{"id":3633,"date":"2011-12-19T10:38:50","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T09:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=3633"},"modified":"2011-12-19T15:28:46","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T14:28:46","slug":"bobby-and-hans-vol-1-one-of-wfmts-20-best-classical-recordings-of-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2011\/12\/19\/bobby-and-hans-vol-1-one-of-wfmts-20-best-classical-recordings-of-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Bobby and Hans vol 1 one of WFMT’s 20 “Best Classical Recordings of 2011”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago’s flagship station for classical music, WFMT has selected the Orchestra of the Swan’s recording of the Third Symphonies of Hans Gal and Robert Schumann in a column from new releases editor, Lisa Flynn. Read the whole thing here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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THE BEST CLASSICAL RECORDINGS OF 2011<\/h1>\n

Every day, WFMT enjoys sharing with you the wealth of great classical recordings from the past and present. 2011 saw an incredible range of offerings from labels both large and small. Here are 20 of our favorites from the past year. Enjoy, and happy listening in the New Year!<\/p>\n

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Chicago<\/strong>\u00a0Symphony Orchestra Brass Live<\/strong><\/p>\n

CSO Brass<\/p>\n

CSO Resound 901 1101<\/a><\/p>\n

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra\u2019s world-renowned brass section\u00a0shines in a\u00a0stunning concert performance from\u00a0the orchestra\u2019s\u00a0own label. Works by Gabrieli, Bach, Grainger, Prokofiev, Walton and Revueltas are showcased on the recording, which also includes the CSO\u2019s percussion section and guest musicians.<\/p>\n

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Giulini in America<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago Symphony Orchestra \/ Carlo Maria Giulini<\/p>\n

Deutsche Grammophon B0015715-02 (5 CDs)<\/a><\/p>\n

Carlo Maria Giulini was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra\u2019s much-loved principal guest conductor from 1969 to 1972. He made some of his greatest recordings with the CSO for Deutsche Grammophon, now collected into a boxed set for the first time. Works by Schubert, Prokofiev, Mahler and Britten have once again been restored to the catalogue.<\/p>\n

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So Latino<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gabriela Montero, piano<\/p>\n

EMI 18201-2<\/a><\/p>\n

Celebrated equally for her interpretations of classical repertoire and for her extraordinary improvisations, Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero devotes an album exclusively to works by Latin American composers. She performs 20 short works by six composers, Alberto Ginastera\u2019s Piano Sonata #1 and five improvisations on Latin themes.<\/p>\n

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Diva Divo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joyce DiDonato, soprano; Lyon National Opera Orchestra \/ Kazushi Ono<\/p>\n

Virgin Classics 41986-2<\/a><\/p>\n

Joyce DiDonato celebrates the rich dramatic variety of the mezzo-soprano voice in this collection of arias for different characters \u2013 of both sexes \u2013 from a single opera, or from different operatic treatments of the same story. DiDonato\u2019s capacity for characterization is as astounding as the range and flexibility of her voice.<\/p>\n

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Fiction<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c9b\u00e8ne Quartet<\/p>\n

Virgin Classics 86680-4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn everything we have been willing to do musically \u2013- during all that time spent practicing Haydn, Beethoven or Bart\u00f3k \u2013- there has always been a concealed dream of improvising and creating a new approach to the string quartet,\u201d confess the members of the multi-award-winning \u00c9b\u00e8ne Quartet. This album brings that dream into the open with compelling arrangements of pop and jazz songs.<\/p>\n

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Rose of Sharon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ensemble Phoenix Munich \/ Joel Frederiksen<\/p>\n

Harmonia Mundi HMU-902085<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cRose of Sharon\u201d is a program of rarely heard American vocal works from the 18th and 19th centuries, spanning the years between the Declaration of Independence to the end of the Civil War. The release takes its name from a passage in the Song of Solomon that was set by William Billings, considered the father of American choral music.<\/p>\n

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Glazunov: Complete Concertos<\/strong><\/p>\n

Various Soloists; Russian National Orchestra \/ Jos\u00e9 Serebrier<\/p>\n

Warner Classics 67946-2 (2 CDs)<\/a><\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Serebrier has been a stalwart champion of the music of Alexander Glazunov, the composer he calls the \u201cRussian Brahms.\u201d Following recordings of the symphonies and ballets, Serebrier brings together Glazunov\u2019s complete concertos with a talented line-up of soloists, including violinist Rachel Barton Pine and pianist Alexander Romanovsky.<\/p>\n

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Schumann: Complete Works for Piano Trio<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christian Tetzlaff, violin; Tanja Tetzlaff, cello; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano<\/p>\n

EMI Classics 94180-2 (2 CDs)<\/a><\/p>\n

In a welcome addition to the chamber music catalogue, celebrated pianist Leif Ove Andsnes joins the brother-and-sister team of violinist Christian Tetzlaff and cellist Tania Tetzlaff for the complete piano trio works of Schumann. The three artists give technically superb performances with a natural musicianship that comes from years of collaboration.<\/p>\n

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Winging It: Piano Music of John Corigliano<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ursula Oppens, piano<\/p>\n

Cedille 90000 123<\/a><\/p>\n

Ursula Oppens has been an advocate of contemporary composers and new music throughout her career. Her recording of piano music by the widely celebrated American composer John Corigliano includes the world premiere of \u201cWinging It,\u201d an improvisation-based piece written for her. She is joined by Jerome Lowenthal in works for two pianos by Corigliano.<\/p>\n

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Mozart: Complete Overtures<\/strong><\/p>\n

