Totentanz.
Wikimedia Commons
The year 2020 was, in so many ways, divided. In terms of live performances, musicians were forced to reinvent, reflect and respond from a distance and in turn I watched their concerts from the remove of my laptop screen. Some artists offered professionally produced live shows, like stunning recitals from Jonas Kaufmann and Lise Davidsen, while others handcrafted their own videos shot in the safety and solitude of home, like Julia Bullock and Víkingur Ólafsson. And a few institutions, such as the New York Philharmonic, ventured outdoors, where artists played for tiny audiences.
Still, while streams dominated this chaotic, sorrowful year, musicians continued to lay down official statements in the form of albums. And as the pandemic exploded, the economy cracked, the protests thundered and politics grew even more partisan, the arresting albums listed below became the soundtrack to my 2020 – the best in troubled times. In the order they were released are 12 albums that inspired hope, offered comfort and confrontation and provided much needed escape from a year like no other.