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 Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Finalists
Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Lydia Teuscher (soprano), Ida Falk Winland (soprano), Tim Mead (countertenor), Samuel Boden (tenor), Neal Davies (bass), Arcangelo, Jonathan Cohen
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Igor Levit (piano)
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Philip Dukes (viola), BBC Philharmonic, Sir Andrew Davis
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Isabelle Faust (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello) & Alexander Melnikov (Graff fortepiano)
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Maria João Pires (piano), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano & direction), Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Available Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Maurizio Pollini (piano)
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch (violin), Battalia
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Roderick Williams (baritone), BBC Singers & Nash Ensemble, Nicholas Kok
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
London Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Anna Bonitatibus (mezzo-soprano), Accademia degli Astrusi, Federico Ferri
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Ingrid Fliter (piano), Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Jun Märkl
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Jakob Lindberg (lute)
Available Format: SACD
Howard Shelley (piano & conductor), Ulster Orchestra
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Alisa Weilerstein (cello), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Stuart Skelton (tenor), Sarah Connolly (mezzo) & David Soar (bass), BBC Symphony Chorus & BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Available Formats: 2 SACDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Rachel Podger (violin), Marcin Świątkiewicz (harpsichord & organ) & Daniele Caminiti (theorbo)
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano), The English Concert, Harry Bicket
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Sophie Bevan, Mary Bevan (sopranos), Tim Mead (countertenor), Ed Lyon (tenor), William Berger (bass), Ludus Baroque, Richard Neville-Towle
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Christina Landshamer, Maximilian Schmitt & Florian Boesch, Collegium Vocale Gent & Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, Philippe Herreweghe
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Benjamin Hulett (tenor), Alison Hill (soprano), The Bach Choir & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Hill
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Les Vents Français (Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Paul Meyer (clarinet), Francois Leleux (oboe), Gilbert Audin (bassoon), Radovan Vlatkovic (horn)
Available Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Jerusalem Quartet
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Ex Cathedra, Jeffrey Skidmore
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Nightingale String Quartet
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Llyr Williams (piano)
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Steven Osborne (piano)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Christiane Karg, Christina Landshamer (sopranos) & Michael Schade (tenor), Chorus & Orchestra of Bavarian Radio, Pablo Heras-Casado
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Maria João Pires (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: SACD + Blu-ray Audio, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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 Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Stile Antico
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Sébastien Daucé (harpsichord, organ, direction), Ensemble Correspondances
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Alamire & English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, David Skinner
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Vienna Philharmonic, Sakari Oramo
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Lyon, Riccardo Minasi
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Anna-Jane Casey, Kim Criswell, Matthew Ford, Sarah Fox, Richard Morrison, John Wilson Orchestra, John Wilson
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano), BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Alina Ibragimova (violin), Steven Osborne (piano)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Karabits
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Tenebrae, Nigel Short
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
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, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Yuja Wang (piano), Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano), I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos Van Immerseel
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Miloš Karadaglić (guitar), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Alison Balsom (trumpet), The Guy Barker Orchestra, Guy Barker
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Helmut Deutsch (piano)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Gerald Finley (baritone) & Julius Drake (piano)
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Paul Lewis (piano)
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle
Available Format: 2 CDs + Blu-ray
Truls Mørk (cello), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Alexander Vinogradov (bass), Huddersfield Choral Society & Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Vasily Petrenko
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Christiane Karg (soprano), Felix Klieser (horn) & Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Kazuki Yamada
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Anna Netrebko (soprano), Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Julian Lloyd Webber (cello), Jiaxin Lloyd Webber (cello), European Union Chamber Orchestra, Hans-Peter Hofmann
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Gidon Kremer (violin & director), Daniil Grishin (viola), Giedre Dirvanauskaite (cello), Daniil Trifonov (piano), Kremerata Baltica
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Ailish Tynan (soprano), Anna Stéphany (mezzo), Andrew Tortise (tenor), Owen Gilhooly (baritone) & Jonathan Lemalu (bass baritone), BBC Singers & BBC Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Available Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Heike Wessels (mezzo soprano), Sergey Skorokhodov (tenor) & Albert Dohmen (baritone), Petra Lang (mezzo soprano), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
