Looking back on 2011, ears attuned to classical releases were given a wealth of exhilarating discoveries; in new music, young musicians and rediscovered historical scores. It was also the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer and virtuoso Franz Liszt, which all but required commemorative Liszt recordings from A-list pianists bent on proving themselves worthy of his thundering musical legacy. Hip young composers like Matt Haimovitz and Nico Muhly turned an eye on the indie market with collaborations and crossovers, while early music fans were treated to discoveries and premiere recordings of newly unearthed Renaissance works. But it was the string soloists who stole the show: the troupe of young violinists like Charlie Siem, Hilary Hahn, Mikhail Simonyan and Nicola Benedetti dominated the musical conversation with one stunning performance after the next.For more music in this vein, check out my Classical Young Guns Cheat Sheet.
20. Arabella SteinbacherBrahms: Complete Works for Violin & Piano
This set of Brahms was written as a true duo, with neither the piano nor the violin part subjugated to the other. Steinbacher and Kulek are an excellent technical match, and they observe this evenhandedness throughout, matching each other at every turn with fluid decisions and solid, if not particularly arresting, performances. A movement from the "F-A-E" sonata, which was jointly composed by Albert Dietrich, Brahms and Robert Schumann, and is often omitted from Brahms' collections, concludes the recording. [Nate Cavalieri]
19. James EhnesBartok: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 - Viola Concerto
Canadian violinist Ehnes paints an instructive portrait of Bartok through these concertos: the posthumously published, delicate themes of the first violin concerto (written for a student with whom Bartok had fallen in love); the spectral viola concerto (which was unfinished at his death in 1945); and the second violin concerto. Ehnes takes to all three of these with tangible verve, and the BBC Philharmonic support is spot-on. [N.C.]
18. Anonymous 4Secret Voices - Chant & Polyphony from the Las Huelgas Codex
A recording of 13th-century sacred songs for women plays directly to the strengths of Anonymous 4, the most celebrated female vocal ensemble performing medieval music. Much of the work, including the Las Huelgas Codex, was written in the convents of Western European nobles to be sung by women. That piece emerges as the most compelling work; despite church laws prohibiting women from singing polyphony, it represents some of the most complex harmony of the period. [N.C.]
17. Charlie SiemCharlie Siem Plays Bruch, Wieniawski & Bull
Although the crop of young classical soloists who've caught the popular eye all seem to have model-quality looks, Charlie Siem is the only one who's actually had his own Vogue spread. As if to prove that he's more than just a pretty face, the 25-year-old violinist charges headlong into brutally difficult literature, including the explosive and technically staggering Wieniawski, which opens the recording, and Bruch, which may be the most recorded concerto of recent years. With all the fireworks, the Bull seems a bit tacked on, but to Siem's credit, he even executes schmaltz with icy brilliance. [N.C.]
16. Lisa BatiashviliEchoes of Time
Opening with a powerful, haunting and seductive reading of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1, this recording shows a lot of growth for the celebrated young Georgian violinist. Her playing can be both embracing and abrasive, and it's beautifully coupled with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra. This alone would make a fantastic offering, but the disc's final pieces are equally stunning, with a particular highlight in the Giya Kancheli piece "V & V," for taped voice, string orchestra and violin. [N.C.]
15. Mikhail SimonyanTwo Souls - Khachaturian | Barber
Halfway through his twenties, Russian violinist Mikhail Simonyan had already debuted under Leonard Slatkin and been lauded by The New York Times. His debut on Deutsche Grammophon is conceptually tied to his biographical bridge between the U.S. and Russia, making an interesting coupling. Simonyan's performances of both Khachaturian and Barber are relaxed and confident, but the Khachaturian seems to resonate more. It also holds the record's greatest thrill: a deeply spiritual new cadenza by Armenian composer Artur Avanesov. [N.C.]
