My Top 10 Albums / Concerts of 2017

CLASSICAL

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1. Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Sergiu Celibidache - Schubert: Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished" / Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" (MPHIL0004)

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2. Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons - Brahms: The Symphonies (BSO Classics)

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3. Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber - Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin (Sony Classical)

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4. Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons - Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (BR-Klassik)

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5. Skip Sempé and Capriccio Stravagante - William Byrd: Virginal & Consorts (INTERARTS)

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6. London Symphony Orchestra & Monteverdi Choir under John Eliot Gardiner - Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (LSO Live)

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7. Andreas Staier & Alexander Melnikov - Schubert: Fantasie in F Minor and Other Piano Duets (harmonia mundi)

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8. Amarcord - Tenebrae (Tallis, Dietrich, Stoltzer, Stahel, Machaut, Boquiren, Ockeghem, Moody, Walter, Byrd, Kedrov, Gesualdo, Walter, Tavener, des Prez, Ludwig, etc.) (edition apollon)

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9. MusicAeterna under Teodor Currentzis - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (Sony Music Canada Inc.)

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10. Krystian Zimerman - Schubert: Piano Sonatas D959 & 960 (Deutsche Grammophon)

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ANTHOLOGY

Walter Gieseking - The 1950s Solo Studio Recordings (APR 7402)

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Jacqueline du Pré - The Heart of the Cello (Warner Classics)

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CONTEMPORARY/EXPERIMENTAL

1. Jürg Frey - Collection Gustave Roud (at115x2)  review 

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2. Jürg Frey - ephemeral constructions (EWR 1709)  review 

3. Jürg Frey - l’âme est sans retenue l (ErstClass 002-5)  review 

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4. Antoine Beuger - Ockeghem Octets (at114)
5. Michael Pisaro - Sometimes (EWR 1703)
6. Irene Kurka - chants (EWR 1710)
7. Ryoko Akama - places and pages (at110x2)  
8. Keith Rowe / Michael Pisaro - 13 Thirteen (Erstwhile 085-2)
9. Taku Sugimoto - Quintets: Berlin, San Diego (Meena-984)

 

LIVE PERFORMANCE

1. English Baroque Soloists & Monteverdi Choir under John Eliot Gardiner performing Monteverdi - Orfeo / The Return of Ulysses / The Coronation of Poppea (Lincoln Center, NYC 10/18, 19, 21) 

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"L'Orfeo" de Monteverdi par John Eliot Gardiner - live @ La Fenice

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Kangmin Justin Kim and Hana Blažíková perform the final act duet, Pur ti Miro from Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea.

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2. Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons, performing Sofia Gubaidulina - New Work for Violin, Cello, Bayan, and Orchestra (NY Premiere, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall) / Shostakovich - Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad" (Carnegie Hall, NYC  2/28)

Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons, performing Ravel - Le tombeau de Couperin / George Benjamin - Dream of the Song (NY Premiere) / Berlioz - Symphonie fantastique (Carnegie Hall, NYC 3/2)

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3. Munich Philharmonic under Valery Gergiev, Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano), performing Ravel - La valse / Ravel - Piano Concerto in G Major / Beethoven - Symphony No. 3, "Eroica" (Carnegie Hall, NYC 4/3)

Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, Genia Kühmeier (soprano), performing Debussy - Prélude à l'après-midi d'un fauneSchubert - Symphony No. 4, "Tragic" / Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Carnegie Hall, NYC 4/5)

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4. Quatour Bozzini with Isaiah Ceccarelli (percussion) and Noam Bierstone (percussion), performing Jürg Frey - Unhörbare Zeit / String Quartet 3 (The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, NYC 8/4)

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5. The Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Radu Lupu (piano), Sasha Cooke (mezzo-soprano), performing Bernstein - Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah" / Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491 / Schumann - Symphony No. 2 (Carnegie Hall, NYC 5/9)

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6. The New York Philharmonic under Paavo Järvi, Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), performing Esa-Pekka Salonen - Gambit (New York Premiere) / Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 4 / Sibelius - Symphony No. 5 (Lincoln Center, NYC 10/12)  > review

