Giacomo Meyerbeer: Robert le Diable (John Osborne, ten; Nicolas Courjal, bass; Amina Edris, sop; Erin Morley, sop; Chorus of Bordeaux Opera; National Orchestra Bordeaux, Aquitaine; Marc Minkowski, cond. Palazzetto Bru Zane 2368 3CDs)

Robert le Diable by Giacomo Meyerbeer is a legendary opera. I mean that literally. Not only is the opera built on the bones of an historical figure, Robert of Normandy, remembered through medieval legend as Robert the Devil, the opera itself has become a legend. Taking the stage in 1831, Robert le Diable was the first of Paris’ grand operas. It has only received scant attention since WWII, and in the present century it has been revived once in Brussels and once in Berlin. That’s because like most grand operas Robert is an expensive spectacle embodying an outlandish plot culminating with a ballet in which dead nuns rise from their graves, then disrobe in order to join an orgy, while the principal characters look on duly horrified. Still it’s the only break they get from four of the most vocally demanding roles ever written. Now that we live in an era when dramas featuring werewolves and vampires enjoy a huge following, at least the plot of Robert will be welcomed. The full opera has never been recorded before. There is a rumor that in the seventies Joan Sutherland was game but Pavarotti told Richard Bonynge it would wreck his voice. With this full recording from the elite label Palazzetto Bru Zane, arm-chair opera listeners, like me, can understand why Frederic Chopin wrote a lady friend after seeing the opening night of Robert, “if ever magnificence was seen in the theatre, I doubt that it reached the level of splendor shown in Robert…it is a masterpiece… Meyerbeer has made himself immortal…” Indeed, I can now second that observation.

Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartets op 42 in D minor; op 77 no 1 in G Major; op 77 no 2 in F Major, and Op 103 in D minor (unfinished) (Takacs Quartet; Hyperion 683640)

Many musicians (and that unhappily includes conductors and world class ensembles) consider playing Haydn’s music a duty. All musicians at some point, usually earlier than is good for them, are pressed into playing some Haydn. His music is not as “difficult” as Bach’s nor as “sensitive” as Mozart’s. He’s Goldilocks’ most comfortable choice for small hands and as yet unformed sensibilities. Yet these musicians in the making come too early; they don’t know what to make of it. Too often those first impressions never leave them. Oh yes, Franz Joseph Haydn is honored dutifully as the father of both the symphony and the string quartet. That duty means that there are many, many recordings of both the symphonies and the quartets. But too few are the recordings that lift a listener’s spirit, touch a listener’s sense of humor and finish by corralling a wayward heart. On this disc, the Takacs Quartet manages to do all that. They have given themselves over to Haydn’s unique authority. They have chosen the last three string quartets that Haydn wrote, his two opus 77 works and the very last, opus 103, left unfinished when he died. They too are coming to the end of their careers and the weight of their journey through all the quartets written since Haydn wrote his last has sometimes been brilliant (I am thinking of their Beethoven series) never less than distinguished and now and then even inspired (Bartok’s name here). This disc is brilliant, filled with a sunset glow in the last three quartets. The outstanding, inspired performance on this disc is of the earlier quartet, Haydn’s opus 42 in D minor. It is the quartet that Haydn wrote immediately after playing through (with Mozart) the quartets that the younger man had dedicated to him. It is Haydn’s sweet acknowledgement that while he had spent a life time engaging listener’s minds, Mozart aimed instead directly at the heart.

