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1. Shostakovich: The Complete String Quartets
Emerson String Quartet (DG 463 284)
"This is a monumental set of live performances of the 20th century's most important body of chamber music. The commitment of the players is stunning. It possesses all the qualities that make for exciting and true interpretation: beauty, color, insight, and passion. It's a constant source of inspiration for me. "

2. 2. Radiohead: The Bends (Capitol 29626)
"It's quite simply the most important rock album of the post-Beatles Era. Their later OK Computer has been more wildly celebrated and is certainly worth hearing. But this record is one I come back to again and again. "

3. Jon Hassell: Fascinoma (Waterlily Acoustics 237264)
"A trumpeter/composer known for his trance records of the 80's in conjunction with Brian Eno and friends, this new release was my favorite record of 1999. Hassell is best known for his digital alterations of his trumpet sounds along with a clearly evident Eastern influence. But for this session he and his superb sidemen go unplugged. The sound is gorgeous and the mood intoxicating. It's also the first record for which Hassell plays someone else's tunes, Duke Ellington figuring prominently here. A must."

4. Astor Piazzola and the New Tango Quintet: The Vienna Concert (Messidor 15922)
"Anyone who has not yet been touched by the fervent romanticism of Piazzola's tango hasn't savored one of life's indispensable pleasures. There have been, of late, some attempts by well-intentioned musicians to recreate in their own way the excitement of this music, but there is absolutely no substitute for the real thing. This recording captures the quintet in live performance in some of Astor's best-known compositions. The highlight of the record for me is the piano cadenza in 'Adios Nonino' composed by Piazolla and masterfully played by the greatest living exponent of Argentine tango, Pablo Ziegler. "

5. Stravinsky: The Complete Columbia Recordings (Sony 33298)
"Although there are many people who find the composer's renderings less than perfect, I always come back to this set for my favorite performances. Particularly inspiring are his unsurpassed reading of 'Apollo' and 'Symphony of Psalms'."