The year's best CDs, in alphabetical order.

John Adams, "On the Transmigration of Souls" (Nonesuch)--At its world premiere, this piece, an ambitious memorial to the victims of 9/11, seemed like a modest success, but on record it has an overwhelming power; Lorin Maazel's command of the score, and the New York Philharmonic's expert playing, brings it to life.

Leon Fleisher, "Two Hands" (Vanguard)--An Indian-summer album of piano works by Bach, Chopin, and others from the eminent musician, who has at last regained the use of both his hands. No American pianist can equal his combination of supple phrasing, intellectual mastery, and interpretive depth.

Daniel S. Godfrey, "String Quartets Nos. 2 and 3; 'Romanza'" (Koch)--The loveliest ten minutes of new music this year comes courtesy of Godfrey, whose "Romanza" filters the lyrical spirit of Borodin and early Stravinsky through an elegantly patrician modern style. The Cassatt String Quartet plays it beautifully.

Joseph Haydn, "The Seasons" (Harmonia Mundi)--Once again, the early-music maestro Rene Jacobs is the conductor of the year. He recorded not only a refreshingly earthy account of Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" (with Simon Keenlyside and Angelika Kirchschlager, among other singers) but also this colorful performance of Haydn's rarely heard oratorio, featuring the R.I.A.S. Chamber Choir, whose members sing with the agility of soloists.

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, "Handel Arias" (Avie)--Lieberson, the most emotionally resonant singer today, finds a nuanced style for each of these gems, a selection that includes arias from the opera "Serse" and the oratorio "Theodora," along with the cantata "La Lucrezia." Harry Bicket and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment accompany her with sensitive and powerful playing.

Anne-Sophie Mutter, "Tchaikovsky/Korngold Violin Concertos" (Deutsche Grammophon)--The mannerist extremes of Mutter's style make her recording of the Korngold Concerto just as persuasive as Heifetz' arch-Romantic rendering of fifty years ago. Her husband, Andre Previn, conducting the London Symphony ...