The author's feline assistants are still culling items for a year-end list of notable performances and recordings, but here is an early selection of discs that have made the cut.
Anna Thorvaldsdottir, In the Light of Air; International Contemporary Ensemble (Sono Luminus)
Scott Worthington, Prism (Populist)
Andrew Norman, Play and Try; Gil Rose conducting the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP)
Ted Hearne, The Source; Hearne, Mellissa Hughes, Samia Mounts, Isaiah Robinson, Jonathan Woody, Courtney Orlando, Anne Lanzilotti, Leah Coloff, Taylor Levine, Greg Chudzik, Ron Wiltrout, Nathan Koci (New Amsterdam)
Michael Pisaro, A Mist Is a Collection of Points; Phillip Bush, Greg Stuart, Michael Pisaro, sine tones (New World)
Wolfgang Rihm, Et Lux; Paul Van Nevel conducting the Huelgas Ensemble and the Minguet Quartet (ECM)
Schubert, Sonatas in G (D894) and B-flat (D960), Moments musicaux, Impromptus D935; András Schiff, fortepiano (ECM)
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10, Passacaglia from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk; Andris Nelsons conducting the Boston Symphony (DG)
Liszt Inspections: music of John Adams, Berio, Cerha, Feldman, Kurtág, Ligeti, Murail, Pesson, Rihm, Sciarrino, Stockhausen, Ustvolskaya, and Liszt; Marino Formenti (Kairos)
Salieri, Les Danaïdes; Judith van Wonroij, Philippe Talbot, Tassis Christoyannis, Christophe Rousset conducting Les Talens Lyriques (Ediciones Singulares)
Panufnik, Concertos for violin, cello, piano; Łukasz Borowicz conducting the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, with Alexander Sitkovetsky, Raphael Wallfisch, Ewa Kupiec (cpo)
The Popular: The Bad Plus Joshua Redman (Nonesuch); Björk,Vulnicura; (One Little Indian); Joanna Newsom, Divers (Drag City)