This year we have decided to create our own Presto Classical 2014 Discs of the Year. After many hours of discussion and debate we managed to produce a list of 100 finalists.
From there we went on to decide on our top 10 – these we'll call our 2014 Disc of the Year Winners.
There are some really great recordings and it is well worth browsing through the full list of all the finalists.
Winners
John Adams' controversial new work was commissioned by Gustavo Dudamel and sets texts in English and Spanish that seek to show the Gospel story through the eyes of its less significant players, Martha and Mary Magdalene. Written in collaboration with director Peter Sellars, it's a challenging and bold masterpiece for the Twenty-irst Century.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Among the last works he ever wrote, the Magnificat and Heilig (a large-scale motet for double choir) show CPE Bach at his most inventive. A stellar lineup of soloists including soprano Elizabeth Watts, together with the RIAS Kammerchor and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and under the baton of Hans-Christoph Rademann, make the case for these striking works.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Steven Isserlis and Robert Levin have been collaborating in chamber music for so long that the mere juxtaposition of their names is enough to signal something worth listening to. Here, in their long-awaited set of Beethoven's Cello Sonatas (including the three sets of Variations and the arrangement of the Horn Sonata), they don't disappoint; and the use of a fortepiano rather than a modern grand is the icing on the cake.
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The late Colin Davis has long been acknowledged as an expert in all things Haydn, and his collection of late Haydn symphonies with the LSO (recorded in 2010-11) clearly shows how well-deserved this reputation is. By turns refined, tender, jolly and more, they're delightfully vivid performances of some of Haydn's most forward-looking works.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
A fascinating and long-awaited reunion - Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim's first joint recital for 15 years - this album is centred around the two-piano version of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The soundworld is, unsurprisingly, utterly different in this incarnation, but the performance certainly convinces. Mozart's Duo Sonata K448 and Schubert's Variations D813 complete the lineup.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Franco Fagioli has been one of the standard-bearers of the recent countertenor resurgence - just one of several names that have been championing the castrato repertoire of the Eighteenth Century. Nicola Porpora, who taught both Caffarelli and Farinelli, knew better than most how best to write for these voices, and this disc pays tribute to his compositional genius.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
A Scheherazade that really plays up the Oriental elements - the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic don't shy away from raw string playing and a forthright percussion sound, while also incorporating Middle Eastern instruments into Rimsky-Korsakov's exotic fantasy. Also included are some short works by Turkish composers and an orchestrated version of Balakirev's fearsomely difficult piano work, Islamey.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Indisputably today's pre-eminent tenor, Jonas Kaufmann shows what he's made of in this Parsifal from the Met in 2013 - and with Katarina Dalayman, Peter Mattei and René Pape on board too as Kunrdy, Amfortas and Gurnemanz respectively, it's a performance to be treasured. Francois Girard's staging, at times grim and even oppressive, serves to highlight the redemptive themes of the opera.
Available format: 2 DVD Videos
Perhaps William Walton's most significant orchestral works, brought together on one disc. The Symphony was an instant, but also a sustained, success that dispelled any lingering doubts that there may have been about Walton's calibre as a composer; the Violin Concerto was a special commission from the legendary virtuoso Jascha Heifetz, in whose footsteps (ably accompanied by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Edward Gardner) Tasmin Little treads with fearless technique.
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Finalists
Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Lydia Teuscher (soprano), Ida Falk Winland (soprano), Tim Mead (countertenor), Samuel Boden (tenor), Neal Davies (bass), Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Igor Levit (piano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Philip Dukes (viola), BBC Philharmonic, Sir Andrew Davis
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Isabelle Faust (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello) & Alexander Melnikov (Graff fortepiano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Maria João Pires (piano), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano & direction), Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Maurizio Pollini (piano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch (violin), Battalia
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Roderick Williams (baritone), BBC Singers & Nash Ensemble, Nicholas Kok
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Martin Fröst (clarinet), Janine Jansen ( violin), Boris Brovtsyn (violin), Maxim Rysanov (viola), Torleif Thedéen (cello), Roland Pöntinen (piano)
Available format: SACD
Leonidas Kavakos (violin) & Yuja Wang (piano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
London Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Anna Bonitatibus (mezzo-soprano), Accademia degli Astrusi, Federico Ferri
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Ingrid Fliter (piano), Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Jun Märkl
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Jakob Lindberg (lute)
Available format: SACD
Howard Shelley (piano & conductor), Ulster Orchestra
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Alisa Weilerstein (cello), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Stuart Skelton (tenor), Sarah Connolly (mezzo) & David Soar (bass), BBC Symphony Chorus & BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Available formats: 2 SACDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Rachel Podger (violin), Marcin Świątkiewicz (harpsichord & organ) & Daniele Caminiti (theorbo)