14. Matt HaimovitzShuffle.Play.Listen
If you couldn't tell by the title, here cellist Matt Haimovitz obsessively contemplates the future of classical music. This recording is for those who "mix Wagner with lady Gaga on their iPods." Haimovitz's collaboration with pianist Christopher O'Riley doesn't need to rely on an mp3 player for high-contrast juxtapositions; he intersperses fragments of a forcefully contemporary retooling of Bernard Herrmann's score to Vertigo with Stravinsky, Arcade Fire and Blonde Redhead. It's ambitious, frenetic and marvelously engaging. [N.C.]
13. Julia FischerPoème
Fischer's passionate and often emotionally resonant program brings together four post-Romantic works for violin and orchestra that are not traditional concertos: Ottorino Respighi's Poema Autunnale, Josef Suk's G Minor Fantasy, Ernest Chausson's Poème and Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending. Aside from the ferocious single-movement concerto by Suk, these are largely melancholic poems that follow the same dramatic shape. Fisher scores with all of them, and it's a pleasure to hear these pieces played with such sensitivity. The standout is the Respighi, which truly sings. [N.C.]
12. Brooklyn RiderBrooklyn Rider Plays Philip Glass
Sometimes Philip Glass' popularity is held against him; his profile as America's minimalist has made him something of a household name to NPR donors and fans of "cinema." This exhaustive collection of his works for quartet by Brooklyn Rider gives a much deeper look by demonstrating his evolution as a composer though works at both ends of his career. The two volume set has early quartets, like String Quartet No. 1 from 1966, and a world premiere suite to a score of the 1997 film Bent (which stars Mick Jagger). By going deeper than Kronos, who did a recording of Glass less than a decade ago, Brooklyn Rider emerge with a stunningly colorful portrait. [N.C.]
11. Nelson FreireLiszt: Harmonies Du Soir
Nelson Freire might lay credible claim to being the greatest -- or at least most lauded -- living ambassador of Liszt, and his imaginative program is a brilliant celebration of the composer's 200th birthday. Freire injects a fiery authority into these performances, from the brisk, lyrical adrenaline of the opening Waldesrauschen No. 1 to the highly dramatic Valse Oubliée. Still, everything gets a thorough and critical examination, evident in the elastic tempos and aggressive lower registers of the Third Hungarian Rhapsody. Brilliant, bombastic and inspired, it's difficult to leave this without awe for both composer and performer. [N.C.]
10. Nicola BenedettiTchaikovsky-Bruch Violin Concertos
For a young violinist attempting to prove herself among the world's elite, performing the massively popular Tchaikovsky and Bruch violin concertos is becoming almost obligatory. To her credit, Benedetti is not simply going through the motions; both pieces are explored at their core and played with spirited musicality and a clear-eyed approach. Unfortunately, though it's not the fault of the soloist, the recording suffers from the spongy, distant placement of the orchestra in the production. Still, it's exciting to imagine what might lie ahead now that Benedetti has survived the initiation. [N.C.]
9. Yuja WangRachmaninov
In performances, Yuja Wang's penchant for short skirts has quickened the pulse of conservative blue-hairs and caused quite the scandal. But regardless of reviewers' woeful assertion that Wang is a classical Lady Gaga, the 24-year-old has a gift for beautifully executing Rachmaninov, clearly evident with both the dizzying variations of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the 2nd piano concerto. The dazzling climax of the Paganini is challenging, contemporary and bold -- not unlike the fashion tastes of the performer. Claudio Abbado, not often heard with soloists, conducts. [N.C.]
8. Alice Sara OttBeethoven
After critically successful recordings of Chopin and Liszt, 23-year-old German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott releases her first Beethoven set with a bold agenda: demonstrating the two distinct personalities of the composer using a pair of C-major sonatas, the Op. 2 No. 3 and the Op. 53 "Waldstein." The prior of these -- light, mercurial and joyous -- was dedicated to Haydn, and the latter -- brooding and pensive -- was written near the end of his life when his hearing was failing. Ott capably bridges this divide with clean, confident playing, restraint in her pedaling and plenty of power. [N.C.]
