Winning recordings include Lea Desandre and Thomas Dunford's Songs of Passion on Erato (which was one of our Top 10 Classical Recordings of 2025), Alice Sara Ott's survey of John Field's complete nocturnes on Deutsche Grammophon, a Schoenberg anniversary tribute from the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko, and (on Blu-ray and DVD) Dmitri Tcherniakov's raw, timely staging of Prokofiev's War and Peace from the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Early Music
Maria - Josquin in Leipzig
Amarcord
'A stylistically confident, highly precise and tonally consistent vocal gem with reference potential.'
Available format: CD
Baroque Instrumental
JS Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Continuo
Isabelle Faust (violin), Kristin von der Goltz (cello), Kristian Bezuidenhout (harpsichord)
'Faust is one of those ideal Bach interpreters who have been combining absolute transparency, lucid lines, natural phrasing, distinctive ornamentation and the highest levels of intensity to create consistent interpretations for years.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Baroque Vocal
Songs of Passion
Lea Desandre (mezzo), Thomas Dunford (lute, theorbo), with Alex Rosen (bass-baritone), Jess Dandy (contralto), Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Huw Montague Rendall (baritone), Jupiter
'Sensitivity and authentic emotion set the tone of this recording, making it a truly special listening experience.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Vocal
Donizetti: Songs Vols 5 & 6
Ermonela Jaho (soprano), Carlo Rizzi (piano)
'This album is notable for the Albanian soprano’s commitment to conveying the meaning of the lyrics, the intensity of her performance, and her ability to bring a theatrical dimension to the music, supported by Carlo Rizzi on the piano.'
Available format: 2 CDs
Choral
Haydn: Die Schöpfung
Lucy Crowe (soprano), Benjamin Bruns (tenor), Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Symphonie-Orchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Simon Rattle
'Powerful, harmonious and clear with splendid timbres, it showcases an orchestra and choir at their very best.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Opera
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer
Lise Davidsen (Senta), Gerald Finley (The Dutchman), Brindley Sherratt (Daland), Stanislas de Barbeyrac (Erik), Anna Kissjudit (Mary), Eirik Grøtvedt (Steersman); Orchestra and Chorus of Norwegian National Opera, Edward Gardner
'Conducted with verve and inspiration by Edward Gardner and with a fabulous rendition by the Norwegian Opera Orchestra and Chorus, [it] stands as one of the best-ever recordings of the first opera in the Wagnerian canon.'
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Solo Instrumental
John Field: Complete Nocturnes
Alice Sara Ott (piano)
'It is a diverse world full of light and shadow, which Alice Sara Ott paints exceptionally well. She is an intelligent pianist with enormous sensitivity and the ability to share her emotions with the audience.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Chamber
Martinů: String Quartets Nos. 2-3-5-7
Pavel Haas Quartet
'The musicians succeed masterfully in revealing the very different characters of Quartets 2, 3, 5 and 7. The recordings capture the full range of emotions in the pieces, from energetic tension to lyrical melancholy.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Concerto
War Silence - Rare Italian Piano Concertos
Roberto Prosseda (piano), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Nir Kabaretti
'Prosseda finds a style based on his understanding of each piece’s idiom, requirements and exquisite technique. All of them employ the communicative language of neo-classicism in the broad sense and are interesting.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Symphonic Music
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Paavo Järvi
'The performance is characterized by unparalleled precision, wonderful harmony, and perfectly judged tempos, but it is mainly thanks to its arc that this monumental 70-minute work never lets the listener’s attention wander for a single moment.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Contemporary
Kalevi Aho: Moonlight Concerto For Viola & Percussion; Concerto For Alto Flute & Strings
Sharon Bezaly (flute), Hiyoli Togawa (viola), Alexej Gerassimez (percussion), Lahti Symphony Orchestra, St Michel Strings, Anja Bihlmaier, Erkki Lasonpalo
' The combination of sounds from rarely heard percussive instruments to almost Romantic phrases are interpreted with complete dedication by all the soloists and orchestras alike.'
Available format: SACD
Assorted Program
Kirill Petrenko conducts Arnold Schoenberg
Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), Berliner Philharmoniker, Kirill Petrenko
'This box set...offers a new perspective on Schönberg’s music and is a major reference. Once again, it demonstrates the excellence of the partnership between conductor and orchestra.'
Available format: 3 CDs + Blu-Ray Video
Historical Recording
Sergio Fiorentino: The Legacy
Sergio Fiorentino (piano)
'Curated by Ernst Lumpe, the man who convinced him to resume performing, it is an essential contribution to the rediscovery of a true aristocrat of the keyboard, worthy of comparison with the greatest pianists of the twentieth century.'
Available format: 26 CDs
Premiere Recording
Klussmann: Piano Quintet & String Quartet No. 1
Péter Nagy (piano), Kuss Quartet
'Their interpretation has breath and tension, drama and intensity, but does not neglect lyricism when required.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
ex aequo
Shostakovich Discoveries
Daniil Trifonov (piano), Gidon Kremer (violin), Nils Mönkemeyer (viola), Kremerata Baltica, Staatskapelle Dresden, Thomas Sanderling et al
'This album of rarities and lesser-known works by one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers, performed by a line-up of top-level artists, is one of the finest tributes an artist could wish for.'
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Video (Opera)
Prokofiev: War and Peace
Olga Kulchynska (Natasha), Andrei Zhilikhovsky (Andrei), Arsen Soghomonyan (Pierre), Violeta Urmana (Marya Dmitriyevna Akhrosimova), Olga Guryakova (Peronskaya), Bekhzod Davronov (Anatole), Christina Bock (Marya Bolkonskaya); Bayerische Staatsoper, Vladimir Jurowski, Dmitri Tcherniakov
'The result is a powerful production that is conscious of the play’s problematic content and confronts it scenically and musically with colourful ambiguity.'
Available format: Blu-ray
Video (Performance & Documentaries)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Bamberger Symphoniker, Herbert Blomstedt
'An interpretation that focuses on redemption rather than fear of death. Ultimately, everything comes together, location, music, Blomstedt and the Bambergers, not least thanks to the beautiful shots of the basilica. Unforgettable!'
Available format: Blu-ray
ex aequo
The Alchemy of the Piano
A Film By Jan Schmidt-Garre With Francesco Piemontesi
'This wonderfully compiled film explains the fascination of the piano and illustrates how it transcends its own limitations. The result is a fantastic documentary and an outstanding homage to the piano.'
Available format: DVD Video
