Metacritic Aggregate: 2020 New Music: Classical/New Age

Notes

For information on what lists are consulted, and what the various abbreviations and notes mean, click here.

For reissues and compilations, click here.

Sub-Lists

Some breakdowns by genre:

Ranking

  1. Max Richter: Voices (Decca) {20}: AAJ:*, ACL:10, DS:+, ES:19, GTV:*, I:*, Mj:*, MO:40*, PM:47*, Qt:*, RT:65, TO:15, U:*; npr_rh:9 -- A:79/7, M:84/7
  2. Vikingur Olafsson: Debussy/Rameau (Deutsche Grammophon) {6}: AAJ:*, NPR:37; npr_jg:6, npr_th:1
  3. Thomas Ades: Ades Conducts Ades (Deutsche Grammophon) {5}: NPR:6; npr_th:2
  4. Kronos Quartet: Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet & Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger (Smithsonian Folkways) {5}: Mj:*, O:*, SC:*; xmr:5 -- A:77/3
  5. Sarah Hennies: The Reinvention of Romance (Astral Spirit) {4}: ACL:11; tgl:5
  6. Georg Nigl & Olga Patsjenko: Vanitas: Schubert, Beethoven & Rihm (Alpha) {4}: DVk:4
  7. Santtu-Matias Rouvali: Sibelius 2 (Alpha) {4}: DVk:3
  8. Jennifer Walshe: A Late Anthology of Early Music Vol 1: Ancient to Renaissance (Tetbind) {4}: Qt:51, W:8
  9. Jess Gillam: Time (Decca) {3}: Tx:10
  10. Darragh Morgan/John Tilbury: Morton Feldman: For John Cage (Diatribe) {3}: FJ:*, PO:+; jgm:9
  11. ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra/Arthur Fagen: William Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony (Naxos American) {3}: NPR:22; npr_th:3
  12. Sigur Ros/Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson/Steindor Andersen/Maria Huld Markan Sigfusdottir: Odin's Raven Magic (Krunk) {3}: Ex:*, NT:*, P:* -- A:71/13
  13. Sarah Kirkland Snider: Mass for the Endangered (New Amsterdam) {3}: nat:+, npr_th:5
  14. Antje Weithaas: Schumann & Brahms: Concertos (Classic Produktion Osnabruck) {3}: DVk:8
  15. Boston Symphony Orchestra: Ades Plays Ades (Deutsche Grammophon) {2}: DVk:14
  16. Lori Goldston: On a Moonlit Hill in Slovenia (Eiderdown) {2}: jgm:5
  17. Graindelavoix/Bjorn Schmelze: Gesualdo: Tenebrae (Glossa) {2}: AAJ:*; jcmb:+
  18. Il Gardino Armonico: Haydn: Die Schopfung (Alpha) {2}: DVk:13
  19. Lukas Lauermann: I N (Col Legno) {2}: Tx:17
  20. Hannes Minnaar: Nox (Challenge Classics) {2}: DVk:11
  21. Meredith Monk: Memory Game (Cantaloupe) {2}: sl:+, tg:+
  22. Mirtha Pozzi: Tzimx (Nowlands) {2}: jjws:3
  23. Liuwe Tamminga En Leo Van Doeselaar: Dialoghi Musicali (Passacaille) {2}: DVk:18
  24. Daniil Trifofov: Silver Age (Deutsche Grammophon) {2}: vjc:5
  25. Eli Winter: Unbecoming (American Dreams) {2}: Yb:11
  26. John Luther Adams/JACK Quartet: Lines Made by Walking (Cold Blue Music) {1}: tg:+
  27. Tunde Adebimpe: A Warm Weather Ghost (self-released) {1}: tg:+
  28. Anakronos: The Red Book of Ossory (Heresy) {1}: tg:+
  29. Atom String Quartet: Penderecki (Universal Music Poland -19) {1}: AAJ:*