Ruth Gipps: Chanticleer Overture; Oboe Concerto op 20; Death on a Pale Horse op 25; Symphony No 3 (Juliana Koch, oboe, BBC Philharmonic, Rumon Gamba, Chandos 20161)

Ruth Gipps is another composer shouldered aside by her male contemporaries. Ruth was born in the quiet English village of Bexhill-on-Sea in 1921. While the place sounds like the setting for a cozy British who done it, the Gipps family found themselves outsiders. It may have been because they were musicians, and pushy mother Gipps was the bread winner. Child Ruth became a prodigy; so at 16 she found her way by scholarship to the Royal College of Music where she studied oboe, piano and composition (with Ralph Vaughan Williams no less). A decade later Ruth Gipps became the youngest woman ever to earn a doctorate in music. For a while she earned her living as a piano soloist specializing in playing contemporary music. Finding that she was spending too much of her time promoting the music of others, instead of writing her own, she took the position of principal oboist in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. In Birmingham she wrote the bulk of her work that includes 5 symphonies, 2 piano concertos, an oboe concerto (of course) and lots of chamber music. All of it was defiantly, even fiercely, tonal. Like her contemporary Malcolm Arnold, she was unrepentant old school and, like Arnold, was proud of being a composer who was a working orchestral musician. Chandos, the British recording firm, released this year a second volume of Gipp’s music. The oboe concerto is from 1941 and the Symphony from 1965. The Overture and the tone poem were written during WWII.

America – Daniel Hope
Reason #1 to check out this recording by Daniel Hope is the beautiful version of “Adoration” by Florence Price. I have legit set my phone to wake me to this track for 3 weeks straight. It is a beautiful way to start the day. The mix of composers gives the disc American flavor with that symphonic/jazz/concert hall blend of Gershwin, Ellington, Copland, Price and more. Other reasons to love it are the version of “America the Beautiful” that sounds like a lullaby, the reverent “Come Sunday,” the toe-tapping “Hoe-Down,” the absolutely soothing “At the River,”  and the versatile and pops sound of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” with vocalist Joy Denalane center stage.

Truth – Alexis Ffrench

The British classical composer, soul musician, producer and pianist has a background in church music, formal training at some of the most prestigious schools. He says his album Truth is his reaction to an intensely personal moment. This aligns with other music he’s written as balm for mental health or in response to current events. A particular highlight is the soulful track “Guiding Light” written after his father died, and dedicated to loved ones no longer with us. I also enjoy “Songbird,” a sparkly, light out-doorsy piece.

William Grant Still Summerland – Royal Scottish National Orchestra, with violinist Zina Schiff.

Although released in May 2022, the seeds were planted in the 90s when Schiff received a number of short pieces from Still. Schiff was looking through these with her daughter and the conductor on the recording Avlana Eisenberg when they noticed that orchestral versions of many of the pieces had never been recorded. Eisenberg loved the freshness of Still’s use of jazz and blues saying, “…he does use classical forms, but in really innovative ways, and the way he writes for the orchestra is quite ingenious.”

Ludovico Einaudi – Under Water

Ready to kick back after a hard day with a friend or a good book?  Turn on Ludovico Einaudi's new one: Underwater.  Einaudi delivers beautiful melodic, yet sophisticated, music for some very pleasurable listening.

The Guitar music of Fernando Sor – Agustin Maruri

Soothing while at the same time infusing you with fresh energy - just what you'd expect from classical guitarist Agustin Maruri playing the music of Fernando Sor. Que bueno!

Ralph Vaughan Williams String Quartets 1 & 2 – Tippett Quartet 

The Tippett Quartet excels in bringing Ralph Vaughan Williams' String Quartets to life. Tender, impassioned and, I would say, intensely beautiful; this would make an excellent stocking-stuffer for a music lover on your gift list. 

Mozart Sonatas – Vols. 2 & 3 :  Orli Shaham, piano.

Orli Shaham is the talented sister of violinist Gil Shaham – and she seems to hover in the shadow of his fame.  Orli is a gifted pianist who has a wonderful touch with Mozart’s music.  She released an album of his piano sonatas in 2019. This year, she completed the cycle, and released the remainder of her performances of Mozart’s piano sonatas. Volumes 2 & 3 finish her Mozart sonata cycle – and would make a great holiday gift.

