimSulayman, #KirillGerstein, #LiliBoulanger, #LincolnCenter, #LiveConcert, #LivingComposers, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MariinskyOrchestra, #MariinskyTheaterOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MeredithMonk, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MirareRecords, #MusicalInterpretation, #MusicCritics, #Muzio, #NadiaBoulanger, #NaiveRecords, #NathalieJoachim, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #NewYorkTimes, #NicholasPhan, #OldClassics, #OlivierMessiaen, #PeriodInstruments, #PhilipGlass, #PianoConcerto, #PianoSonata, #PierreHantai, #RebeccaSaunders, #RichardWagner, #RoyalScottishNationalOrchestra, #SampleTrack, #SarahBrailey, #Self-Isolation, #Self-Quarantine, #SergeiProkofiev, #ShiverLung, #SilverAge, #SoloPiano, #SopranoSinger, #SoundSample, #StreamingService, #TenorSinger, #TheBeethovenConnection, #TheEar, #TheExterminatingAngel, #ThePrison, #TheUK, #TheUW, #ThomasAdès, #TopRecordings, #TristanPerich, #UnitedKingdom, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValeryGergiev, #ViennaStateOperaOrchestra, #VikingurOlafsson, #VocalMusic, #WyntonMarsalis, #Yi-hengYang, #YouTubevideo, #ZacharyWoolfe, 2020, acclaimed, African American, Agrippina, Alexander Scriabin, Amazon, Amazon Music, amazon.com, America, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anthony Tomassini, Antoine Forqueray, Archiv Music, Arts, Ash Fure, audience, Avie Records, award, Bach, Bang on a Can, Barnes and Noble, Baroque, Baroque music, Baroque opera, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven, Benjamin Grosvenor, Berceuse, black, blog, brilliant, BrowandBeige, Brown and Beige, Carolin Widmann, cash, Cello, Cello Suite, centuries, Chamber music, Chandos Records, chaos, China, Chinese, Chopin, choral music, Christmas, Classical music, classics, Claude Debussy, Clementi, coming, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, connection, conversation, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, coronavirus, dance, Daniil Trifonov, David Greilsammer, David Hertzberg, days, Debussy, Decca, Decca Records, Deutsche Grammophon, DG, drift, Drift Multiply, Duke Ellington, Dussek, Early music, Earth, Elim Chan, end, Eriks Esenvalds, Ethel Smyth, exception, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, fairy tale, Ferguson, fortepiano, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, George Frederic Handel, George Lewis, gift, gift card, gigue, Glass, graduate student, Grammy, guidance, Handel, Hanukkah, harpsichord, hear, Hermann Scherchen, historically informed performance practices, Holiday, Hummel, Iceland, Icelandic, Igor Stravinsky, International Contemporary Ensemble, interpretation, isolation, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Ladislav Dussek, Jazz, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Jean-Féry Rebel, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johnny Gandelsman, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Joseph Wölfl, Joshua Barone, Joyce DiDonato, Just Bach, Karim Sulayman, Kirill Gerstein, Kwanzaa, Labyrinth, lack, like, Lili Boulanger, LIncoln Center, link, listing, live concert, living composers, Love, Ludwig van Beethoven, lullaby, Mariinsky Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, me, Mead Witter School of Music, Meredith Monk, Messiaen, Mezzo-soprano, Mirare Records, Missouri, multiply, Music, music critics, Musician, Muzio Clementi, Nadia Boulanger, Naive Records, Nathalie Joachim, new, New Music, New York City, New York Times, Newspaper, Nicholas Phan, nominations, old, old classics, Olivier Messiaen, opera, Orchestra, Overture, pandemic, past, period instruments, Philip Glass, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, Piano Concerto No. 1, Piano sonata, Pierre Hantai, post, posting, Prokofiev, quiet, Rameau, Ravel, reader, Rebecca Saunders, Rebel, recital, Recordings, reverential, Richard Wagner, Romance, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, sample, sample track, Sarah Brailey, Schubert, Scotland, Scottish, Scriabin, Sergei Prokofiev, share, Shiver Lung, Silver Age, Solo Cello Suites, solo piano, Sonata, song, songs, soprano, Spotify, story, Stravinsky, streaming service, subscriber, subscription, Suite, symphony, tag, teach, tender, tenor, The Beethoven Connection, The Ear, The Exterminating Angel, The Prison, Thomas Ades, top, top recordings, track, transcription, Tristan Perich, UK, United Kingdom, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, Valery Gergiev, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Vikingur Olafsson, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, vocal music, Wagber, Wynton Marsalis, Yang, year, Yi-heng Yang, you, YouTube, Zachary Woolfe
Classical music: The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge sings a varied program with organ accompaniment this Wednesday night in Overture Hall
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The new season of the popular Overture Concert Organ series, sponsored by the Madison Symphony Orchestra and curated by MSO organist Greg Zelek, begins this Wednesday night, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall.
