An all-new Top Ten this month, headed by Volume Four of Andris Nelsons’s marvellous Shostakovich Under Stalin series with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the top spot (and its predecessor from last July making a comeback at No. 15) – you can read James’s full review of the new recording here.
Following a double win at last month’s Grammys, James Ehnes’s world premiere recording of concertos written for him by Aaron Jay Kernis and James Newton Howard appears at No. 25, whilst Thomas Adès’s thrillingly claustrophobic third opera The Exterminating Angel (the only DVD/Blu-ray release to feature this month) sits at No. 20.
No. 1 (new entry)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 2 (new entry)
Steven Isserlis (cello) & Olli Mustonen (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 3 new entry)
Joyce El-Khoury (Mirra), Airam Hernández (King), Oleksandr Pushniak (Beleso); Weimar Staatskapelle, Kirill Karabits
Available formats: CD & Download (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
No. 4 (new entry)
Paul Lewis (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 5 (new entry)
Kammerorchester Basel, Giovanni Antonini
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 6 (new entry)
Sara Mingardo (contralto), Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Women's choir of Schola Heidelberg, Young singers of the Kölner Dom, François-Xavier Roth
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 7
Ruby Hughes (soprano), Sasha Cooke (mezzo-soprano); Minnesota Orchestra & Chorale, Osmo Vänskä
Available format: SACD
No. 8 (new entry)
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 9 (new entry)
No. 10 (new entry)
Jan Lisiecki (piano), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 11 (new entry)
Kirill Gerstein (piano), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Men of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Sakari Oramo
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 12 (new entry)
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 13 (No. 1 last month)
Tabea Zimmermann (viola), Stéphane Degout (baritone), Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 14 (new entry)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 15 (No. 21 in December 2018)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 16 (new entry)
Sofiya Jankovic (Snow Maiden), Militza Miladinovich (Lel), Valeria Heybalova (Kupava), Dushan Popovich (Mizgir), Drago Dimitrievich (Leshiy), Biserka Cvejic (Spring), Valeria Heybalova (Kupava), Miroslav Changalovich (King Frost)
Belgrade National Opera, Kresimir Baranovich
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
No. 17 (new entry)
No. 18 (No. 21 last month)
Fort Smith Symphony, John Jeter
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 19 (new entry)
Leila Josefowicz (violin), Anu Komsi (soprano), Jeni Packalen (soprano), Hilary Summers (contralto), Peter Tantsits (tenor), Ville Rusanen (baritone), Juha Uusitalo (bass)
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 20 (new entry)
No. 21 (No. 18 last month)
Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall
Available formats: 2 SACDs, Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 22 (new entry)
Edgar Moreau (cello), Orchestra Les Forces Majeures, Raphaël Merlin
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 23 (new entry)
London Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 24 (No. 6 last month)
Maurizio Pollini (piano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 25 (new entry)
James Ehnes (violin), Andrew Armstrong (piano)
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Ludovic Morlot, Cristian Măcelaru
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