Recuerdos – Augustin Hadelich & WDR SO

Benjamin Britten wrote his violin concerto as a response to what he called the horrific Spanish Civil War. The timing of this release by Augustin Hadelich was no mistake:  it’s his musical response to the war raging in the Ukraine.  Augustin brings much beauty to this performance of Britten’s concerto, and he sparkles with Prokofiev’s 2nd violin concerto. The album is named after a wonderful transcription of Tarrega’s Recuerdos de l’Alhambra – and it’s a lovely ending to one of the year’s best violin recordings.

Secret Love Letters – Lisa Batiashvili, vl; Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin

“What would human life be like,” asks Lisa Batiashvili, “without this range of emotions and feelings which we feel cannot be shared with anyone?” Her new album celebrates the fine art of concealment, of holding private passions just beneath the surface until they erupt.  At the heart of this project is the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski’s seldom-heard violin concerto.  Ernest Chausson’s romantic Poeme is the perfect companion to the concerto, along with works by Cesar Franck and Claude Debussy.

Alter Ego - David Orlowsky and David Bergmuller

Combining clarinet with lute was a stroke of genius with no historical precedent. Further, like subtle wine paired with mild cheese, clarinet and lute enhance one another, but neither overpowers. They are musical alter egos. So are their players – clarinetist David Orlowsky and lutenist David Bergmueller. From the first notes of Eileen – music inspired by 107-year-old dancer Eileen Kramer – to the last notes of Toccata Arpeggiata, Alter Ego is subtle, atmospheric, and inspired.Alter Ego – David Orlowsky and David Bergmuller

An Old Belief – The Sixteen

Buffalo is known for the Bills, Sabres, BPO, and of course wings and snow. Buffalo is also known for outstanding choral groups - the BPO Chorus, Buffalo Choral Arts, the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus, Vocalis, Harmonia, and the many school, church, and community groups that bring choral music to life in Western New York. Buffalo’s special appreciation for choral music influenced me to choose The Sixteen’s new recording, An Old Belief for the 2022 edition of Making A List.  Founded by Harry Christophers more than forty years ago, The Sixteen is known for superb musicality and uninhibited passion. An Old Belief includes a variety of Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern choral selections, but my personal favorites are the Songs of Farewell by English composer, Sir Charles Hubert Parry. (This is music that might have been heard by Downton Abbey types during World War I.) If you are a Buffalonian who loves choral music, you will appreciate An Old Belief by The Sixteen.

Ravel: Orchestral Works - Sinfonia of London/John Wilson

If you’re hearing music by Ravel and it doesn’t “sparkle,” you’re hearing a dull recording. But Ravel is more than mere musical glitter. Ravel is musical perfection. From melody to harmony, rhythm to form, dynamics to texture, and especially in terms of timbre, Ravel is a true 20th Century master. Conductor John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London know that Ravel’s music should sparkle, and they show it in their new recording, Ravel Orchestral Works on Chandos. It includes La Valse, Mother Goose, Alborada del gracioso (Morning Song of the Clown), Pavane for a Dead Princess, Noble and Sentimental Waltzes, and the freshest look at Bolero that this writer has heard in years. Ravel’s music should sparkle. He tried to tell us that when he said, “Remember, I wrote a pavane for a dead princess, not a dead pavane for a princess!”

Wege Zu Hildegard Von Bingen, 5-album Box Set  Helga Weber; Ensemble für frühe Musik Augsburg; Sabine Lutzenberger, Estampie, et al.

My long-time colleague and beloved WNED-FM morning host Elaine Knecht introduced me to Hildegard of Bingen, and oh, what a discovery! Hildegard of Bingen was one of the great female figures of the Middle Ages. She was a 12th-century German Benedictine abbess, writer, mystic, polymath, poet, and composer. Until the 1980s, she was virtually unknown outside academic circles, but today she is probably the best-known composer of early sacred music. This retrospective collection includes some of the earliest recordings of Bingen’s music. But wait, this isn’t just a set of old recordings of ancient music. In their “Homage to Hildegard,” the Estampie ensemble combines medieval music with modern music theatre and elements of pop, keeping it real for today’s audiences. How novel!

