This month brings you another bumper crop of great reviews from the leading music magazines, quality dailies and online review sites. There’s no doubt about it: Naxos releases and distributes some of the best CDs and DVDs available!

Naxos CDs

SHOSTAKOVICH New Babylon
basel sinfonietta • Fitz-Gerald
Naxos 8.572824–25 [CD]

‘Superb music making allied to a seriously impressive scholarly reconstruction of a very important score.’
– MusicWeb International

‘Basel Sinfonietta plays it all under Fitz-Gerald’s sure direction with unflagging dedication and precision, with an ear to the crisp bite and unpredictable moodiness that the composer obviously wants’
– San Francisco Classical Voice

KARCHIN Romulus [Opera]
Thurman • Ebel • Meglioranza • Washington Square Ensemble • Karchin
Naxos 8.669030 [CD]

‘Romulus…announces its originality right out of the gate…and sustains it through to the very end…The music is unfailingly fresh and chromatically adventurous…’
– Opera News

RODE Violin Concertos Nos 3, 4 & 6
Eichhorn • Jena Philharmonic • Pasquet
Naxos 8.570767 [CD]

‘dancing rhythms, joie-de-vivre and endlessly lyrical’
– MusicWeb International

‘scintillating Polonaise that fairly dances with joy as it bounces off Eichhorn’s nimble bow’
– American Record Guide

MAHLER Das Lied von der Erde
Henschel • Kunde • Houston Symphony • Graf
Naxos 8.572498 [CD]

‘The talents of this newcomer are so prodigious and its faults so minor…this comes pretty close to ideal.’
– MusicWeb International

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphonies Nos 6 & 12
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic • Petrenko
Naxos 8.572658 [CD]

‘Petrenko’s accounts must now take pride of place…this disc is unmissable.’
– MusicWeb International

‘Petrenko and the Liverpudlians reach new heights of sonic beauty’
– BBC Music Magazine

‘This Shostakovich series is shaping up as one of the best, make no mistake.’
– ClassicsToday.com

Evening Songs (arr. for cello & piano) – DELIUS, IRELAND
Webber • Jiaxin Cheng • Lenehan
Naxos 8.572902 [CD]

ROUSSEL Le Festin de l’araignée, Padmâvatî Suites Nos 1 & 2
Royal Scottish National Orchestra • Denève
Naxos 8.572243 [CD]

‘This final installment provides a worthy and memorable conclusion to the series.’
– ClassicsToday.com

‘laced with exotic inflections…Both are given vibrant life by the RSNO and Denève, with plenty of graphic detail deriving from Roussel’s skilful musical depiction’
– The Telegraph

‘Stéphane Denève’s sprightly RSNO matches Roussel’s sophisticated inventiveness.’
– The Observer (London)

‘The Spider’s Banquet is a sparkling cocktail of entomological sketches…Padmâvatî suites are every bit as flamboyant, but with a defining whiff of exoticism.’
– The Scotsman

JANÁČEK Glagolitic Mass, Sinfonietta
Libor • Marciniec • Bentch • Gierlach • Malanowicz • Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir • Wit
Naxos 8.572639 [CD]; NBD0026 [Blu-Ray Audio]

‘this is a performance which is gripping from start to finish’
– Gramophone

HANSON Symphony No 1 ‘Nordic’, Lament for Beowulf
Seattle Symphony & Chorale • Schwarz
Naxos 8.559700 [CD]

‘Wow! This is a welcome release.’
– American Record Guide

PENDERECKI Viola Concerto, Cello Concerto No 2
Zhislin • Vassiljeva • Warsaw Philharmonic • Wit
Naxos 8.572211 [CD]

‘this disc is an ideal place to begin what should be a thrilling exploration’
– MusicWeb International

P PHILIPS Cantiones Sacrae Quinis & Octonibus Vocibus (Antwerp 1612 &1613)
Sarum Consort • Mackay
Naxos 8.572832 [CD]

‘Another advance in our understanding of the rich British choral repertory.’
– The Observer (London)

J RYAN Fugitive Colours, Linearity of Light, Equilateral
Gryphon Trio • Vancouver Symphony • Tovey
Naxos 8.572765 [CD]

‘This is some of the best new music I have reviewed in more than two decades.’
– American Record Guide

See all Naxos recordings

Accentus Music

MAHLER Symphony No 8
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra • Chailly
Accentus Music ACC-20222 [DVD]; ACC-10222 [Blu-Ray Video]