  30. The Bach Choir/BBC Concert Orchestra/David Hill: Howells Missa Sabrinensis (Hyperion) {1}: AM:+
  31. Jeremy Beck: By Moonlight (Innova) {1}: tg:+
  32. Lidy Blijdorp: Journeyers (Rubicon) {1}: DVk:37
  33. Brooklyn Rider: Healing Modes (In a Circle) {1}: tg:+
  34. Cataventos: Cataventos (Cataventos) {1}: tg:+
  35. Bertrand Chamayou: Good Night! (Warner Classics) {1}: YW:145
  36. The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge: Nethsingha: Ash Wednesday (Signum -19) {1}: AM:+
  37. Tassis Christoyannis/Jeff Cohen: Reynaldo Hahn: Complete Songs (Bru Zane -19) {1}: DVk:39
  38. Chronos Ensemble: Old Russian Polyphony of the Passion Service (self-released) {1}: tg:+
  39. The Ciderhouse Rebellion (Adam Summerhayes/Murray Grainger): Untold (Nimbus Alliance) {1}: tg:+
  40. Collegium Vocale Gent: Bruckner: Mass No 2 in E Minor/Te Deum (PHI) {1}: DVk:36
  41. Federico Colli: Domenico Scarlatti: Piano Sonatas Vol 2 (Chandos) {1}: tg:+
  42. Constantinople/Marco Beasley/Kiya Tabassian: La Porta d'Oriente (Glossa) {1}: AM:*
  43. Saskia Coolen: Driftwood: A Gift in Time (Globe) {1}: tg:+
  44. Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice/Dario Salvi: Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber: Overtures 2 (Naxos) {1}: YW:87
  45. Melaine Dalibert: Anastassis Philippakopoulos: Piano Works (Elsewhere) {1}: AAJ:*
  46. Soren Mikkel Dalsgaard: Aflevere (Union Jack Studios) {1}: tg:+
  47. Adam Daudrich: The Wooden Box (1631) {1}: YW:120
  48. Joyce DiDonato: Agrippina (Warner Classics) {1}: DVk:24
  49. Stuart Duncan/Yo-Yo Ma/Edgar Meyer/Chris Thile: Not Our First Goat Rodeo (Sony Classical) {1}: AM:*
  50. Sir Mark Elder/Halle Orchestra: Sibelius: Symphony No 4/Symphony No 6 (Halle) {1}: AM:+
  51. The Epiphoni Consort/Tim Reader: When Love Speaks: Choral Music by Owain Park (Delphian) {1}: AM:+
  52. Mahan Esfahani: Musique? (Hyperion) {1}: vjc:10
  53. Isabelle Faust/Alexander Melnikov: Mozart: Sonatas for Fortepiano & Violin Vol 2 (Harmonia Mundi) {1}: YW:91
  54. Bengt Forsberg: Swedish Miniatures (Db Productions -19) {1}: tg:+
  55. Thibaut Garcia: Aranjuez (Warner Classics) {1}: AM:+
  56. Edward Gardner/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: Schubert Symphonies Vol 2 (Chandos) {1}: AM:+
  57. Gloriae Dei Cantores: Arvo Part: Stabat Mater (Paraclete) {1}: AAJ:*
  58. Michael Gordon/The Crossing: Anonymous Man (Cantaloupe Music) {1}: tg:+
  59. David Greilsammer: Labyrinth (Naive) {1}: npr_th:9
  60. Derek Gripper: A Year of Swimming (New Cape) {1}: sol_fu:+
  61. Robert Haigh: Black Sarabande (Unseen Worlds) {1}: U:* -- A:73/2, M:71/4
  62. Blake Hargreaves: Improvisations on the Pipe Organs of Europe (Ultra Eczema -19) {1}: tg:+
  63. Sarah Hennies: Spectral Malsconcities (New World) {1}: jkp:7
  64. Eleanor Hodgkinson: Nino Rota: Complete Solo Piano Works Vol 1 (Grand Piano) {1}: tg:+
  65. Kitgut Quartet: 'Tis Too Late to Be Wise (Harmonia Mundi) {1}: tg:+
