The 2004-05 season has been long and good – and it’s time to record highlights. You remember the rules, or rather caveats: I couldn’t hear everything, obviously, but I heard a tremendous amount, certainly enough for a respectable sample. And we won’t bother with any lowlights; the highlights will require enough space.

Start with Lorin Maazel, in his third season as music director of the New York Philharmonic. Of the many excellent performances he delivered this season, the following stand out, in my mind: a Haydn Symphony No. 95 in C minor (Mr. Maazel is underrated as a Classical conductor); a Beethoven Seventh; a Sibelius First; and Bartok’s “Miraculous Mandarin” Suite. How about guest conductors of the Philharmonic? I think of the ex-music director, Kurt Masur, conducting one of his specialties: Rachmaninoff’s “Isle of the Dead.” Also of Riccardo Muti, who led Liszt’s “Faust Symphony.” This was a performance so good, even someone not crazy about the piece could appreciate it.

Other orchestras? Well, James Levine led his Metropolitan Opera orchestra in Carnegie Hall, and I would single out an amazingly spiffy account of Weber’s “Oberon” overture. It couldn’t have been better. That same concert featured no slouch of a “Lied von der Erde,” sung by Anne Sofie von Otter and Ben Heppner. And Pierre Boulez led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a superb all-Bartok concert. It featured a boffo Concerto for Orchestra, that old warhorse galloping with young legs.

Some concertos, starting with three for the violin: Maxim Vengerov was astounding in the Mendelssohn concerto, and Christian Tetzlaff was riveting in Bartok’s Concerto No. 2. Hilary Hahn was angelic and transcendent in the El gar concerto. All three of these performances were with the New York Philharmonic. And a couple of piano concertos? Both happen to be by Bartok: With the Philharmonic, Yefim Bronfman played the Second Concerto scintillatingly; and, in that CSO program conducted by Mr. Boulez, Daniel Barenboim played the stuffing out of the First.

Turn, now, to some recitals – first to four piano recitals. Mikhail Pletnev was wizard-like, in Bach’s E-minor partita, in Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, and in other things. Richard Goode was first-rate in Debussy, and, on another evening, in Haydn. Leif Ove Andsnes delivered an incredibly tight and stirring “Pictures at an Exhibition” (not to everyone’s taste, that account). And Louis Lortie was stylish and noble in a program of waltzes, or waltz-based rep.

Some voice recitals? Well, this may not qualify as a recital, exactly, but David Daniels was masterly in cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti, performed with the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble. Christine Schafer once again proved herself one of the smartest and most affecting of singers. Heidi Grant Murphy, with her husband Kevin at the piano, was sublime in Schubert. And Sarah Connolly, an English mezzo making her New York recital debut in Weill Recital Hall, was deeply satisfying: John Ireland’s “Her Song” as an encore will be hard to forget.

Midori contributed a solid violin recital, and Truls M0rk set a similar example in a cello recital. Julia Fischer redeemed a poor New York Philharmonic debut – which took place in the 2002-03 season – with an impressive violin recital, including Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata.

A dip into chamber music: In Zankel Hall was an evening called “Steven Isserlis and Friends.” One of those friends was the violinist Joshua Bell, and they put on a Dvoryak Piano Quintet No. 1 that was both illuminating and thrilling. Dvoryak’s Piano Quartet No. 2 wasn’t so bad, either. The highlight of a concert by the Orion String Quartet was Haydn’s Quartet in G, Op. 77, No. 1: precise, graceful, and exciting. And the pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joined some New York Philharmonic players for a marvelous Haydn trio (that in C major, Hob. XV: 27), and a giddy, irresistible sextet by Dohnanyi.

Shall we go to the opera? What was not to like about the Julie Taymor-directed “Magic Flute” at the Metropolitan Opera? Very little, in my opinion – and the soprano Dorothea Roschmann was a splendid Pamina. Karita Mattila was compelling in the title role of “Kata y Kabanova,” and Thomas Hampson did his job as Wolfram in “Tannhauser”: You will never hear his “Evening Star” song surpassed.

Sondra Radvanovsky was a Verdian standout in “I Vespri Siciliani,” and Renee Fleming was a Handelian standout in “Rodelinda.” James Levine had lots of good outings, including a “Marriage of Figaro” that would not stop sparkling or uplifting. An Italian mezzo named Luciana D’Intino made an awesome debut as Eboli in “Don Carlo.” Anne Sofie von Otter was radiant in “Pelleas et Melisande,” and the veteran bass-baritone Jose van Dam was elegantly sturdy. Plus, Mr. Levine conducted the opera supremely.

The young maestro Philippe Jordan took over for “Don Giovanni,” and he acquitted himself very well. Gerald Finley was a convincing Don, Samuel Ramey was a canny Leporello, Richard Croft was a smooth Don Ottavio, and Isabel Bayrakdarian was – as always – a delectable Zerlina. In “Der Rosenkavalier,” Susan Graham proved once again that she is an Octavian for the ages. John Mac Master, a Canadian tenor, made a touching late debut as Canio in “I Pagliacci.” Mr. Levine conducted “Faust” for the first time, and did so triumphantly. The Met staged an opera by Franco Alfano, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” for Placido Domingo – and the old singing actor’s still got it. At the end of the season, Mr. Levine conducted “La Clemenza di Tito,” with all of his wisdom and musicality.

A “Dialogues of the Carmelites” from City Opera was absolutely devastating – rightly devastating. Rinat Shaham was a top-notch Blanche, and Joyce Castle was a smashing First Prioress. In a concert performance – with the Opera Orchestra of New York – Stephanie Blythe was a magnificent Mignon, proving you don’t have to be a waif, vocally or otherwise, to sing her. The Manhattan School of Music did us the favor of staging Lee Hoiby’s wonderful opera “A Month in the Country.”

And the Metropolitan Opera Guild arranged a tribute concert for Renata Tebaldi, who died in December. They showed lots of clips of the prima donna singing – and she deserved the tributes.

The season welcomed many newcomers on the scene, one of whom was Sakari Oramo, the Finnish conductor, who did an encouraging guest turn with the New York Philharmonic. A young mezzo-soprano named Brenda Patterson was stunningly good in an otherwise sleepy Christmas Oratorio, at St. Bartholomew’s Church. And a young Lithuanian pianist named Andrius Zlabys participated in a concert of the Kremerata Baltica – it should be a pleasure to hear him for years to come.

I don’t think anything this season was more commendable than Chanticleer’s annual Christmas concert, in front of the big tree in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And may I introduce a new category – best line of criticism?

It came from my colleague Fred Kirshnit, who said about a new piece by Wolfgang Rihm – which I found formless and unengaging – “[It’s] more like life than art.” Quite so. Unhappy are those who prefer art!