‘these renditions must go right to the top of the list on technical grounds, irrespective of sound carrier’
– Gramophone

See all Accentus Music recordings

Ars Nova

A Bridge of Dreams
Ars Nova Copenhagen • Hillier
Ars Nova 6.220597 [CD]

‘Anne Boyd’s As I crossed a bridge of dreams…with its rapt sostenuto, steals the show. ...like everything else here—admirably performed. ’
– Gramophone

Arthaus Musik

R STRAUSS Elektra
Theorin • Meier • Westbroek • Gambill • Pape • Vienna State Opera Chorus • Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra • Gatti
Arthaus Musik 101559 [DVD]

See all Arthaus Musik recordings

C Major

Kinshasa Symphony
– A film by Claus Wischmann & Martin Baer
C Major 709004 [Blu-Ray Video]

‘Truly inspiring!’
– Audiophile Audition

See all C Major recordings

Capriccio

DUKAS Ariane & Barbe-bleue
Schmiege • Taillon • Kennedy • Shirai • Cologne Radio Symphony • Bertini
Capriccio C7112 [CD]

‘a recording with modern sound that brings out the full glory of Dukas’s luminous score’
– Gramophone

‘If you have a spirit of adventure, do investigate this set.’
– American Record Guide

See all Capriccio recordings

Cedille

The Soviet Experience Vol 1
Pacifica Quartet
Cedille CDR90000-127 [CD]

‘The Pacifica’s sense of musical argument is always impressive’
– BBC Music Magazine

‘performances of both power and perception, finding the grace and fire in Shostakovich’s enigmatic Fifth and Sixth Quartets and delivering the celebrated Seventh and Eighth Quartets with overwhelming force’
– The New Yorker 11 Recordings for 2011

See all Cedille recordings

ICA Classics

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No 4
PROKOFIEV Love for 3 Oranges Suite
Wilson-Johnson • BBC Singers • BBC Symphony Chorus & Orchestra • Rozhdestvensky
ICA Classics ICAC5035 [CD]

‘unique blend of eloquence and excitement’
– MusicWeb International

See all ICA Classics recordings

Idéale Audience

BEETHOVEN Missa Solemnis
Wilson • DeShong • Schukoff • Sherratt • Chamber Orchestra of Europe • Nelson
Idéale Audience 3079358 [DVD]

‘the performance has done its job, and I am duly uplifted’
– Gramophone

See all Idéale Audience recordings

Newton Classics

CANTELOUBE Songs of the Auvergne
VILLA-LOBOS Bachianas brasileiras No 5
Moffo • American Symphony • Stokowski
Newton Classics NC8802085 [CD]

‘none of this music has ever been performed or recorded better than right here’
– American Record Guide

See all Newton Classics recordings

Oehms Classics

MAHLER Symphony No 2
Kaune • Pecková • Hamburg Philharmonic • Young
Oehms Classics OC412 [CD]

‘Hugely impressive, a must for all Mahlerians.’
– MusicWeb International

See all Oehms Classics recordings

Ondine

TÜÜR Ärkamine (Awakening)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir • Sinfonietta Riga • Reuss
Ondine ODE1183-2 [CD]

‘Tüür’s shimmering, twinkling, yet at the same time edgy textures may be an acquired taste but I feel greatly enriched for having acquired it.’
– Gramophone

‘Beautifully delivered by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Daniel Reuss’
– The Guardian

‘Highly recommended for fans of new orchestral and choral music.’
– Allmusic.com

‘The performances are all splendid, and so is the sound. …Tüür [is] a composer of real quality…’
– ClassicsToday.com

See all Ondine recordings

Opus Arte

PERGOLESI Adriano in Siria
Comparato • Cirillo • Dell’Oste • Heaston • Accademia Bizantina • Dantone
Opus Arte OA1065D [DVD]; OABD7098D [Blu-Ray Video]

‘Nicole Heaston’s performance as Sabina is simply sensational, from her immaculate long-held high notes…to flawless wide leaps of an octave and a half and wonderful embellishments’
– Gramophone

‘Realised with vibrant, breathtaking musicianship’
– BBC Music Magazine

See all Opus Arte recordings

Visit selected websites that review our recordings

See all the CD and DVD labels that Naxos distributes

Naxos recordings and those from the labels we distribute globally consistently receive critical acclaim for their fascinating repertoire, outstanding performances and audio quality.

See previous months’ Critics Choices: