Our final reviews of 2024 covered the usual variety of music, and a few things did stand out. One was Bill & Friends, a celebration of William Christie’s 80th birthday, for which he is joined by several of his students. Another was the beginning of a cycle of Shostakovich’s complete string quartets by Cuarteto Casals (pictured), in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death in 2025. Finally, something that seems fitting for the end of one year and the beginning of the next: Donnacha Dennehy’s Land of Winter, describing the seasons in Ireland.
Alarm Will Sound, Alan Pierson – Donnacha Dennehy: Land of Winter
Sara Andon, Cecilia Tsan, Simone Pedroni – John Williams Reimagined
Giovanni Antonini, Kammerorchester Basel, Il Giardino Armonico – Haydn 2032, No. 16: The Surprise
Daniel Barenboim, Berliner Philharmoniker – Franck: Symphony in D Minor; Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande
Benjamin Bernheim, Carrie-Ann Matheson – Douce France: Mélodies & Chansons
Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, Marc Mauillon, Ensemble Les Surprises – The Experts: The Bach & Silbermann Dynasties
Kristian Bezuidenhout, Freiburger Barockorchester – Mozart: Piano Concertos K. 459 & 488
Black Dyke Band, Nicholas Childs, Darius Battiwalla – John Rutter: Brass at Christmas
Brabant Ensemble, Stephen Rice – A Monk’s Life
Amel Brahim-Djelloul, Karine Deshayes, Sandrine Piau, Lucile Richardot, Jérôme Correas, Les Paladins – Lucrezia
Dirk Brossé, Brussels Philharmonic – Elliot Goldenthal: Music for Film
Holly Bryan, Oliver de Clercq, Sarah Jackson, Laurel Spencer, Valerie Whitney, Clyde Mitchell – Christopher Tyler Nickel: Concerto for Piccolo; Concerto for Four Wagner Tubas
Khatia Buniatishvili – Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 23
Gautier Capuçon, London Symphony Orchestra, Antonio Pappano – Elgar, Walton: Cello Concerto
Andrea Casarrubios – Seven: Works by Andrea Casarrubios
Ray Chen, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cristian Măcelaru – Player 1
William Christie, Les Arts Florissants – Les Musiques de Molière
Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford; Steven Grahl; Benjamin Sheen – A Lullaby Carol: Christmas at Christ Church
William Christie, Gwendoline Blondeel, Juliette Mey, Théotime Langlois de Swarte – Bill & Friends
William Christie, Les Arts Florissants – Purcell: The Fairy Queen
William Christie, Les Arts Florissants – Purcell: Dido & Aeneas
The Crossing, Donald Nally – Ochre
Cuarteto Casals – Dmitri Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1 – Nos. 1-5
Decoda – Decoda
Joyce DiDonato, Il Pomo d’Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev – Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder
Barry Douglas – Schubert: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 7
Duo Tal & Groethuysen – J.S. Bach
Frank Dupree, Dominik Beykirch – Nikolai Kapustin: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 6
Echo Vocal Ensemble – Innocence
James Ehnes, Andrew Armstrong – Ehnes & Armstrong Play Brahms & Schumann
Alec Frank-Gemmill, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan – Mozart: Horn Concertos
John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists – Bach: Christmas Oratorio [2022 Recording]
Delta David Gier, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra – John Luther Adams: An Atlas of Deep Time
Mak Grgic, Ensemble Dissonance – Entourer
Ragnhild Hemsing, Barokkanerne – Vivaldi: The Norwegian Seasons
Domingo Hindoyan, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra – Music from the Americas, Vol. 1: Venezuela!
Lucie Horsch – Frans Brüggen Project
Imani Winds, Andy Akiho – BeLonging
Ethan Iverson – Playfair Sonatas
Vladimir Jurowski, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra – Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Sangeeta Kaur, Omar Najmi, Hila Plitmann, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Robert Thies – Danaë Xanthe Vlasse: Mythologies II
Katia & Marielle Labèque, Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin – Sonic Wires
Anja Lechner – Bach, Abel, Hume
Kristin Lee – American Sketches
Seunghee Lee, Steven Beck, Manhattan Chamber Players – Intermezzo: Works of Michele Mangani
Hanni Liang – Voices for solo piano
Fotina Naumenko – Bespoke Songs
Robin O’Neill, Philharmonia Orchestra – J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations
Steven Osborne, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner – Tippett: Piano Concerto; Symphony No. 2
Rafael Payare, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal – Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande; Verklärte Nacht
Nicholas Phan, Palaver Strings – A Change Is Gonna Come
Maurizio Pollini, Daniele Pollini – Schubert
Choir of the Queen’s College, Oxford; Rowan Atkinson; Britten Sinfonia; Owen Rees – That Sweet City
RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Justin Doyle – J.S. Bach: Weihnachts-Magnificat; G.F. Handel: Utrecht Te Deum
Bruno de Sá, Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, Jarosław Thiel – Mille Affetti
Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo – Kaija Saariaho: Adriana Mater
Esa-Pekka Salonen, San Francisco Symphony – Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird
Dario Salvi, Janácek Philharmonic Orchestra – Auber: Overtures, Vol. 7
Fazil Say – Oiseaux tristes: Couperin, Debussy, Ravel
Case Scaglione, Orchestre national d’Ile-de-France – Rita Strohl, Vol. 3: Musique orchestrale
Gerd Schaller, Philharmonie Festiva – Bruckner 4 (Version 1888)
Alexander Shelley – Two Orchestras, One Symphony: Jacques Hétu Symphony No. 5, Op. 81
James Sinclair, Orchestra New England, Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra – Charles Ives: Orchestral Works
Slide Action – RE:BUILD
Kian Soltani, Camerata Salzburg – Schumann
Choir of St John’s College, Oxford; David Banister – News of Great Joy: Christmas from St John’s College, Oxford
Hayato Sumino – Human Universe
Masaaki Suzuki – Johann Sebastian Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge
Young-Ah Tak – Schubert: Sonata in A minor, D 784; Sonata in G major, D 894
Takács Quartet – Nokuthula Ngwenyama: Flow
Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips – Robert Fayrfax: Maria plena virtute
Alexandre Tharaud – Bach
Thélème – All We Get Is Life
Davóne Tines, Wild Up – Julius Eastman, Vol. 4: The Holy Presence
Various Artists – Bruckner from the Archives, Vol. 5
Carlo Vistoli, Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin; Georg Kallweit – Vivaldi: Sacro Furore – Stabat Mater, Nisi Dominus, Concerti
Jirí Vodicka, David Marecek – Antonín Dvorák: Complete Works for Violin and Piano
Freya Waley-Cohen, Manchester Collective – Freya Waley-Cohen: Spell Book
Xiayin Wang, BBC Philharmonic, John Wilson – MacDowell: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Alisa Weilerstein, Inon Barnatan – Brahms: Cello Sonatas
Kahchun Wong, Hallé Orchestra – Benjamin Britten: The Prince of the Pagodas
Kenneth Woods, Zoë Beyers, English Symphony Orchestra – Steve Elcock: Symphony No. 8; Violin Concerto