La Cetra Baroque Orchestra Basel \/ Andrea Marcon<\/p>\n

Deutsche Grammophon B0015509-02<\/a><\/p>\n

Mozart\u2019s overtures have often been recorded, but the ones generally chosen are taken from the seven \u201cgreat\u201d operas of his later period. This recording covers the entire range of Mozart\u2019s operatic output, from the little-known \u201cApollo et Hyacinthus,\u201d written when Mozart was only eleven, to \u201cLa clemenza di Tito,\u201d a work first staged only weeks before his death in 1791.<\/p>\n

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\"\"The Liszt Project<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano<\/p>\n

Deutsche Grammophon B0015944-02 (2 CDs)<\/a><\/p>\n

To commemorate the Liszt bicentennial, Pierre-Laurent Aimard juxtaposes a selection of Liszt\u2019s works with compositions by his contemporaries and successors. Liszt\u2019s Piano Sonata is contrasted with other one-movement sonatas by Berg, Wagner and Scriabin. Shorter pieces by Liszt point to their correspondence with works by Bart\u00f3k and Ravel.<\/p>\n

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Nico Muhly: Seeing Is Believing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aurora Orchestra \/ Nicholas Collon<\/p>\n

Decca B0015606-02<\/a><\/p>\n

Decca\u2019s third album of music by Nico Muhly is a collection of his orchestral works, including the concerto for electric violin, \u201cSeeing is Believing,\u201d with soloist Thomas Gould. Influenced by the great minimalists, early English choral music and the latest electronic fusions, Nico Muhly is one of the best-known names in contemporary classical music.<\/p>\n

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Rossini: William Tell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Soloists; Santa Cecilia Academy Chorus & Orchestra \/ Antonio Pappano<\/p>\n

EMI Classics 28826-2 (3 CDs)<\/a><\/p>\n

Rossini\u2019s final French opera is brought vividly to life by Antonio Pappano and a stellar international cast. Recorded live in concert, Canadian baritone Gerald Finlay sings the title role, and American tenor John Osborn, discovered by Pappano for this recording, takes on the notoriously challenging high role of Arnold of which he is a rare exponent.<\/p>\n

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Chopin Recital<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingolf Wunder, piano<\/p>\n

Deutsche Grammophon B0015712-02<\/a><\/p>\n

At the 2010 Warsaw International Chopin Competition, Ingolf Wunder showed his strong connection with the works of the great Polish composer. The young Austrian won second prize and the audience award. The jury\u2019s decision led to an intense public debate, but it was Wunder, and not the first-prize winner, who signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon.<\/p>\n

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G\u00e1l: Symphony #3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Orchestra of the Swan \/ Kenneth Woods<\/p>\n

Avie AV-2230<\/a><\/p>\n

Avie continues to bring the music of Hans G\u00e1l to light with the world premiere recording of the Third Symphony conducted by committed advocate Kenneth Woods. After making headlines with his first recording of G\u00e1l\u2019s music, Woods conducts the enterprising Orchestra of the Swan in the first of a projected cycle of all four of G\u00e1l\u2019s symphonies.<\/p>\n

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The Soviet Experience: Volume 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pacifica Quartet<\/p>\n

Cedille 90000 127 (2 CDs)<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the first installment in the Pacifica Quartet\u2019s four-volume survey of the complete Shostakovich string quartets. The series also includes works by other important composers of the Soviet era, adding variety and perspective to the string quartet literature of the 20th<\/sup>century.<\/p>\n

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Sibelius: Symphony #2<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra \/ Pietari Inkinen<\/p>\n

Naxos 8.572704<\/a><\/p>\n

Many great conductors have recorded complete cycles of Sibelius\u2019s symphonies. Pietari Inkinen is finding a place among them with a critically acclaimed series on the Naxos label. In the third volume, Inkinen brings a sense of spontaneity and excitement to the most popular of the seven works.<\/p>\n

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Faur\u00e9: Complete Chamber Music for Piano & Strings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Renaud Capu\u00e7on, Michel Dalberto, Gautier Capu\u00e7on, Nicholas Angelich, G\u00e9rard Causs\u00e9, \u00c9b\u00e8ne Quartet<\/p>\n

Virgin Classics 70875-2 (5 CDs)<\/a><\/p>\n

Chamber works by Faur\u00e9 are performed by a magnificent line-up of French and French-trained musicians. The five CDs comprise works for two, three, four and five instruments and span the composer\u2019s career from early works, influenced by his teacher Saint-Sa\u00ebns, to the more rarefied compositions of his later years.<\/p>\n

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Holst: Orchestral Works, Volume 2<\/strong><\/p>\n

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra \/ Sir Andrew Davis<\/p>\n

Chandos CHSA-5086<\/a><\/p>\n

This series originally was to be conducted by Richard Hickox, who passed away in 2009 after completing Volume 1, released to great critical acclaim. In the second volume, Sir Andrew Davis leads the project, conducting the BBC Philharmonic in \u201cThe Planets\u201d and two Holst rarities \u2013 \u201cBeni Mora\u201d and \u201cJapanese Suite.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Schubert: Piano Sonatas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul Lewis, piano<\/p>\n

Harmonia Mundi HMU-902115<\/a><\/p>\n

Paul Lewis has just emerged from a vast Beethoven project and now returns to Schubert, the other key focus of his concert and recording career. In this double album, three late sonatas are accompanied by two sets of short pieces brimming with inventiveness, the \u201cImpromptus\u201d and \u201cKlavierst\u00fccke.\u201d<\/p>\n

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