All single tickets are $20. (A subscription to all four organ concerts is $63.)
The opening program features the world-famous Choir of Trinity College Cambridge (below), on tour from its home in the United Kingdom.
Adds Zelek:
“Our season opens with the amazing Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, named by Gramophone Magazine as one of the best choirs in the world.
“Conducted by the choir’s music director Stephen Layton (below top) and accompanied on the mighty Klais concert organ (below bottom), this 25-voice choir will present a program of music spanning many centuries that will display its beauty of tone and depth of feeling. These rich voices will make this varied program soar through Overture Hall and leave everyone in the audience breathless.”
Here are some sample reviews:
Virtuoso is the right word. I, for one, can’t immediately think of any more appropriate way of describing singing of such staggering accomplishment. – BBC Music Magazine
Sitting front and center at a recent Trinity Choir of Cambridge concert at Grace Cathedral was, sonically speaking, a heavenly experience. -The New York Times
Here is Wednesday night’s eclectic program:
William Byrd | Sing joyfully
William Byrd | O Lord, make thy servant, Elizabeth
Thomas Tallis | Salvator mundi
Henry Purcell | Thou knowest, Lord
Arvo Part | Bogoroditse Djévo
John Tavener | Mother of God, here I stand
Vasily Kalinnikov | Bogoroditse Djevo
Robert Parsons | Ave Maria
Eriks Esenvalds | The Heavens’ Flock (You can hear a different Esenvalds work, “Only in Sleep,” sung by the Trinity College Choir, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Morten Lauridsen | O magnum mysterium
Jaakko Mantyjarvi | Stuttgarter Psalmen
Herbert Howells | Take him, earth, for cherishing
Herbert Howells | Trinity St. Paul’s
For more information about the Overture Organ Series, detailed background about the Trinity College Choir and how to purchase tickets, call (608) 258-4141 or go to: https://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/overture-concert-organ-performances/ or https://madisonsymphony.org/event/organ-trinity-choir/
Tags: #ArvoPärt, #AveMaria, #BBCMusicMagazine, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CambridgeUniversity, #ChoirofTrinityCollegeCambridge, #ChoralDirector, #ChoralMusic, #ConcertOrgan, #DepthofFeeling, #EnglishComposer, #EriksEsenvalds, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GraceCathedral, #GramophoneMagazine, #GreatBritain, #GregZelek, #HenryPurcell, #HerbertHowells, #HomeWebsite, #JaakkoMantyvari, #JohnTavener, #KlaisOrgan, #KlaisOrgelbau, #LIturgicalMusic, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MortenLauridsen, #MotherofGod, #MusicDirector, #MusicReview, #NewMusic, #OMagnumMysterium, #OrganMusic, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #OvertureOrganSeries, #RobertParsons, #SacredMusic, #September11, #StephenLayton, #SubscriptionConcert, #SubscriptionTicket, #TheNewYorkTImes, #ThomasTallis, #TonalBeauty, #TrinityCollege, #UnitedKingdom, #VasilyKalinnikov, #VocalMusic, #Wednesdaynight, #WilliamByrd, #World-famous, #YouTubevideo, accomplishment, amazing, Arvo Part, audience, Ave Maria, BBC, BBC Music Magazine, beauty, best, blog, breathless, Cambridge University, cathedral, Catholic, centuries, Choir, Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, choral director, choral music, Classical music, classicalmusic, composer, concert organ, curate, depth, depth of feeling, describe, detail, director, Earth, eclectic, England, English, Eriks Esenvalds, everyone, experience, Facebook, famous, feeling, flock, forward, God, grace, Grace Cathedral, Gramophone, Gramophone (magazine), Great Britain, Greg Zelek, heaven, heavenly, Henry Purcell, Herbert Howells, Home, information, Jaakko Mantyvari, John Tavener, Joy, joyful, like, link, liturgical, liturgical music, Lord, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Morten Lauridsen, Mother, Mother of God, Music, Music director, music review, new, New Music, night, O magnum mysterium, opening, organ, organ music, organist, Overture Center, Overture Concert Organ, Overture Hall, Overture Organ Series, performer, popular, post, posting, program, Protestant, psalm, reader, review, rich, Robert Parsons, sacred music, savior, Season, Sept. 11, September 11, series, servant, share, sing, singer, Singing, single, Sleep, soar, sonic, St. Paul, staggering, Stephen Layton, Stuttgart, subscriber, subscription, tag, The New York Times, Thomas Tallis, ticket, tonal beauty, tone, tour, Trinity College, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, Vasily Kalinnikov, video, virtuoso, vocal music, voices, Website, Wednesday, William Byrd, world, YouTube
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 