Latest album releases from Naxos en-us Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:03:03 GMT Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:03:03 GMT http://www.naxos.com/ http://www.naxos.com/images/naxos_logo_blue.gif 93 93 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572427 ]]>It was Francisco Tárrega, composer and guitarist, who first transcribed Bach’s music for his own instrument, offering colour, tonal variety and clarity in an exploration of counterpoint. Tristan Manoukian’s transcription of the Partita No. 2 honours the precedent in its virtuosic and expressive writing. It is possible that the Suite and the Prelude, Fugue and Allegro were originally conceived for the so-called “lute-harpsichord”, a keyboard strung with gut that sounded like a lute. Bach’s version of Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto transforms and refashions it, and the guitar transcription is perfectly suited to convey the richness of its invention. Prizewinning guitarist Judicaël Perroy is one of the most exciting talents to have emerged in years. ]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT GEC_129_8.572427 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572694 ]]>Brahms’s first connection with choral music came in 1857, and his first appointment in Vienna, in 1863, was to conduct the Singakademie. He premièred A German Requiem in the city and wrote widely for choral forces, taking a variety of poetic source material. Begräbnisgesang (Funeral Hymn) evinces a great feeling of solemnity, whilst Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) is an urgent, volatile work. Nänie was written as a lament for the death of the painter Anselm Feuerbach, and the Alto Rhapsody has remained one of the greatest works for contralto in the repertoire. ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_78_8.572694 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572681 ]]>Evencio Castellanos belonged to the generation of Venezuelan composers who established a new nationalistic style in the first half of the 20th century. One of his best known works, Santa Cruz de Pacairigua pays homage to the construction of a church in Guatire, near Caracas, quoting popular dance rhythms and melodies, as well as a Venezuelan medieval carol. El Río de las Siete Estrellas (The River of the Seven Stars), inspired by a poem about the Orinoco River, describes events of pre-colonial Venezuelan history leading up to the country’s independence in 1821. The Suite Avileña, a compilation of scenes alluding to the coastal mountain of El Ávila, borrows from popular songs and Christmas carols, and features the cuatro (a four-stringed version of the European classical guitar) and maracas, two of the most typical Venezuelan folk instruments. ]]> Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_121_8.572681 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572647 ]]>These three Catalan piano trios reveal illuminating facets of each composer. Roberto Gerhard’s early trio exudes a distinctly French ethos, alongside that of de Falla, very different from his later asperity. Xavier Montsalvatge’s much later work, written between 1986 and 1988, owes its origin to disparate sources but forms an impressive whole, and is lyrical, expressive, sensual and dance-like in turn. Admired as a cellist, Gaspar Cassadó composed a brilliantly virtuoso trio, influenced by earlier Spanish models, but revealing great panache and considerable demands via guitar imitations, malagueña rhythms and lashings of folkloric brio. ]]> Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT ZMC_89_8.572647 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559704 ]]>Hanson’s last two symphonies offer a fitting conclusion to his compositional career. Commissioned for the 185th anniversary season of the New York Philharmonic and dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, the romantic Sixth is cast in six continuous movements pervaded by a haunting three-note motif. The Seventh sets the poetry of Walt Whitman and reaffirms Hanson’s Sibelian inheritance whilst proudly ending his own symphonic cycle in a blaze of glory. Lumen in Christo, which intriguingly bears the inscription “with variations on themes by Haydn and Handel,” is a choral work for women’s voices that sets sacred texts on the subject of light, ending in ethereal calm. “I found this to be an even more satisfying release than its predecessor, and it is sure to please those who have been enjoying Schwarz’s Hanson survey.” (Fanfare on the original Delos release of Symphonies Nos. 3 and 6) ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NUC_126_8.559704 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572718 ]]>Bernard Herrmann’s score for Jane Eyre was completed in 1943. It was his fourth film score and, like The Magnificent Ambersons before it, saw collaboration with Orson Welles. Not only is Jane Eyre Hermann’s longest film score, it is one of his most sumptuous, romantic and eerily evocative. He features a marvellous array of sonic effects—high winds, celesta, and muted brass—all designed to deepen and colour the characterisation, and orchestrated with his customary brilliance. This recording of the score restores, for the first time, cuts made during the recording or editing of the original film. ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT GIC_69_8.572718 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572473 ]]>A pupil of Massenet and Fauré, the prolific French composer and teacher Charles Koechlin expanded traditional harmonies and compositional techniques and was much admired by his contemporaries. Les heures persanes was inspired by Vers Ispahan, Pierre Loti’s diary of a journey through Persia. Oriental atmospheres are recreated through cycles of day and night, and in piano writing completely new for its time. This evocative piece salutes Koechlin’s musical forebears as well as foreshadowing Messiaen through the “passionate and skilled” (The Sunday Times on 8.572570) advocacy of Ralph van Raat. ]]> Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_46_8.572473 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572559 ]]>The legendary Fritz Kreisler and his friend Efrem Zimbalist were both ranked among the greatest violinists of their time, becoming household names in America in the 1920s. Their generation, however, regarded Eugène Ysaÿe as ‘the master of us all’. These works all transcend mere virtuoso showmanship. Kreisler’s Quartet is filled with emotion and unpredictable harmonic shifts, while the tender, sometimes hauntingly beautiful melodies in Zimbalist’s Quartet hark back to the composer’s Russian origins. Ysaÿe’s Harmonies du soir emerges as a sensual chromatic journey towards a glorious musical sunrise. ]]> Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_145_8.572559 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=9.70155 ]]> ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_118_9.70155 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=9.70154 ]]> ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_75_9.70154 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=9.70156 ]]> ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_65_9.70156 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=9.70161 ]]> ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_64_9.70161 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=9.70151 ]]> ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_111_9.70151 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572449 ]]>Neidhart was one of the most popular Minnesingers—or “poet-musicians”—of the late Middle Ages. His songs deal with rustic, erotic and violent topics mediated, however, through court culture, which gives them a stylised, ironic sense of detachment. His division of songs into “summer” or “winter” adds another layer of complexity, with melancholy or dance-orientated topics prevailing, depending on the season. The instrumental music carries a rural character. The “Frankfurt Fragment” manuscript has never been recorded in full, and is here performed by one of the most outstanding ensembles in the field. ]]> Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT NEC_88_8.572449 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572550 ]]>During his long and energetic life, Ignaz Joseph Pleyel distinguished himself as a composer, publisher and piano manufacturer. His versatility, one of the keys to his survival in the turbulent years of the French Revolution, is also to be found in abundance in his vast musical output. This recording features two scintillating symphonies and Pleyel’s only authentic concerto for flute; all three works amply illustrate the reason why he achieved such an unprecedented level of popularity in the last two decades of the 18th Century. ]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT ZNC_115_8.572550 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572608-09 ]]>During his last decade, Rossini wrote a series of 13 volumes he called Sins of Old Age, of which volume 8 is subtitled Album de château. It contains 12 pieces, each richly characterised. Many are fuelled by an operatic sense of vitality, and we also find dances, fugal writing, and a nightmarish dream episode of great intensity. The five pieces from volume 9 offer equal pleasures—a Christmas Carol, self-quotations from his operas, and a skittish black note joke, all served up with his inimitable gift for melody and enjoyment. ‘Marangoni has a beautiful legato touch, and a keen sense of phrasing.’ (American Record Guide, on Vol. 1: 8.570590–91) ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_79_8.572608-09 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572243 ]]>One of Roussel’s most performed orchestral works, The Spider’s Web was composed during his earlier impressionistic period, and depicts the beauty and violence of insect life in a garden. Roussel’s experiences as a lieutenant in the French Navy first introduced him to Eastern influences, and the ‘opera-ballet’ Padmâvatî was inspired by his later visit to the ancient city of Chittor in Rajasthan state of western India. It uses aspects of Indian music to evoke this city’s legendary siege by the Mongols. This is the fifth and final volume in Stéphane Denève and the RSNO’s acclaimed survey of Roussel’s orchestral works. “An excellent disc, splendidly and idiomatically performed and a superb advertisement for composer, conductor and orchestra. Highly recommended.” (Gramophone on Vol. 4 / 8.572135) ]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT NAC_114_8.572243 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572594 ]]>Leonardo Balada, the Catalan composer who went to New York in 1956 to study composition, has been a powerful creative force for more than three decades. These accessible and stimulating pieces span the composer’s career, from the romantic early Music in Four Movements to the Mini-Miniatures of 2010, which are dedicated to Pablo Amorós. Preludis Obstinants, commissioned and premièred by the great pianist Alicia de Larrocha, was described as ‘a bold five-part piece of thunder…each section suggesting how much the instrument can shape creative imagination.’ (The Philadelphia Inquirer) ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NMC_43_8.572594 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572580 ]]>Inspired by the ‘father of the modern viola’ Lionel Tertis, London-born composer Edwin York Bowen preferred the tone of this instrument to that of the violin. Encouraged by Tertis, his two widely contrasting Sonatas are pioneering in their use of the viola as a virtuoso solo instrument. Though roughly half the length of the Sonatas, the exuberant Phantasy takes us on a journey through a huge variety of tempo, texture, tonality and moods. The Bridge Duo’s recital of English Music for Viola (8.572579) was acclaimed as ‘excellent’ and ‘essential listening’. (MusicWeb International) ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_71_8.572580 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572815 ]]>Joly Braga Santos composed in a wide variety of forms, faithfully mirrored in this selection of his highly appealing music. The Elegy was written for his famous compatriot, the pianist Vianna da Motta, whilst the Symphonic Overture No. 3 utilises his own brand of folkloric material. Braga Santos’ Three Symphonic Sketches offer colouristic virility, full of supercharged rhythmic energy. The Variations for Orchestra reflects a compositional change, more elusive but highly subtle, and Alfama is a delightful ballet score. ‘Don’t miss this one!’ wrote ClassicsToday of Álvaro Cassuto’s recording of the Second Symphony on Marco Polo 8.225216. ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_127_8.572815 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572456 ]]>Ignacio Cervantes is a key figure of Latin American piano music. As the cultural and national identity of his native Cuba gained strength through the 19th century, the genres of danza and contradanza became a fixture of the island’s dance and concert halls, providing a bridge between different sections of society. Cervantes’s pieces, which display a similar swing and verve to Scott Joplin’s ubiquitous Rags, synthesize Cuban local humour and colour with the Romantic aesthetic of Chopin. Their titles range from the poignant Adiós a Cuba, to the laughter of La carcajada. ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_39_8.572456 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=9.70166 ]]> ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_135_9.70166 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572689 ]]>Domenico Cimarosa was the most famous and popular Italian opera composer of the second half of the 18th Century. In the course of a brilliantly successful career he composed more than 65 operas as well as a significant number of other works. Nothing is known about the origins of the keyboard sonatas although from their style and structure they appear to date from relatively early in his career. These attractive, small-scale works were probably intended for study purposes or for domestic performance. The crystalline brilliance of many of the fast outer movements is very appealing and the slow movements, although somewhat conservative in style, often possess a surprising expressive depth. Of the first volume (8.570718) ClassicsToday wrote: ‘Sangiorgio’s clean, even-handed, excellently engineered performances are ideal.’ ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_62_8.572689 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572707 ]]>Puerto Rican composer and guitarist Ernesto Cordero dedicated his Concierto Festivo to celebrated soloist Pepe Romero, who describes the work as having ‘divine inspiration’. These works derive their warmth of expression and rhythmic influence from the composer’s native Caribbean island, and the two violin concertos ĺnsula and Concerto Tropical both contain descriptive elements from landscape and nature. ĺnsula is dedicated to renowned violinist and conductor Guillermo Figueroa, and I Solisti di Zagreb are recognised as one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras. ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_128_8.572707 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559703 ]]>Hanson’s symphonic cycle reached a profound spiritual crux at the time of the Fourth Symphony, which was written, in effect, as a Requiem for his father. It journeys from turbulence to the simplicity of resolution, in a way both characteristic and also deeply moving. The Fifth Symphony also evokes religious imagery in a tautly structured, richly atmospheric canvas. The Lutheran element surfaces too in Dies Natalis, whilst Hanson’s admiration for Serge Koussevitzky is marked by the Elegy he wrote for the conductor. “Schwarz’s commitment to the music is evident in every bar: you really can take the quality, not least of his marvellous orchestra, for granted.” (Gramophone on the original Delos release) ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_120_8.559703 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572844 ]]>Alfred Hill was the doyen of Australasian composers, and his exploration of the string quartet demonstrates the range of his imagination. Both the Tenth and Eleventh quartets were written in 1935, but they offer richly differing affiliations. No. 10 brings a classical formality fused with hints of Gershwin, and a remarkable last movement which recalls the three earlier movements in rapid succession in just 32 bars, whereas No. 11 marks the height of Hill’s impressionist refinement, complete with a characteristically beautiful slow movement. The ‘Life’ Quintet, with its vocal finale, was written in 1912, a fascinating experiment later reworked into a symphony. ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_95_8.572844 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572656 ]]>Krzysztof Meyer’s intensely dramatic and eloquent string quartets stand at the centre of his achievements as a composer. The extremes of mood which characterize the Ninth Quartet contrast with the Eleventh Quartet, whose form recalls the single movement quartets of Shostakovich. The Twelfth Quartet is a richly expressive and forceful summation of the composer’s contribution to this genre. The Wieniawski Quartet’s recording of Meyer’s Quartets Nos. 5, 6 and 8 (8.570776) was welcomed as an ‘exciting issue of very stimulating music’. (MusicWeb International) ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_82_8.572656 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559698 ]]>This program of musical portraits by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Moravec encompasses a song cycle, a cantata and a solo piano work. Vita Brevis is a beautiful cycle of five songs that chart a birth-to-death journey, whereas Characteristics enshrines tributes from the composer to seven musical friends, three pianists, two composers, a violinist and a countertenor, in the form of pithy piano commentaries. Moravec’s tribute to Benjamin Franklin, Useful Knowledge, is a soliloquy cum fantasy that celebrates Franklin’s pioneering rationality with music of dextrous imagination. ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_124_8.559698 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572832 ]]>Peter Philips was the most famous English composer of his time, and only Byrd, a generation older, had more compositions published. Much of Philips’s life was spent on the Continent, where he wrote music of intricate, text-conscious colour, both deeply expressive and architecturally powerful. His motets and anthems, whether celebratory, meditative or dramatic, embrace the widest range of feeling and texture. The much-admired Sarum Consort’s disc All the Queen’s Men (8.572582) was praised for its ‘energy and aplomb’. (American Record Guide) ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NEC_105_8.572832 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572596 ]]>Legendary tango performer and composer Astor Piazzolla gained experience of jazz in New York and classical form and technique through studies with Alberto Ginastera. His work lends itself perfectly to arrangement for all kinds of ensemble, and this is the first recording with solo trombone. These popular pieces showcase the stunning playing of multi-award winning soloist Achilles Liarmakopoulos in a variety of moods, including the famous Oblivion, and Le Grand Tango, a virtuoso show-stopper originally written for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_46_8.572596 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572030 ]]>Franz Xaver Richter’s Sonate da camera have many of the same musical characteristics that make his symphonies so distinctive: ingenious part-writing, rich, expressive harmonies and delightfully unexpected melodic twists. Probably composed by Richter in the late 1750s, these remarkable works are firmly rooted in the Baroque trio sonata tradition yet contain subtle echoes of the new musical language being developed by his colleagues in the famous Mannheim court orchestra. Of the first volume (8.572029) MusicWeb International wrote: ‘The three Finnish soloists…have first rate credentials and play with great sensitivity. Richter absolutely deserves much greater exposure.’ ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT ZNC_128_8.572030 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110277-78 ]]>The Invisible City of Kitezh, completed in 1905, is a remarkable opera that fuses folklore, mysticism and realism. Its subject is the story of the advancing Mongol army’s entry to Great Kitezh and the city’s subsequent miraculous survival. Rejecting archaisms and the more religiously inclined suggestions of his librettist, Rimsky-Korsakov sought to create an opera that “is contemporary and even fairly advanced”. It is therefore through-composed, hinting at times at Wagnerian procedure, and flooded with the composer’s rich, apt and brilliant orchestral palette, fully supportive of the powerful vocal writing. ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_108_2.110277-78 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572787 ]]>Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral genius shines through in his colourful operatic suites, and that from his final opera Le Coq d’or is richly dramatic and expressive. The complicated folk-based story of the Snow Maiden is simplified into four enchanting movements, and that of Sadko into a single, radiantly descriptive tone-poem. The thrilling legend of Mlada is represented by vivid dances and a final Cortège. Gerard Schwarz’s recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade (8.572693) with the Seattle Symphony was described as ‘absolutely terrific’. (ClassicsToday.com) ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_141_8.572787 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559397 ]]>John Philip Sousa’s tireless touring with his world-famous band and the distinctive quality of his compositions ensured legendary status and the affectionate title of ‘The March King’. This tenth volume of Sousa’s complete works for wind band under the ‘energy and precision’ (ClassicsToday.com) of Keith Brion’s directorship includes a remarkably descriptive Humoresque, the rare Jazz America fantasy from 1925, and the People in Glass Houses Suite on the subject of various varieties of alcoholic drink, complete with popping corks. ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_76_8.559397 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559676 ]]>The life and career of the African-American composer William Grant Still qualifies as the quintessential American ‘success story.’ Often referred to as the ‘dean of African-American composers,’ Still rose from humble beginnings to work as an arranger while studying composition with Chadwick and Varèse. Still embraced the blues, spirituals, jazz, and other ethnic American musics within classical forms. Wood Notes musically depicts Still’s love of nature. Symphony No. 2, the last of a trilogy of works depicting the African-American experience, presents the vision of an integrated American society, while Symphony No. 3 describes a spiritual ‘day in the life’ of a devout worshipper. This disc completes the Naxos cycle of William Grant Still’s Symphonies. ]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_123_8.559676 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572632 ]]>Anima mea explores the Christian concept of the soul through these masterpieces of medieval Sacred Music. Hildegard of Bingen’s beautifully exalted harmonies represent God’s order in the music of the spheres. The recently rediscovered Erfurt Ritual contains sung music from Master Eckhart’s historical context. These antiphons are performed here for the first time since 1525, along with chants from the liturgy of the Roman mass, music from the Notre Dame School, and a glorious Magnificat. The German duo Ensemble Cosmedin, who take their name from a church in Rome, are considered one of the leading ensembles for medieval and modern sacred music. Music of the soul—gentle and luminous. ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT NEC_63_8.572632 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559692 ]]>Libby Larsen’s Rodeo Queen of Heaven takes its inspiration from religious iconography given a contemporary twist—a painting of a Madonna with gun—in a rhythmically vivacious tableau. Peter Lieuwen presents an aural portrait of the Gulfstream, fusing grace with melodic fragments in a nature depiction rich in depth. Peter Schickele’s Quartet is profuse in syncopation, jazz, folk music and a melancholy that only heightens the brilliance of the finale’s off-kilter dynamism. Copland’s Sextet began life as his Second Symphony but, pared down, proves utterly idiomatic, vital, melodically exciting and bracing. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_103_8.559692 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572585 ]]>Exploring the byways of Chopin’s work reveals gems such as the elegant Rondeau for two pianos, and the Variations for flute and piano on a theme by Rossini then at the height of his popularity. The substantial Piano Trio Op. 8, dedicated to the cello-playing Prince Antoni Radziwill of Poznań, is a work in which Chopin allowed his Polish patriotism to be heard. Of the Kungsbacka Piano Trio The Strad asked “is there a better Trio ensemble in Western Europe?” ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_83_8.572585 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572868 ]]>Sleep, Holy Babe is a collection of Christmas lullabies which reflect the old traditions and restful, contemplative nature of the nativity story. Some works date back as far as the sixteenth century, such as Richard Pygott’s Quid petis, O Fili? from a collection owned by Henry VIII. Others are freshly composed, and many, such as Gerald Finzi’s A Lullaby, are recorded here for the first time. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_138_8.572868 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572744 ]]>The Christmas net is cast wide in this captivating collection of seasonal music. John Fox has crafted a delightful Carol Fantasia. Bryan Kelly’s Scrooge is an action-packed Dickens compression, brought to visceral life by esteemed actor Simon Callow, who also narrates Philip Lane’s Another Night Before Christmas, an update by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy of the classic poem. Lane’s Old Christmas Music is expressively rich, and spans the centuries. Smaller pieces from Liszt, orchestrated by Gordon Jacob, Rebikov and more recent works, complete a delightful selection. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_142_8.572744 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572690 ]]>Following on from their acclaimed recording of Italian Suites (8.572399), the respectively “exemplary” and “excellent” (MusicWeb International) Sergio Bosi and Riccardo Bartoli return with a programme full of surprises and mainly world première recordings. These works for clarinet by a new generation of composers replaced operatic paraphrase in the early 20th century. They range from Gugliemo Cappetti’s brightly lyrical Piccola Suite, graceful wit in Leonardo De Lorenzo’s Saltarello, delicate poignancy from Vincenzo Di Donato’s Pastorale, and the sustained inspiration of Gilfredo Cattolica’s Duo. ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_143_8.572690 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572675 ]]>An important marker in Debussy’s compositional development, the Fantaisie reflects something of the influence of César Franck’s Symphonic Variations yet embodies his own new aesthetic. Unpublished in Debussy’s lifetime, it is heard here in its 1968 revision. The delicately evocative Rapsodie for saxophone is an exotic work with an ‘oriental’ atmosphere and Spanish or Moorish associations. Although composed as a Conservatoire test piece, the Première Rapsodie for Clarinet has long since entered the repertoire as an important addition for the instrument. The glittering Danses for harp and strings recall Satie’s Gymnopédies, with the Danse profane in particular calling for a degree of virtuosity. Volume 6 of this much-admired series (8.572583) was praised for its ‘subtle and sensitive readings’. (Gramophone) ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_81_8.572675 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572369 ]]>This dazzling collection of flute music demonstrates the powerful individualism of contemporary Greek composers. It ranges widely, from the dirge that incorporates folk material in Theodore Antoniou’s Lament for Michelle, to the use of ancient Greek modes in Giorgos Couroupos’s Elégie. Dimitri Terzakis employs micro-intervals to sonically fascinating effect in Zwei Märchen, whilst Yannis Ioannidis explores extremes of dynamics and registers in Fragmento II, a powerful example of the vitality and variety to be found in all these compositions. ]]> Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT NGK_140_8.572369 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572522 ]]>Johan Halvorsen was one of the leading figures in Norwegian music during his lifetime. His folk-inspired Concert Caprice on Norwegian Melodies evokes the natural world while his Passacaglia and Sarabande echo the sophisticated world of the Baroque. Virtuoso violinist Antonio Bruni thrived in Paris despite the French Revolution, and his Duos Concertants are underrated gems of the repertoire. Husband and wife duo, violinist Natalia Lomeiko, described by Yehudi Menuhin as ‘one of the most brilliant of our younger violinists’, and violist Yuri Zhislin, hailed by The Strad as ‘a virtuoso with a lyrical talent and a truly Romantic temperament’, have been acclaimed for their technically flawless performances. ]]> Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT NAC_132_8.572522 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572587 ]]>Handel seldom set texts in his native language but for the Nine German Arias he took poems by Barthold Heinrich Brockes, called Earthly Pleasure in God, setting them for soprano, violin and basso continuo. The texts inspired Handel to write music of great intensity and melodic beauty, qualities augmented by an almost operatic sense of declamation. The Gloria dates from Handel’s stay in Italy and since its rediscovery in 2001 has become a major addition to his Latin Church music. Dorothea Craxton “has a beautiful voice, sings with care for the text and phrases sensitively.” (MusicWeb International on Naxos 8.570981 / Fanny Hensel: Songs). ]]> Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_91_8.572587 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559702 ]]>Hanson’s symphonic cycle is one of the most important in American music. The Third Symphony, composed between 1936 and 1938, is imbued with the rich Nordic sensibility that runs through the First. It owes its impetus to the pioneering Swedish settlements in America, and its expansive lyricism is beautifully calibrated, with a chorale theme acting as a hopeful constant throughout the journey. Hanson wrote his opera Merry Mount, possibly his most ambitious work, in 1934. Four years later he produced this vibrant orchestral suite. The complete opera, conducted by Gerard Schwarz, is available on 8.669012–13. “[T]he power of Hanson’s earlier works lies in the unabashed hyperbole of their gestures, the unstinting lavishness of their orchestration, and, most of all, their sincere fervor and conviction.” (Fanfare on the original Delos release) ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_106_8.559702 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572667 ]]>It is not known for sure why Haydn chose the flute over the more usual violin in these three trios. Possibly it was to appeal to English or aristocratic taste for the instrument. Whatever the reason, there is no lessening of his profuse lyricism and contagious wit in these charming works. Both the D major and G major Trios end with virtuosic and witty pay-offs, whilst the F major is rather different; a more symphonically oriented work that fuses seriousness and fun in equal measure. ]]> Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_62_8.572667 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.501203 ]]>Twelve CDs contain fifteen hours of music. An additional DVD offers three hours of video, including a “making of” documentary with subtitles in Dutch, English, French, German, and Japanese. As an exciting extra feature, the user may freely navigate from one room to the next, or from one instrument to another, mixing, matching, and comparing the performance of a short piece for musical clock, for a total of 7 x 9 possible combinations. Haydn’s complete works for solo keyboard performed by one of today’s most thoughtful and eloquent musicians. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_96_8.501203 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572639 ]]>Leoš Janáček’s dramatic Glagolitic Mass is set to a ninth century Old Church Slavonic text. With its highly individual synthesis of thunderous brass outbursts, rhythmic energy, radiant melodies and interludes of rapt contemplation, the work has established itself as a unique contribution to the choral repertoire. An avowed statement of his belief and patriotic pride in Czechoslovakian national independence, Janáček’s Sinfonietta uses spectacular large-scale orchestral forces. Both of these works belong to the composer’s last and most inspired decade, and represent his mature musical language at its most communicative. