Listeners of New Sounds, from New York NPR member station WNYC, have chosen their picks for the Top Ten best new releases of 2011, and topping the list is Donnacha Dennehy's Nonesuch Records debut album, Grá agus Bás. On the list at No. 3 is Steve Reich's latest, WTC 9/11. Both albums had previously made NPR Music's best-of-the-year lists. New Sounds host John Schaefer also includes Dennehy's Grá agus Bás on his list of the year's best.
Listeners of New Sounds, the new-music show from New York NPR member station WNYC, have chosen their picks for the Top Ten best new releases of 2011, and topping the list as what the show calls "a clear front-runner" is Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy's Nonesuch Records debut album, Grá agus Bás, which features performances by Dawn Upshaw, Irish singer Iarla O’Lionáird, and the Dublin–based Crash Ensemble. On the list at No. 3 is Steve Reich's latest Nonesuch release, WTC 9/11, with performances by Kronos Quartet, Sō Percussion, and members of Steve Reich and Musicians. (Also on the list is Chris Thile's project with Yo-Yo Ma, The Goat Rodeo Sessions.) Both Dennehy's and Reich's albums had previously made NPR Music's best of the year lists.
John Schaefer, the host and producer of New Sounds and host of WNYC's Soundcheck, recently celebrated his 30th anniversary at the station with the help of Steve Reich and Laurie Anderson, and the New Sounds annual listeners poll isn't far behind, now, according to the show, in its 26th or 27th year. Listen to the New Sounds Listener Poll Top Ten of 2011 episode, which first aired on Thursday, at wnyc.org.
Schaefer himself had weighed in on the previous night's show with his own "completely personal and opinionated look at the ten best new music releases of 2011." Dennehy's Grá agus Bás also makes Schaefer's list of the year's best. You can listen to that episode as well at wnyc.org.
To pick up a copy of Grá agus Bás and WTC 9/11, head to the Nonesuch Store, where CD orders include high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s at checkout.
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