- String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Eli Spindel: “Enfolding” (New Focus Recordings)
- Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Kaspars Putninš: “Ülo Krigul: ‘Liquid Turns’” (BIS)
- Jakub Hrůša, Bamberg Symphony: “Hans Rott: Symphony No. 1” (Deutsche Grammophon)
Classical music isn’t known for being in-the-moment: Seasons are planned years in advance, and there are people who still refer to “The Rite of Spring” (1913) as “contemporary” music. Even in this deferred environment, however, lockdown albums and works composed in the mindset of social distancing are nothing new. With so much downtime and so few opportunities to work otherwise, countless composers and performers were able to do brisk business in lemonade, coordinating mass Zoom performances of Pauline Oliveros works, live streaming Bach from their living room pianos, and writing albums-upon-albums’ worth of chamber music.