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_137_8.572639 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=NBD0026 ]]>Leoš Janáček’s dramatic Glagolitic Mass is set to a ninth century Old Church Slavonic text. With its highly individual synthesis of thunderous brass outbursts, rhythmic energy, radiant melodies and interludes of rapt contemplation, the work has established itself as a unique contribution to the choral repertoire. An avowed statement of his belief and patriotic pride in Czechoslovakian national independence, Janáček’s Sinfonietta uses spectacular large-scale orchestral forces. Both of these works belong to the composer’s last and most inspired decade, and represent his mature musical language at its most communicative. Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Note: This Blu-ray Audio Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard CD or DVD players. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NDS_143_NBD0026 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572272 ]]>Nikolai Kapustin built his reputation as a jazz pianist during the 1950s and 1960s. Staking a claim as a classical composer who happens to work in a jazz idiom, he cites Oscar Peterson as his single biggest influence. The Eight Concert Etudes balance stylistic allusions to long established pianistic tradition with an exuberance which has made them favourite encores. Using the same key-sequence as Chopin and Shostakovich, the extraordinary 24 Preludes in Jazz Style exude nonchalant wit and pulsating energy. ]]> Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_57_8.572272 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572771 ]]>Thierry Lancino’s vast Requiem is a challenging and eloquent contemplation on human mortality which the composer describes as ‘both an epic fresco and sacred ceremony’. In a paradox which brings the Christian into dialogue with the Pagan, Lancino presents an exploration of Death and Time which is both human and relevant, as well as posing eternal and unanswerable questions. This recording captures a unique and moving event, performed by a stellar cast of artists and France’s leading choir and orchestra. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_126_8.572771 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=NBD0020 ]]>Thierry Lancino’s vast Requiem is a challenging and eloquent contemplation on human mortality which the composer describes as ‘both an epic fresco and sacred ceremony’. In a paradox which brings the Christian into dialogue with the Pagan, Lancino presents an exploration of Death and Time which is both human and relevant, as well as posing eternal and unanswerable questions. This recording captures a unique and moving event, performed by a stellar cast of artists and France’s leading choir and orchestra. Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Note: This Blu-ray Audio Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard CD or DVD players. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NDS_142_NBD0020 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572642 ]]>Long considered lost, the two entirely distinctive versions of Bruno Maderna’s strikingly expressive 1942 Piano Concerto here receive their première recording. Maderna was still immersed in the world of Bartók as a brilliant young graduate, and this influence is again strong in the more complex and intricate Concerto for two pianos and instruments. A comparison between these intensely individual early works and the mature large-scale masterpiece Quadrivium delivers new perspectives on one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. ]]> Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_139_8.572642 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572498 ]]>In 1907 Mahler suffered a series of severe losses. Following pressure, he resigned his position as Director of the Court Opera in Vienna. After his elder daughter Maria died, he himself received the diagnosis of a severe heart condition. During the summer of 1908, Mahler sketched Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), a ‘symphony for two vocal soloists and orchestra’. The texts, taken from Hans Bethge’s The Chinese Flute, are concerned with the themes of transience and loss, culminating in the overwhelming Der Abschied (The Farewell). The Houston Symphony and Hans Graf have recorded Zemlinsky and Berg on Naxos 8.572048; ‘tonally sumptuous and emotionally expressive ’. (Allmusic.com) ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_80_8.572498 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110547 ]]> ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_60_2.110547 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110546 ]]> ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_103_2.110546 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110548 ]]> ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_87_2.110548 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.578206 ]]>The ‘My First’ album series from Naxos is the ideal springboard for a lifelong journey through classical music. Each selection is carefully tailored for younger listeners and includes famous tracks as well as unexpected gems. The booklet is full of information on every piece of music. Unique and imaginative, these CDs will open a door to a wonderful world that children and parents can discover together. Beethoven was a musical giant. He wasn’t taller or fatter than everyone else, but his music is big and his name is important. Beethoven is like the Olympic champion of classical music. Some of the music he wrote is strong and serious, and some of it is very gentle. Listen here to orchestras, pianos, violins and other instruments playing some of the most famous pieces of all! ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_24_8.578206 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.578203 ]]>The ‘My First’ album series from Naxos is the ideal springboard for a lifelong journey through classical music. Each selection is carefully tailored for younger listeners and includes famous tracks as well as unexpected gems. The booklet is full of information on every piece of music. Unique and imaginative, these CDs will open a door to a wonderful world that children and parents can discover together. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_30_8.578203 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.578204 ]]>The ‘My First’ album series from Naxos is the ideal springboard for a lifelong journey through classical music. Each selection is carefully tailored for younger listeners and includes famous tracks as well as unexpected gems. The booklet is full of information on every piece of music. Unique and imaginative, these CDs will open a door to a wonderful world that children and parents can discover together. If you listen carefully to this CD, you will get to know one of the best composers in the world. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived 250 years ago but he carries on being famous—so he must have been special. He giggled a lot. He was also good at playing the piano and the violin. And he wrote this amazing music, which people still love hearing today. See if you love hearing it too! ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_21_8.578204 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.578207 ]]>The ‘My First’ album series from Naxos is the ideal springboard for a lifelong journey through classical music. Each selection is carefully tailored for younger listeners and includes famous tracks as well as unexpected gems. The booklet is full of information on every piece of music. Unique and imaginative, these CDs will open a door to a wonderful world that children and parents can discover together. Listen to the piano turn into a bumblebee, a donkey, trolls, a bird, a horse and a butterfly! Sometimes it isn’t anything except a piano, but the music coming out of it is exciting and beautiful. Can you spot Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? Mozart makes it twinkle in all kinds of different ways. There are so many things to enjoy here, and all from one amazing musical instrument: the piano. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_20_8.578207 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572628 ]]>This release champions two relatively unknown Neapolitan composers. Mario Pilati’s style was described by musicologist Gianandrea Gavazzeni as “southern Baroque, full of songlike whims and lively impulses”, and the rhythmically vital and deeply expressive Piano Quintet of 1927–28 is one of his most important early pieces. Pianist Aldo Ciccolini was one of Achille Longo’s favourite pupils as a child, and his close association with the healthily eclectic Quintet brings a special warmth to its rich timbres and joyously refined nuances. The Circolo Artistico Ensemble specialises in the revival of the unpublished work of Italian composers. ]]> Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_92_8.572628 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.503802 ]]> ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT ZGC_71_8.503802 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.503801 ]]>Schubert set the verse of more than 115 poets to music, producing around 650 songs. He selected biblical texts and poetry from classical Greece, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the early Romantic era, the poets including Goethe, Schiller, Shakespeare, Petrarca and Heine as well as his Austrian contemporaries and friends. The Complete Lieder includes all the solo songs and part songs with piano, grouped according to the poets who inspired him. Ulrich Eisenlohr, pianist and artistic director of the edition, selected native German singers and used Bärenreiter’s Neue Schubert-Ausgabe as a basis for the recordings, producing a stirring cycle of particular integrity. All the sung texts are included online with English translations. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT ZGC_78_8.503801 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572824-25 ]]>This recording of New Babylon, one of Shostakovich’s most inventive and truly symphonic film scores, is the first complete recording of all the surviving music from the original ‘lost’ manuscript full score and the first to use five solo string players only, as conceived by the composer. A remarkable collage of marches, can-cans, carnival music, tumultuous rhythms and musical quotations, New Babylon bristles with witty dissonance and brassy ebullience, emphasizing the film’s content rather than its visual surface. Mark Fitz-Gerald’s two previous Naxos world première recordings of Shostakovich’s film scores for Alone (8.570316) and The Girlfriends (8.572138) have been highly acclaimed. ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT GIC_68_8.572824-25 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572259 ]]>A virtuoso pianist and renowned conductor in his day, Wilhelm Stenhammar achieved early success with his magnificently wide-ranging and Brahmsian Piano Concerto No. 1. After many years of mixed fortunes as a composer he found his personal voice in the remarkable Piano Concerto No. 2. Conceived as a single span, this vividly affirmative romantic masterpiece was the wellspring for his Serenade (8.572186) and Symphony No. 2 (8.553888). Award-winning soloist Niklas Sivelöv has also recorded Stenhammar’s solo piano works (8.553730). ]]> Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_79_8.572259 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660308-09 ]]>Maritana was one of the most popular of mid-nineteenth-century British operas. Its 1848 première was a triumph and was soon followed by performances in opera houses from Vienna to Philadelphia. The absurd plot, which contrasts life at the Spanish court with that of the Gypsy street-singer of the title, is subsidiary to the appeal of a string of infectious and much loved arias such as There is a flower that bloometh and Yes! Let me like a soldier fall. Wallace’s opera Lurline is available on Naxos 8.660293–94, on which the American Record Guide commented: ‘The opera and the performance are both a delight.’ ]]> Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT NOC_117_8.660308-09 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572666 ]]>All of the composers here combine elements of ancient Azerbaijani tradition with Western forms, colorful orchestration and vivid musical storytelling. This is epitomized in Vasif Adigezalov’s symphonically proportioned Fourth Piano Concerto, while Amirov and Nazirova add a touch of Arabian exoticism into their Concerto. The bubbling energy of Tofig Guliyev’s ‘Gaytagi’ dance adds a splash of jazz, and Farhad Badalbeyli’s works depict The Sea in an expansive and atmospheric score, followed by the sad tale of the city of Shusha expressed in a vocalise. ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_85_8.572666 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572530 ]]>Described as ‘simply inspired’ by La Nouvelle Revue Française, the music of award-winning French composer Nicolas Bacri defies trends or categorization. He uses familiar forms to create personal narratives both lyrical and witty in the Diletto classico, and his palette ranges from the dramatic, expressive and powerful Second Sonata to the gently evocative L’Enfance de l’Art. The ‘poetic sensitivity and deftness’ (American Record Guide on 8.572266) of Eliane Reyes’ playing has made her the dedicatee of numerous works by Bacri. ]]> Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_110_8.572530 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572307 ]]>Franz Benda was employed at the court of King Frederick the Great of Prussia, and his exceptionally expressive violin playing led Charles Burney to describe him as ‘a truly great genius’. Benda’s cantabile composing style allowed space for elaborate ornamentation during performance which was the height of fashion in this period. This world première recording reveals Benda’s authentic and often spectacular written-out ‘improvisations’ in new editions of his sonatas, re-uniting them with a violin preserved unaltered since its creation in 1735. ]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT ZNC_76_8.572307 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572523 ]]>Busoni’s monumental Piano Concerto was completed in 1904 and remains the longest piano concerto to have been heard in public. He thought of the work as his ‘Italian Symphony’ but this Concerto for piano, orchestra and male chorus is an unclassifiable product, and an extraordinary synthesis of Austro-German and Italian impulses. In its virtuosity and lyricism it is one of the most remarkable works in the repertoire, making use in its final movement of the ‘Hymn to Allah’, from Adam Oehlenschläger’s play Aladdin. Roberto Cappello triumphed at the Premio Busoni competition in 1976 and is a leading international soloist. ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_85_8.572523 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572433 ]]>The fantasia was in the process of being adapted for keyboard from lute and consort music during William Byrd’s youth, and his formidable mastery of counterpoint brought the form to a pinnacle equivalent to his matchless vocal works. These splendours combine with lively dances and virtuoso display and quotations from songs of love and death. They also may hold fascinating symbols which mark secret Catholic allegiances, a gift for Elizabeth I, and a memorial to the tragic Mary, Queen of Scots. Our cover image shows the only possible contemporary impression of Byrd, as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal at the funeral of Elizabeth I. ]]> Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT NEC_58_8.572433 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110614-15 ]]>La virtù de’ strali d’Amore was the first of ten operas Cavalli wrote with librettist Giovanni Faustini. Set in Cyprus, the plot involves enchanted and pastoral elements, love and its thwarting, the counterpointing of Man and God, sorcery, revelation and ultimate resolution, all accomplished in a brilliant series of scenes. A follower of Monteverdi, Cavalli reveals the influence of the older man but also his own pronounced independence. Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante have become one of the most admired partnerships in the history of baroque music performance. ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_73_2.110614-15 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572631 ]]>Guided by Tchaikovsky’s influence, Anton Arensky’s neglected Violin Concerto is notable for its rich vein of melody and delicacy of orchestration. Julius Conus was a notable student of Arensky, and his virtuoso Violin Concerto, romantic in its variety of moods and expression, was once equal in popularity with that of Tchaikovsky. Mieczysław Weinberg, whose powerful Violin Concerto is available on Naxos 8.557194, was highly regarded by Shostakovich. The recently revived Violin Concertino, which predates the Violin Concerto by over a decade, is an arrestingly scored and often bittersweet work which here receives its world première recording. Multi-award-winning violinist Sergey Ostrovsky has been praised for his ‘marvellous tone’. (The Strad) ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_147_8.572631 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572334 ]]>One of the most accomplished and influential Portuguese composers of the twentieth century, Luís de Freitas Branco brought the influence of César Franck to his native Lisbon with his Sonata No. 1, scandalizing his conservative elders with the work’s harmonic language and evolving tonality. The high romance and dreamy flow of this first sonata and that of the gorgeous Prelude both contrast with the neo-classical clarity of the Sonata No. 2, which dates from the composer’s second creative period. Freitas Branco’s Four Symphonies and several other orchestral works have been released on Naxos to great critical acclaim. ]]> Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT NAC_77_8.572334 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572490 ]]>Venetian composer Baldassare Galuppi’s reputation rests principally on his pioneering series of comic operas. But, trained by Antonio Lotti, Galuppi was also a keyboard player of distinction who served at the court of Catherine the Great in St Petersburg. Twelve keyboard sonatas were published during his lifetime, but Hedda Illy’s catalogue lists over 100 and reveals that Galuppi not only inherited the brilliance and panache of Domenico Scarlatti but anticipated the expressive writing of Mozart. The first volume in Matteo Napoli’s series (8.572263) was commended as “a good choice for connoisseurs of 18th century keyboard music.” (MusicWeb International) ]]> Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT NAC_46_8.572490 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572403 ]]>Grieg’s beautiful works for string orchestra often owe their origin to poetic inspiration or to mountain vistas. Some were based on piano originals, including the Holberg Suite, a masterpiece of invention. All of these pieces show Grieg’s assimilation of Norwegian folk culture and his lyrical mastery, through which he sought to ‘give expression to the hidden harmonies in our folk melodies’. Volume 4 in this series (8.570236) was described as containing ‘performances as fine as any in the catalogue. These are gorgeous, perfectly paced and thrillingly recorded’. (ClassicsToday.com) ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_108_8.572403 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572772 ]]>Sofia Gubaidulina’s distinguished career and her 80th anniversary are celebrated with this world première recording of Fachwerk. Recorded here by its acclaimed dedicatee Geir Draugsvoll and in the presence of the composer, this dramatic but also magical work is inspired by a fascination with architectural styles of timber framing. The bayan is a distinctively Russian variant of the accordion and is an essential feature of this piece, also giving a special character to the subtle poetry and textures of Silenzio. ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NMC_94_8.572772 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572245 ]]>Handel’s violin sonatas have been staples of the repertoire for generations, but there has been considerable confusion about their authenticity. Early editorial practice saw to it that several authentic works were published for instruments such as flute and oboe, but more recent scholarship has established that originally they were written for the violin. All the sonatas are full of Handel’s dashing bravura and his gift for expressive slow movements, providing a series of beautifully proportioned masterpieces. Ariadne Daskalakis’s recording of the Tartini Violin Concertos (8.570222) was welcomed with acclaim for its ‘grace and lyrical poetry’. (MusicWeb International) ]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT NAC_63_8.572245 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559701 ]]>Hanson’s intent in 1930 to write music that was “young in spirit, lyrical and romantic in temperament”, was fully realised in his ardent Second Symphony. This, his best known symphonic statement, acknowledges a Sibelian inheritance through horn fanfares, powerfully lyric string writing, and a sense of unity both all-embracing and memorable. Lux Aeterna is a rhapsodic, strongly modal work for viola and orchestra, richly repaying Hanson’s interest in Palestrina. Mosaics is a much later set of variations revealing his organisational control and expressive power. “Richly drawn is the Second Symphony—the Romantic, its second movement anthem beloved of millions of Americans. [Schwarz’s] feeling for long-term growth is possibly the surest of all, leading us from one resolution to the next with an increasing sense of expectation.” (Gramophone on the original Delos release) ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_110_8.559701 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572598 ]]>John Ireland’s radiant Piano Concerto was written for his protégée Helen Perkin, and is infused with her sense of vitality. The result is a brilliant work of high spirits and expressive longing. Perkin also premièred Legend, a dark, brooding evocation of the ancient landscape of Harrow Hill on the Sussex Downs. Of the solo piano works, the First Rhapsody is earlier, virtuosic, and in the Lisztian tradition, whereas Indian Summer is a rural postcard of beguiling simplicity. John Lenehan has recorded three volumes of Ireland’s solo piano music (8.553700, 8.553889 and 8.570461) to universal admiration: ‘Lenehan offers a uniquely vital and dramatic reading of the sonata.’ (MusicWeb International on Vol. 3) ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_109_8.572598 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.503241 ]]>“This proves as well as any disc that Naxos offers more than duplication of the standard repertoire.” — Fanfare “…the sheer joy of hearing Italian singers in this repertoire where so much rests on the text, especially since these are singers whose accuracy of pitch and sureness of focus means that they can sing together with instrumental clarity.” — Early Music Review ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NXC_31_8.503241 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660306-07 ]]>George Macfarren was considered by many of his contemporaries as the greatest British dramatic opera composer since Purcell. Described by Edward J Dent as ‘very full of good fun and on the way to Sullivan’, Robin Hood is Macfarren’s masterpiece, one of an impressive roster of now neglected mid-nineteenth-century British operas, notable for its fine ensemble scenes, witty motifs, and deft, imaginative orchestration. Victorian Opera’s recording of Wallace’s Lurline (8.660293-94) was widely admired: ‘the opera and the performance are both a delight.’ (American Record Guide) ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NOC_119_8.660306-07 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110544 ]]> ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_63_2.110544 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110543 ]]> ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_61_2.110543 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110541 ]]> ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAD_74_2.110541 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660274 ]]>International chess virtuoso François-André Danican Philidor’s fortunes as a musician at the court of Versailles were transformed when he turned his attention to the new genre of opéra-comique. Sancho Pança, gouverneur dans l’isle de Barataria derives from Cervantes’s famous novel Don Quijote, covering Sancho Panza’s adventures as governor of a fictitious island on which a succession of characters plot to cure him of his delusions of grandeur. Opera Lafayette’s production of this comedy revue is a ‘sparkle of shining surfaces’. (Washington Post) ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NOC_120_8.660274 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=NBD0019 ]]>Schubert wrote his first theatrical work when he was fourteen and his hopes of success in the genre, never truly realised, were long lasting. He wrote concert overtures and music for Singspiele (Song-plays), in some of which he was guided by his teacher, Salieri. The music for the melodrama Die Zauberharfe (The Magic Harp) is better known as the Overture to Rosamunde, but evidence of his captivating vitality, tunefulness and theatricality is everywhere to be heard. Of volume 1 of the CD release (8.570328) the American Record Guide wrote: ‘The Prague players relish these sun-lit and tuneful pieces and respond with great enthusiasm and affection.’ Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Note: This Blu-ray Audio Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard CD or DVD players. ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NDS_78_NBD0019 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572658 ]]>Shostakovich’s Sixth and Twelfth Symphonies both had their origins in large-scale projects about Lenin, though the Sixth was eventually to emerge as one of the composer’s most abstract and idiosyncratic symphonies. The long, intensely lyrical and meditative slow movement that opens the work is one of the composer’s most striking. The Twelfth, one of the least played of Shostakovich’s symphonies in the West, became less a celebration of Lenin’s legacy than a chronological depiction of events during the Bolshevik Revolution. ‘The playing is fabulously crisp and committed, while the interpretations combine atmosphere and a sense of proportion—to the benefit of the youthful First, which receives an eerily effective performance, free of exaggeration.’ (Financial Times on Naxos 8.572396 / Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3) ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_104_8.572658 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572506 ]]>Craig Morris has transcribed four major works for trumpet and piano in this voyage of sonic discovery, reclothing them in new textures and colours. An original arrangement of Debussy’s beautiful Suite Bergamasque is followed by transcriptions of Schumann’s Fantasiestücke and Brahms’s Sonata for Clarinet (or Viola) and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2. The Schumann and Brahms were originally conceived for multiple instruments, and Morris has created these versions from the same mould. The recording closes with the richly romantic Four Songs by Samuel Barber. Ex-principal of the Chicago Symphony, international soloist and chamber musician, Craig Morris can also be heard on the première recording of Thom Sleeper’s Concerto on Naxos 8.570465. ]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_111_8.572506 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572640 ]]>Sir Malcolm Arnold’s preference for classical forms is fully explored in this representative but uniquely distinctive programme. Orchestrations of earlier works form the lyrical Concertino for Flute and Strings and a Saxophone Concerto whose bold statements foreshadow the gritty and powerful Symphony for Strings. Arnold’s virtuoso Fantasy for Recorder and String Quartet is a late work, and the Cello Concerto was the composer’s last in this form; a piece which speaks directly from the soul, appearing here in its première recording. ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_143_8.572640 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572468 ]]>The première of Chausson’s Concert in D major was a major triumph for the composer. Not only had the great Eugène Ysaÿe performed on violin, but audiences and critics had recognised a work of exceptional intensity, passion and haunting beauty. Its actual genre may have proved elusive, as it is hardly a conventionally laid-out chamber work, but it remains one of the most important works in the French repertoire. The Piano Trio was written when Chausson was 26. Though somewhat indebted to Franck, it immediately evokes its own charged sense of atmosphere. The Wihan is one of the world’s leading quartets, and the Meadowmount Trio has been admired for its “exquisite beauty of tone and sparkling rhythmic energy.” (ClassicsToday.com) ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT NAC_112_8.572468 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572660 ]]>One of Lithuania’s leading artistic figures, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis pursued a career as a painter as well as a musician, seeing all art as springing from the same source. His earlier works inhabit a romantic idiom, with the colorful influences of folk-music and the beauty of the countryside intermingled with pieces showing his development while at the Conservatoires of Warsaw and Leipzig. Mūza Rubackytė’s recordings of Čiurlionis have been described as ‘flawless’ (American Record Guide) and she herself as ‘one of today’s most important pianists’. (Chicago Tribune) ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_49_8.572660 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.660303-04 ]]>Donizetti’s fiftieth opera, Marino Faliero, was first performed in Paris on 12 March 1835 with a cast comprising four of the finest singers of the period before premièring in London a few weeks later. Although these premières were both overshadowed by Bellini’s I Puritani, Marino Faliero subsequently enjoyed a long and successful run of international performances throughout the 19th century before disappearing from the stage until its modern revival in 1966. Set in Venice in 1355, it remains a major work of Italian Romanticism, sentimental, martial, full of conspiratorial adventure and culminating with the execution of the leading rôle. This recording is also available on Naxos DVD 2.110616-17. ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NOC_130_8.660303-04 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572843 ]]>Multi-award winner Anabel Montesinos returns to the Naxos label with the ‘graceful flexibility’ and ‘flawless technique’ (MusicWeb International) of her earlier acclaimed recital (8.557294). She has since become 1st Prize Winner at the prestigious 2010 Michele Pittaluga Guitar Competition in Alessandria. This programme is emblematic of the ‘Spanish guitar’, ranging from Pujol’s and Rodrigo’s respective Tres piezas españolas which descend from traditional folk styles, to Fernando Sor’s Variations on a Theme of Mozart, a showpiece which turns the guitar into a ‘miniature orchestra’. ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NZC_132_8.572843 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559700 ]]>Howard Hanson, a composer of imagination and sweep and a colorist of huge eloquence, is one of the most approachable of all twentieth century symphonists. His guiding spirit was always Sibelius, and in the Symphony No. 1 ‘Nordic’ he used the same key as in the Finnish composer’s own First Symphony. The work is haunting, rapturous and serene, beautifully orchestrated and wholly commanding. The Lament for Beowulf, written for chorus and orchestra, dates from 1925. Its dark, brooding tension reflects its poetic inspiration with indelible force. “This is confident, generous, beautifully made music, richly (and sensitively) scored. Schwarz, and his splendid Seattle orchestra do not short-change us on any of this and they are beautifully, ripely, recorded here.” (Gramophone on the original Delos release) ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_123_8.559700 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.503242 ]]> ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NXC_69_8.503242 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559696-97 ]]>This recording is an exploration of Robert Helps’s ‘subtle sound world’ (ClassicsToday.com on Naxos 8.559199), and his shared history with Spectrum Concerts Berlin. Highly regarded as a ‘musician’s musician’, Helps is featured as both composer and pianist. Postlude is suffused with an atmosphere of reminiscence, and the flow of ‘endless melody’ in the Piano Quartet is comparable to Scriabin. Associations with the Second Viennese School are heard in the poetic Quintet and the virtuoso Fantasy, while the two Piano Trios mark the stylistic boundaries of his career. Helps’s Shall We Dance for piano (CD 2, Track 12) was among his last recordings. ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NUC_144_8.559696-97 http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572312 ]]>The two main works on this recording are among the peaks of twentieth-century Norwegian orchestral music. Irgens-Jensen’s Passacaglia won second prize in the Nordic section of the 1928 Schubert centenary composing competition, behind only the eventual winner, and its admirers included Stravinsky and Toscanini. His only purely orchestral Symphony, recorded here for the first time in the three-movement form that Irgens-Jensen originally conceived, expresses the depth of his feelings about the human and natural world during the dark days of World War Two. The disc is completed by his brief, touching orchestral Air. ]]> Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT NAC_90_8.572312