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From exquisite Elgar to razor-sharp Cage: our classical recordings of the year
A piano prodigy burst onto the scene, studio opera recordings were few and far between – and the year’s most rewarding discs were the ones that ventured beyond the mainstream
Most end-of-year lists will surely be featuring a remarkable young pianist, Yunchan Lim, whose very special talent had first been spotted when he won the 2022 Van Cliburn competition and whose debut studio recording for Decca brilliantly confirmed those first impressions. The two outstanding rarities to have come from the ever invaluable BruZane stable this year started life in concert too - Louise Bertin’s fascinating Fausto, and the baritone version of Massenet’s Werther, with Tassis Christoyannis in the title role and Véronique Gens as an exceptional Charlotte. Contemplation: Huw Montague Rendall/Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen/Glassberg “Hamlet’s soliloquy from Ambroise Thomas’s opera – velvet-toned, nuanced, with beautifully floated high notes – sets the tone for an eclectic programme on themes of self-discovery.
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