Continuing with the new format here, the notable recordings from last year, in chronological order by when I first heard them:
This is a very short list — which is unfortunate for 2024 (although it'd be difficult to claim this as among the worst developments of the year...) — but I do want to emphasize that I'm not making compromises here, meaning that both of these items generally belong. (Of course, if I was making compromises, the list would presumably be longer....)
That said, both of these programs are also somewhat secondary relative to various others listed here over the decades, namely the former being a second volume (that doesn't break new ground versus its first volume, which was already excellent...), while the latter (re)covers tangential repertory later than my focus here. So under those circumstances, I must choose the Ockeghem release as my Record of the Year for 2024: Even if it doesn't improve upon the first volume, it's still quite appealing — & much awaited here, now completing that set.
And I guess we'll see what 2025 brings (in this arena, that is). I do sometimes feel pressure to discuss more music later in the 16th century, but interests I have there also end up being more tangential, i.e. don't follow the main arc of music history anymore.... (Between music printing & Western imperialism, the music starts to feel very different overall to me....) So without much new material likely to appear, at this point, I'm mainly seeking more articulate renderings of already-known music....
To Remarks on Recent Recordings page (where prior reviews of various items can be found...).
To Recordings of the Years index page.
Todd M. McComb 4 January 2025