This being the end of the year, and the fact that this is a music-oriented blog where I’ve been keeping up (or trying to keep up with) the artists and relevant releases, I have to confess that I don’t really have the extensive lists that people have been posting on their respective pages. BUT I do like these a lot, and having listened to them all the way through as one should (I listen a few times before I write about them), I can safely say they are worthy of inclusion for any kind of year-end best releases list. A big reason for the short list is simply because I’m unemployed and don’t have the money to purchase CDs like I used to. There have been a few opportunities to hear some great recordings that I will definitely list on here as my favorites for the year, but it just won’t be a Top 50 or Top 25. And even though it’s comprised mostly of classical/new music, I’ve decided the addition of Mark Mandeville and This Frontier Needs Heroes (both being indie folk recordings) is not so crazy given that lots of people have hip-hop and rock on their lists with the classical releases. My apologies for any exclusions. And they are in no particular order: 1. Hilary Hahn & Valentina Lisitsa Charles Ives Sonatas Deutsche Grammophon (UMG) (Ed: Er, ok, this time it was particular ) 2. Leah Kardos Feather Hammer Originally self-released by Kardos Later re-issued on Bigo & Twigetti 3. Keeril Makan Target Featuring Either/Or and California E.A.R. ensembles; Alex Waterman, cello; Jennifer Choi, violin; David Shively, percussion; Lauren Rubin, soprano Starkland 4. Dale Trumbore & Gillian Hollis Snow White Turns Sixty Dissonant Gorgeous Productions 5. Mark Mandeville & Old Constitution Nobody’s Favorite Records 6. The Lincoln Trio Notable Women Featuring music by Lera Auerbach, Jennifer Higdon, Stacy Garrop, Augusta Read Thomas, Laura Schwendinger and Joan Tower Cedille 7. David Lang this was written by hand Featuring Andrew Zolinsky, piano Cantaloupe Music 8. Drew Baker Stress Position Featuring Marilyn Nonken, piano New Focus Recordings 9. yMusic Beautiful Mechanical Featuring music by Judd Greenstein, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Ryan Lott, Gabriel Kahane, Annie Clark and Shara Worden New Amsterdam Records 10. Todd Reynolds Outerborough Features music by Todd Reynolds as well as various other composers Innova 11. John Luther Adams Four Thousand Holes Featuring Stephen Drury, piano; Scott Deal, perc. and The Callithumpian Consort Cold Blue Music 12. Vicky Chow Works For Piano By Ryan Anthony Francis Tzadik 13. The Pridonoff Duo Virtuosity Squared Featuring music of Liszt, Gershwin and Douglas Knehans Ablaze 14. This Frontier Needs Heroes The Future Heroic Endeavors 15. Kiera Duffy The Complete Songs of Richard Strauss, Vol. 5 Featuring Roger Vignoles, piano Hyperion 16. So Percussion Steve Mackey: It Is Time Cantaloupe Music 17. ensemble et. al. When The Tape Runs Out Self-released 18. Andy Akiho No One To Know One Featuring Nicole Camacho, flute; Mariel Roberts, cello, and others Innova 19. Heirlooms Heirlooms Live, Vol. 1 Self-released