7. Lara Downes13 Ways of Looking at the Goldberg (Bach Reimagined)
Another recording of Bach's Goldberg is likely to inspire yawns from fans of the work. Why bother with something other than Glenn Gould's 1955 revolutionizing performance? Pianist Lara Downes' approach to the influential variations for keyboard comes via a 2004 commission of works by 20th-century composers, including Lukas Foss, Bright Sheng, Dave Brubeck and 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon. The work -- fractured and rearranged versions of Bach variations -- is as refreshing as Downes' performance. [N.C.]
6. Nico MuhlySeeing Is Believing
Sure, Nico Muhly's reputation as one of America's most riveting young composers is easy to see on his CV (including commissions by the New York Philharmonic and Björk), but this irreverent post-everything orchestral romp is equally telling. The skittering violin that opens Seeing Is Believing begins the short-attention-span fireworks: here, an echo of Philip Glass' unrelenting percussive rhythm, there, fiery discord from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. These orchestral bumper cars are sophisticated without being stuffy, and driven with abandon by the Aurora Orchestra. Muhly's talent is monstrous; you'll believe it when you hear it. [N.C.]
5. Hilary HahnCharles Ives: Four Sonatas
Fierce and dexterous, austere and blithe, Hilary Hahn's range makes her the perfect interpreter of Charles Ives' distinctly American violin sonatas, and this collaboration with pianist Valentina Lisitsa hits the mark. Ives' fundamental mood swings are handled brilliantly by the duo, which skates between savagely difficult technical passages and sentimental folk melodies (listen for the shattered rearrangement of "Turkey in the Straw" in the second movement of the second sonata).
4. Alina IbragimovaBeethoven: Violin Sonatas Volume Three
There are no headline-grabbing gags here -- neither in Alina Ibragimova's performance or the straightforward program. Originally conceived mostly as piano sonatas with violin accompaniment, these comparatively light works lack Beethoven's raging tempest. But after the brisk early E flat Sonata and the reserved A major Sonata, Ibragimova and pianist Cedric Tiberghien get a chance to sink their teeth into the passionate Kreutzer. All told, there are no more communicative complete recordings of these works on the market. [N.C.]
3. Yo Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Chris Thile, Edgar MeyerThe Goat Rodeo Sessions
Fans of the new acoustic genre -- that realm of virtuosity and chops, where pop classical, smooth jazz and progressive bluegrass intersect -- are totally licking their chops over The Goat Rodeo Sessions. Bringing together cello master Yo-Yo Ma, Punch Brother Chris Thile, bassist Edgar Meyer and fiddler Stuart Duncan, this quartet is a real-deal supergroup, one that excels at expertly plucked string work and subtle dynamics. Though predominantly instrumental, this 11-track collection does feature low-key vocals on a few compositions. These include "Here and Heaven" and "No One But You." [Justin Farrar]
2. I FagioliniMass in 40 Parts
It's not every day that Renaissance music fans get the pleasure of a new work, and hardly ever is it something so exhilarating as this mysterious mass by an unknown composer named only Strusco. You have to thank musicologist Davitt Moroney for the discovery of Strusco's luscious Florentine court mass -- he came across a reference about 20 years ago that led to the discovery and first recording of this spectacular work. The hunt may be intriguing, but the extraordinarily rare result is downright thrilling to fans of Renaissance music. There are virtually no works of such enormity from the period -- 40 voices! -- and the performance by historical performance ensemble I Fagiolini was carried out with exceptional diligence and ceremonial reverence. [N.C.]
1. Steve Reich & Kronos QuartetWTC 9/11, Mallet Quartet, Dance Patterns
Steve Reich's minimalism has always had an unrelenting rhythmic urgency, but the themes of WTC 9/11 endow his driving ostinatos with a bleak, terrifying power. First, as the Kronos Quartet is accompanied by recorded emergency-response calls, Reich uses a simple device to chill the blood: a mechanical busy signal. The following two movements also employ spoken interviews and recordings of Muslim calls to prayer. These are complex choices that make the piece an emotionally raw, unflinching statement. Readings of 2009's Mallet Quartet by So Percussion and 2002's Dance Patterns follow. [N.C.]