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Bejun Mehta (Orfeo), Eva Liebau (Euridice) & Regula Mühlemann (Amore), Collegium 1704, Collegium Vocale 1704, Václav Luks
Available format: Blu-ray
James Gilchrist (Jephtha), Susan Bickley (Storge), Sophie Bevan (Iphis), Robin Blaze (Hamor), Matthew Brook (Zebul) & Grace Davidson (Angel), The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Available formats: 3 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Xavier Sabata (Tamerlano), Max Emanuel Cencic (Andronico), John Mark Ainsley (Bajazet), Karina Gauvin (Asteria), Ruxandra Donose (Irene), Pavel Kudinov (Leone), Il Pomo d'Oro, Riccardo Minasi
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano), The English Concert, Harry Bicket
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Sophie Bevan, Mary Bevan (sopranos), Tim Mead (countertenor), Ed Lyon (tenor), William Berger (bass), Ludus Baroque, Richard Neville-Towle
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Max Emanuel Cencic (Siroe), Franco Fagioli (Medarse), Julia Lezhneva (Laodice), Juan Sancho (Cosroe), Mary-Ellen Nesi (Emira), Laureen Snouffer (Arasse), Armonia Atenea, George Petrou
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Christina Landshamer, Maximilian Schmitt & Florian Boesch, Collegium Vocale Gent & Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, Philippe Herreweghe
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Benjamin Hulett (tenor), Alison Hill (soprano), The Bach Choir & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Hill
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Les Vents Français (Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Paul Meyer (clarinet), Francois Leleux (oboe), Gilbert Audin (bassoon), Radovan Vlatkovic (horn)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Jerusalem Quartet
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Ex Cathedra, Jeffrey Skidmore
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Nightingale String Quartet
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Llyr Williams (piano)
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Steven Osborne (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Christiane Karg, Christina Landshamer (sopranos) & Michael Schade (tenor), Chorus & Orchestra of Bavarian Radio, Pablo Heras-Casado
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Maria João Pires (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Available formats: SACD + Blu-ray Audio, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Monica Piccinini, Anna Simboli (sopranos), Andrea Arrivabene, Gianluca Ferrarini (altos), Luca Dordolo, Raffaele Giordani (tenors) & Matteo Bellotto, Salvo Vitale (bass), Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Stile Antico
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Sébastien Daucé (harpsichord, organ, direction), Ensemble Correspondances
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
Alamire & English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, David Skinner
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Martha Argerich (piano), Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado
Available format: CD
Barry Banks (Mitridate), Miah Persson (Aspasia), Sophie Bevan (Sifare), Lawrence Zazzo (Farnace), Klara Ek (Ismene), Robert Murray (Marzio), Anna Devin (Arbate), The Orchestra of Classical Opera, Ian Page
Available formats: 4 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Vienna Philharmonic, Sakari Oramo
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Lyon, Riccardo Minasi
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Anna-Jane Casey, Kim Criswell, Matthew Ford, Sarah Fox, Richard Morrison, John Wilson Orchestra, John Wilson
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano), BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Alina Ibragimova (violin), Steven Osborne (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Karabits
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Tenebrae, Nigel Short
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Evelina Dobraceva, Ekaterina Siurina (sopranos), Justina Gringyte (mezzo-soprano), Daniil Shtoda (tenor), Andrei Bondarenko, Rodion Pogossov (baritones), Alexander Vinogradov (bass) & Iain Burnside (piano)
Available formats: 3 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Yuja Wang (piano), Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano), I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos Van Immerseel
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Miloš Karadaglić (guitar), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Alison Balsom (trumpet), The Guy Barker Orchestra, Guy Barker
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Helmut Deutsch (piano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Gerald Finley (baritone) & Julius Drake (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Paul Lewis (piano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle
Available format: 2 CDs + Blu-ray
Truls Mørk (cello), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Alexander Vinogradov (bass), Huddersfield Choral Society & Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Vasily Petrenko
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Christiane Karg (soprano), Felix Klieser (horn) & Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Kazuki Yamada
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Anna Netrebko (soprano), Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Julian Lloyd Webber (cello), Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (cello), European Union Chamber Orchestra, Hans-Peter Hofmann
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Gidon Kremer (violin & director), Daniil Grishin (viola), Giedre Dirvanauskaite (cello), Daniil Trifonov (piano), Kremerata Baltica
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Ailish Tynan (soprano), Anna Stéphany (mezzo), Andrew Tortise (tenor), Owen Gilhooly (baritone) & Jonathan Lemalu (bass baritone), BBC Singers & BBC Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Heike Wessels (mezzo soprano), Sergey Skorokhodov (tenor) & Albert Dohmen (baritone), Petra Lang (mezzo soprano), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
