One of our Top 10 Recordings of 2020 sits at No. 1 in the December chart: an eleventh-hour album from Orchid Classics, coupling composer-clarinettist Mark Simpson’s Geysir for wind ensemble with the Mozart Gran Partita which inspired it. Reviewing the recording shortly before Christmas, James enthused that ‘The skill and virtuosity with which the entire ensemble performs their parts is quite something, and the balance of sounds and textures is simply superb.’
Several other Presto Recordings of the Year feature in the December Top 25, including Sean Shibe’s superb Bach recital on Delphian, Michael Spyres and Lawrence Brownlee’s exuberant Rossini sing-off on Erato, and Vikingur Ólafsson’s peerless programme of Debussy and Rameau on Deutsche Grammophon; we’re offering up to 25% off all the winning titles until 25th January.
No. 1 (new entry)
Mark Simpson (clarinet), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Ben Goldscheider (horn) et al
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 2 (new entry)
Renaud Capuçon (violin), Edgar Moreau (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 3 (No. 24 last month)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
Available formats: 3 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 4 (No. 10 last month)
Siglo de Oro, Patrick Allies
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 5 (No. 3 last month)
Josquin: Masses
Hercules Dux Ferrarie, D'ung aultre amer & Missa Faysant regretz
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 176.4 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 6 (No. 6 last month)
The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Desmond Earley
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 7 (No. 1 last month)
Silver Age
Scriabin - Stravinsky - Prokofiev
Daniil Trifonov (piano), Mariinsky Orchestra, Valéry Gergiev
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 8 (No. 16 in July chart)
Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 9 (No. 24 in August chart)
Sean Shibe (guitar)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 10 (No. 2 last month)
The Kanneh-Masons, with Michael Morpurgo and Olivia Colman
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 11 (No. 5 last month)
Michael Spyres (tenor), Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), I Virtuosi Italiani, Corrado Rovaris
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 12 (No. 24 in October chart)
Mary Bevan (soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor), Roderick Williams (baritone), Jack Liebeck (violin), William Vann (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 13 (new entry)
Taylor Ann Fleshman (harp), Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Arthur Arnold
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 14 (No. 14 in September chart)
Voces8
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 15 (new entry)
Emőke Baráth (soprano), Marie Lys (soprano), Delphine Galou (contralto), Marianna Pizzolato (mezzo-soprano), Luigi De Donato (bass)
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 88.2 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 16 (No. 4 in September chart)
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 17 (No. 11 last month)
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 18 (new entry)
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 19 (No. 4 in October chart)
Kremerata Baltica, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Gidon Kremer, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 20 (No. 25 in August chart)
Garrick Ohlsson (piano), Takács Quartet
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 21 (No. 4 last month)
Pavel Kolesnikov (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 22 (new entry)
Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 23 (No. 20 in October chart)
Alina Ibragimova (violin), State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia 'Evgeny Svetlanov', Vladimir Jurowski
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 24 (new entry)
BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, Martyn Brabbins
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 25 (No. 3 in March chart)
Mark Stone (baritone), Kirill Gerstein (piano), Christianne Stotijn (mezzo), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