Vicente Lusitano Motets -  The Marian Consort

My colleague and friend Caleb Abrams who recently appeared with me on WBFO’s Buffalo, What’s Next? has observed, “History is a shared story of what happened in the past and how we got to the present, and to pick and choose parts of it is to not tell a complete story.” This album from the Marian Consort is helping to tell a complete story. It’s a recording of works by the Catholic priest, music theorist, and composer of the late Renaissance Vicente Lusitano who was of African descent. It makes one wonder why he isn’t better known outside circles of musicologists. This is another remarkable discovery.

Richard Strauss: Zueignung - Sarah Wegener and Götz Payer

This is self-indulgent, I admit. I would love to travel back in time to this period. These songs by Richard Strauss and their interpretation here just send me.

Corazon: The music of Latin America – John Henry Crawford

Who doesn't love the sensuous rhythmic music of Latin America? From familiar works such as Ponce's "Estrellita" and Piazzola's "Oblivion" to lesser-known composers, the sound evoked by cellist John-Henry Crawford, pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion, and guitarist "JIJI" on their CD Corazón: the Music of Latin America made me think "if Debussy had been born in Argentina, this is the music he would have composed." 

J.S. Bach: Violin Works, Vol. 2 (Arr. for Guitar) featuring Jason Vieaux (guitar)

I've been a huge fan of Jason Vieaux [say vee-OH] since he was a teenager here in Buffalo. I love how "clean" his guitar playing is and yet how much emotion he conveys. Not everyone is a fan of solo violin, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy Bach Sonatas for Solo Violin. Vieaux's transcriptions are like walking into a fantasy world of sound.

Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Sextet, Piano Quartet, Piano Trio featuring the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

I've always felt that adding a piano to any string ensemble just sweetens the deal, and with this new CD from the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective we get a new appreciation of Fanny Mendelssohn whose Piano Trio in D minor Op. 11 and Piano Quartet in A flat major are very enjoyable. As the world continues to appreciate women composers, this is an important and very listenable CD.

Hollywood Soundstage - Wilson and the Sinfonia of London

This album is a gorgeous, faithful recreation of the Hollywood orchestral sound. I can't praise the sonic qualities enough – this was recorded and performed impeccably – but additionally, the tracklist was lovingly curated, providing a broad survey of the greatest of classic film score sounds. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Opalescent – Los Angeles Guitar Quartet

Marking the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's 40th anniversary, this release is a celebration of light and color. The ensemble's technical mastery is apparent, but always in service of the compositions, which, while diverse, cohere as a terrific full album. All of these contemporary compositions are extremely listenable and showcase an ensemble completely in sync, both with each other and with these delightful pieces.

Sibelius 7 – Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Collon

I will always gladly listen to a new Sibelius recording, and I'm a big fan of this release. The two suites are lovely and worth the price of admission by themselves, but the centerpiece is the 7th symphony, and it does not disappoint. The central climaxes and finale hit as powerfully as any interpretation I've heard. This is a worthwhile, wonderful (and excellently recorded) entry into an already substantial pool of Sibelius recordings.

Vicente Lusitano: Motets – The Marian Consort

There’s something about sacred music that I find so calming and centering. This was my favorite find of this genre this year; it’s so pure and utterly beautiful. Lusitano is also a rare example of a mixed-race Renaissance composer, and I’ve enjoyed getting to enjoy a little diversity in the European music of that time period.

Alter Ego – David Orlowsky and David Bergmüller

An album for clarinet and lute! It’s really a treat to listen to how well this duo pulls off this unusual combination. The title, “Alter Ego,” refers to the way they each regard each other and it shows. The album is a mix of their own compositions as well as arrangements of existing works – personally, I’m always a sucker for a new arrangement of “Dido’s Lament.”

Opalescent – Los Angeles Guitar Quartet

An exploration of the relationship between light and sound, this feels to me like the perfect accompaniment for a walk through Reinstein Woods (or your own personal favorite nature spot!) This album celebrates the quartet’s 40th anniversary in the loveliest of ways.