matthewpiano:My favourite performance of the decade, and of all time, was an evening spent at the Bridgewater Hall attending an Alfred Brendel recital about 5 years ago. I doubt anything will ever come close to being in the presence of my all-time pianistic hero playing right at the peak of his form. The best rock gig I've been to is harder to choose but, because the music means so much to me and because the performances were absolutely incredible on the night I'd have to choose the special gig John Lees Barclay James Harvest did to thank the fans at the Lowry in Salford, earlier this year. It was an amazing night and a real privilege to hear those truly great (and massively under-rated) BJH songs performed so beautifully. The worst gig was Bob Dylan at Sheffield a couple of years ago. It was dire in every conceivable way. In terms of albums, on the popular music side I'd pick out Johnny Cash's series of American Recordings, and Neil Diamond's '12 Songs' - all produced by the brilliant Rick Rubin. From younger artists I would choose 'Absolution' by Muse and 'Hail To The Thief' by Radiohead. Reissues of the decade? The first four Neil Young reissues on the popular side, and EMI's 'Great Recordings of the Century' series for classical music. On the classical side Antonio Pappano takes the crown for me. His Verdi 'Requiem' and Tchaikovksy orchestral recordings have been mesmerising. For piano music Marc-Andre Hamelin has continued to produce thought-provoking, challenging and beautifully played discs, and Stephen Hough has cemented his position as one of the finest pianists in the world.
Interesting you mention the Pappano Verdi Requiem, Matthew - I got a copy, ostensibly to replace by Shaw recording on Telarc, and although it's undoubtedly a visceral performance, I find the recording disappointingly lacking in transparency, and the soloists a bit of a mixed bag so I went back to the Telarc - just shows you can't please everyone!
Anyway, for me the classical choice would be the Vernon Handley Bax Symphonies set on Chandos. I also have a fondness for organ music, and Jeremy Filsell's disc of Cochereau improvisations at Liverpool RC Cathedral is just amazing - and then there's Angela Hewitt's 2008 Well-Tempered Clavier on Hyperion. For rock I have so enjoyed getting into Porcupine Tree recently, especially "In Absentia", but Muse's "Black Holes and Revelations" is also rarely far away from my player.