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7. Mitsuko Uchida, performing Mozart - Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 / Schumann - Kreisleriana / Jörg Widmann - Fantasy on Schumann (NY Premiere, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall) / Schumann - Fantasy in C Major (Carnegie Hall, NYC 5/30)

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8. Maurizio Pollini, performing All Chopin Program - Two Nocturnes, Op. 27 / Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, Op. 47 / Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52 / Berceuse in D-flat Major, Op. 57 / Scherzo No. 1 / Two Nocturnes, Op. 55 / Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58 / Encore: Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23 / Encore: Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23 (Carnegie Hall, NYC 5/21)

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9. The New York Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden, Katia and Marielle Labèque (pianos), performing Philip Glass - Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (New York Premiere) / Mahler - Symphony No. 5 (Lincoln Center, NYC 9/22)  > review

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10. Staatskapelle Berlin under Daniel Barenboim, performing Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 (Carnegie Hall, NYC 1/28)

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10 MORE CONCERTS … 

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San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, performing All Mahler Program: Adagio from Symphony No. 10 / Symphony No. 1 (Carnegie Hall, NYC 4/4)

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst, performing Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht / Schubert - Symphony No. 9, "Great" (Carnegie Hall, NYC 2/26)

Piotr Anderszewski, performing Mozart - Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475 / Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Minor, K. 457 / Chopin - Three Mazurkas, Op. 59 / J. S. Bach - English Suite No 6 in D minor BWV 811 (Carnegie Hall, NYC 2/17)

Sir András Schiff, performing All Schubert Program:  Piano Sonata in A Minor, D. 845 / Four Impromptus, D. 935 / Klavierstücke / Piano Sonata in G Major, D. 894, "Fantasy" (Carnegie Hall, NYC 3/9)

Jean-Guihen Queyras, Alexander Melnikov, performing Schumann - Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 / Yves Chauris - D'arbres, de ténèbres, de terre (World Premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall) / Beethoven - Cello Sonata in A Major, Op. 69 / Webern - Three Little Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 11 / Chopin - Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65 / Encore: Debussy - Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto resoluto, from Cello Sonata in D Minor (Carnegie Hall, NYC 1/25)

Borodin Quartet, performing Schubert - Quartet in C minor, D. 703, “Quartettsatz” / Tchaikovsky - Album for the Young, Op. 39 (arr. R. Dubinsky) / Shostakovich - Quartet No. 6 in G major, Op. 101 / Shostakovich - Quartet No. 13 in B-flat minor, Op. 138 (92Y, NYC 10/24)

FOR/WITH: Works by Christian Wolff, Annea Lockwood, Michael Pisaro, Ashley Fure, performed by Nate Wooley, Ross Karre, Jessica Pavone, Megan Schubert, Kristin Norderval, Christian Wolff, Annea Lockwood, Michael Pisaro, Ashley Fure (Issue Project Room, NYC 9/29-30)  > review

Michael Pisaro, performing "transparent city (2)" for electric guitar and pre-recorded accompaniment (The Old Stone House, NYC 4/13)

Seong-Jin Cho, performing Berg - Piano Sonata, Op. 1 / Schubert - Piano Sonata in C Minor, D. 958 / Chopin - 24 Preludes, Op. 28 / Encores: Debussy - "Clair de lune" from Suite bergamasque / Chopin - Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23 / Bach - Sarabande from French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816 (Carnegie Hall, NYC 2/22)

Leif Ove Andsnes, Marc-André Hamelin, performing Mozart - Larghetto and Allegro for Two Pianos (completed by Paul Badura-Skoda) / Stravinsky - Concerto for Two Pianos / Debussy - En blanc et noir / Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps for Two Pianos / Encores: Stravinsky - "Madrid" for Two Pianos from Four Studies for Orchestra (transc. Babin) / Stravinsky - "Circus Polka" for Two Pianos (transc. Babin) / Stravinsky - Tango for Two Pianos (transc. Babin) (Carnegie Hall, NYC 4/28)

 

SONG (TRACK) OF THE YEAR

Jürg Frey - Farblose Wolken, Glück, Wind from Collection Gustave Roud (at115x2) 
(w/ Regula Konrad on soprano, Stefan Thut on cello, Stephen Altoft on trumpet, Lee Ferguson on percussion, Texts by Gustave Roud, Jürg Frey )  > review