  66. Patricia Kopatchinskaja/Giovanni Antonini/Il Giardino Armonica: What's Next Vivaldi? (Alpha) {1}: YW:60
  67. Thomas Kotcheff: Frederic Rzewski: Songs of Insurrection (Coviello Classics) {1}: mm:+
  68. Bronius Kutavicius: Last Pagan Rites/From the Yotvingian Stone (Music Information Centre Lithuania -19) {1}: mj_u:10
  69. Lang Lang: Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations [Deluxe Edition] (Deutsche Grammophon) {1}: AAJ:*
  70. David Lang/Quince Ensemble: Love Fail (Innova) {1}: tg:+
  71. Kate Lindsey: Arianna (Alpha) {1}: DVk:32
  72. London Philharmonic Orchestra: Ravi Shankar: Sukanya (LPO -19) {1}: tg:+
  73. Malinky: Handsel (Greentrax) {1}: sol_eu:+
  74. Dmitry Masleev/Siberian State Symphony Orchestra: Rapid Movement (Melodiya) {1}: tg:+
  75. Anne-Sophie Mutter/Yo-Yo Ma/Daniel Barenboim/West-Eastern Divan Orchestra: Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphoy No. 7 Triple Concerto (Deutsche Grammophon) {1}: AM:* -- A:90/1
  76. Tatiana Nikolayeva: JS Bach: The Art of the Fugue (Universal) {1}: tg:+
  77. Norwegian Soloists Choir/Norwegian Radio Orchestra/Grete Pedersen: Luciano Berio: Coro/Cries of London (BIS) {1}: DVk:30
  78. ORA Singers: Thomas Tallis: Spem in Alium/James MacMillan: Vidi Aquam (Harmonia Mundi) {1}: AM:+
  79. ORF Vienna Radio Symphony/Michael Halasz: Opera-Comique Overtures (Naxos) {1}: YW:93
  80. Branka Parlic: Erik Satie: Inities 2017 (Triston Master -19) {1}: AAJ:*
  81. Piano Novel: Lumino Forest: Alternative Takes (Masterworks) {1}: npr_nb:6
  82. Quest Ensemble: The Other Side (PFT) {1}: sol_fu:+
  83. Riga Cathedral Choir School Mixed Choir/Jurgis Cabulis: Jancevskis: Aeternum (Hyperion) {1}: AM:+
  84. Jean Rondeau & Thomas Dunford: Barricades (Warner Classics) {1}: DVk:23
  85. Roomful of Teeth/Michael Harrison: Just Constellations (New Amsterdam) {1}: tg:+
  86. Ruysdael Kwartet: Quart De Nuit (Deux-Elles) {1}: DVk:29
  87. Carolyn Sampson/Minnesota Orchestra/Osmo Vanska: Mahler: Symphony 4 (Bis -19) {1}: AM:+
  88. Inbal Segev: Anna Clyne: Dance/Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto (Avle) {1}: npr_th:6
  89. Sean Shibe: JS Bach: Lute Works (Arr for Guitar) (Delphian) {1}: YW:128
  90. Charles Spearin & Josefin Runsteen: Thank God the Plague Is Over (Arts & Crafts) {1}: SoS:85
  91. Lara St John: Key of A/Beethoven Sonata 9/Franck Sonata (Ancalagon) {1}: AAJ:*
  92. Stray Ghost: White Rose (1631) {1}: YW:147
  93. Jaan-Eik Tulve/Vox Clamantis: Cyrillus Kreek: The Suspended Harp of Babel (ECM New Series) {1}: tg:+
  94. Nicholas Walker: Balakirev: Complete Piano Works Vol 6 (Grand Piano) {1}: YW:124
  95. Gottlieb Wallisch: 20th Century Foxtrots Vol 1: Austria and Czechia (Grand Piano) {1}: tg:+
  96. Max De Wardener: Music for Detuned Pianos (Village Green) {1}: tg:+
  97. Ymusic: Ecstatic Science (New Amsterdam) {1}: npr_nb:9