Listen along with our 
Classical Roundup, Early 2012 playlist.Maybe it's all about starting at the beginning. The new year offers several exciting views of the Baroque period, during which the foundations of Western orchestral music were first built. For this edition of the Classical Roundup, there are dedicated Baroque collections from some of music's brightest young female stars -- Met soprano Danielle de Niese and violinist Nicola Benedetti, along with Lara St. John and Xuefei Yang -- and from Italian violin master Giuliano Carmignola, whose Haydn violin concertos are exhilarating and absolutely definitive (if you have time for only one, start there). The set is rounded out by a New Year's Day concert and a few excellent selections of contemporary chamber music.
1. Xuefei YangBach: Concertos
Bejing-born classical guitarist Xuefei Yang was a trailblazing prodigy: she began winning guitar competitions in China while still a preteen; was the first guitarist to attend China's Central Conservatory; and is the first Chinese guitarist to win international acclaim. Now at the peak of her career, Yang has embarked on an all-Bach recording with an ambitious aim: to expand the concert repertoire of the instrument. Given her performance of the three concertos newly arranged for guitar and string quartet (played here by the Elias Quartet), it may just be possible. [Nate Cavalieri]
2. Giuliano CarmignolaHaydn: Violin Concertos
Carmignola's authority on the works of Haydn hits every mark at the center. The recording is lush and lively, and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées -- playing period instruments -- is brilliantly balanced by Carmignola's vivid, passionate and artistically phrased playing. Simply put, this is how these works are supposed to sound. [N.C.]
3. Lara St. John and Marie-Pierre LanglametBach: Sonatas
Violinist Lara St. John has been celebrated for her explosive recordings of Bach, but she has never taken on something as artistically adventuresome as this, a collection of sonatas accompanied by Marie-Pierre Langlamet, principal harpist of the Berlin Philharmonic. The joy of the recording is the simple, unusual setting; these sonatas are usually done with harpsichord or piano, and hearing the works performed with harp accompaniment make them seem fresh, delicate and wholly new. [N.C.]
4. Nicola BenedettiItalia
Judging a record by its cover might suggest that Benedetti -- with a flirty look and a vintage Vespa -- has her eye on a crossover audience, but get a few minutes into the violinist's energetic, confident reading of Vivaldi's "Grosso Mogul" concerto and there's little doubt of Benedetti's artistic clout. This collection of Italian baroque violin is backed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and is immaculately played -- even the compulsory inclusion of The Four Seasons sparkles with energy. But it's a pair of Vivaldi vocal works, arranged here for violin, that are a captivating, rare treat. [N.C.]
5. András Schiff and Robert SchumannGeistervariationen
The infrequently performed "Geistervariationen," or "Ghost Variations," were completed by Robert Schumann in 1854 during a particularly troubled point in his mental collapse, when he first attempted suicide (he would die two years later, allegedly from syphilis). Pianist András Schiff, long an advocate of Schumann, brings an appropriately hallucinatory frailty to much of the music. Schiff's recording also succeeds due to his careful research of original scores, including the performance of an alternate ending to "Fantasie C-Dur" the pianist discovered in a Budapest library in the 1970s. [N.C.]
6. Danielle de NieseBeauty of the Baroque
Even though Danielle de Niese brings ample technical gifts and a shining tone to this collection of baroque arias from the likes of Dowland and Haydn, her poise sometimes feels a bit too proper, particularly compared to the hot-blooded presence she brings to roles at the Met. But is Beauty of the Baroque still beautiful? Absolutely. The duets are particularly gorgeous -- especially the dissonant tensions of the Monteverdi. [N.C.]
7. Simone DinnersteinSomething Almost Being Said: Music of Bach and Schubert
Even among marginally popular pianists, Simone Dinnerstein is an outlier. After a late start and a lackluster early career, she saw her first breakthrough after an Internet leak of a self-funded Bach recording. This release combines Partitas Nos. 1 and 2 with four impromptus from Schubert. While Dinnerstein's capability with Bach can't be questioned, her work sometimes lacks the insulation of the album's title (taken from a Philip Larkin poem); the Schubert pieces have much more life to them. Still, her crystalline clarity and Grammy-award-winning producer Adam Abeshouse make it a joy. [N.C.]
8. Joshua BellFrench Impressions
At only 21, Joshua Bell's recording of Sonata in A major by Cesar Franck -- a chamber music standard -- sought to prove the young violinist's ability. As impressive as the first recording was, Bell's revisiting of the mysterious and moody work some 22 years later on French Impressions shows just how much he's matured over the years. With regular partner Jeremy Denk, this collection of French music is rounded out by a powerfully read version of the Ravel sonata. [N.C.]
9. Duo Gazzana: Takemitsu, Hindemith, Janáček, SilvestrovFive Pieces
Although little links the four-composer program taken on by the Italian sister duo of Natascia Gazzana and Raffaella Gazzana, their inquisitive, communicative performance makes subtle connections between Takemitsu's ethereal Distance de Fée, Hindemith's arching Sonata and the propulsive modernist and postmodern movements by Janáček and Silvestrov. On its own, the Janáček seems most confident, but altogether, these works dovetail, resulting in a haunting atmosphere. [N.C.]
10. Mariss JansonsNew Year's Concert 2012
The annual New Year's concert in Vienna is an evening of Strauss dynasty waltzes, polkas and marches, and the concert is a tradition that has been in place since before World War II. With a bombastic opening in "Vaterländischer Marsch," Mariss Jansons leads a performance that captures the flair and festivity of the event. This is light and effervescent party music of two centuries past, and the ensemble takes on showpieces like the "Thunder and Lightning" polka and Johann Strauss' "Freuet euch des Lebens (Enjoy Life)" waltz with flourish. [N.C.]