J.S. Bach: The Art of Fugue (Gustav Leonhardt; Deutsche Harmonia Mundi GD77013)
This performance sums up, to my ears, the genius of Leonhardt’s playing (as well as the apotheosis of Bach’s writing) — the synthesis of intellectual rigour, refinement of craft, and emotional and spiritual depth.

Chamber Music before Bach (Reinhard Goebel/Musica Antiqua Köln; Archiv)
Having originally approached this group with suspicion, I became more and more drawn into their incredibly intense music making. This must be one of their finest CDs, both for repertoire and interpretation.

Henry Purcell: Come ye Sons of Art; Lully: Miserere on L’Oiseau-Lyre (London editions) OL 50166.
One of my earliest memories is of walking in circles under our dining table at the age of two to this record with a feeling of absolute ecstasy. I can’t swear that it is the work’s best version on disc, but it’s certainly the one that means most to me.

O Tuneful Voice (Emma Kirkby/Rufus Müller/Timothy Roberts/Frances Kelly; Hyperion CDA66497)
In its genre this is one of the most exquisite CDs I know. The Curfew by Stephen Storace is as perfect as any performance I have heard.