- Vera-Lotte Boecker, Thomas Guggeis, Berlin Staatsoper: “Daphne” (live performance)
- Chen Reiss, Matthias Goerne, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Christoph Eschenbach: “Der ferne Klang… Orchestral Works & Songs by Franz Schreker” (Deutsche Grammophon)
- Bamberg Symphony, Jakub Hrůša: “Liebestod” (Accentus)
- Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Rafael Payare: “Mahler: Symphony No. 5” (Pentatone)
If I had to name a favorite Strauss opera, “Daphne” would make a Cinderella-run to the center of my bracket. It doesn’t have the revolutionary spirit of “Salome,” nor the orgiastic horns of “Der Rosenkavalier.” It’s weird, but not in the way that “Die Frau ohne Schatten” is weird, and in terms of Strauss’s affinity for ancient myth and drama, it’s easily eclipsed by “Elektra.”