2013 has certainly been a busy year. With
Verdi,
Wagner and
Britten vying for our attention, we might feel a little weary as we approach the finishing line. There are many highlights that come to mind which won't be featured on my four lists of live music, recordings, general books and books on music. The Royal Ballet's
Federico Bonelli performing in Balanchine's
Apollo and Christopher Wheeldon's
Aeternum – by far the greatest tribute in this Britten 100 year – will remain with me for a while yet. The Belvedere in Vienna gets a large gold star for its unveiling of
Prince Eugene of Savoy's Winter Palace. The National Gallery's
Facing the Modern did not shirk at challenging its visitors with a curatorial mind-game that yielded significant insights into the art of the
fin de siècle. And then there's the wine... But my hero of the year is
Mariss Jansons. For although his DVD of Brahms 1 disappointed when it arrived, I still had fresh in my mind the triumph of his appearances at the Salzburg Festival. As I journey through the
Concertgebouw's 125-year-long Radio Legacy, now released on disc, I'm confronted time and again by Jansons' vital approach to music. So here they are... the best of 2013.
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