News from the Naxos Music Group
Marco Polo – The Label of Discovery
The Marco Polo label is your gateway to a feast of new listening experiences, with recordings of works by classical composers both familiar and little-known, light music, film music and national music.
With many rarities drawn from the period 1850–1940 as its hallmark, this catalogue boasts a discovery on every page – from Aaron Avshalomov to Carl Michael Ziehrer, plus all stops in between. Whether you’re in the mood for rarely performed works of well-known composers, or fancy dipping into the complete works of little-known composers, there’s an endless supply to tempt you into an exploration of a whole new world of music, every bit as enlightening as Marco Polo’s own historic excursions.
One of the many distinctions of the label is the significant inclusion of the complete works of members of the Strauss family – Johann I, Johann II and Josef – in multi-volume editions, plus works by other light classical composers such as Waldteufel and Suppé, and numerous British light-music composers. And if you’re in the mood for Wagner with a difference, you can try out one of the operas by his son, Siegfried, that probe the mysteries of the mediaeval world. Anyone looking for an extended project might like to get to know the string quartets, string quintets and symphonies of Louis Spohr, spread over 25 volumes.
There’s a generous choice of album compilations, representing a rich tapestry of music in different styles and from a variety of countries. Chinese classics occupy a large portion of the catalogue, featuring traditional fare alongside classical works by both the older and contemporary generations of composers, with new releases added regularly.
RECENT AND UPCOMING RELEASES
A Centenary Celebration
Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice • John Georgiadis
Pieces for the Left Hand • Transcriptions and Arrangements
Konstantin Scherbakov, Piano
Loo Kah Chi, Erhu • Lam Fung, Pipa • So Chun Bo, Zheng • Wong Kuen, Xiao
Takako Nishizaki, Violin • Gerald Garcia, Guitar
Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 25b
Joseph Banowetz, Piano • China National Opera House Symphony Orchestra • Zheng Xiaoying
Thoughts Observed CD Launch in Israel
On June 24, 2017, countertenor Yaniv d’Or was joined by pianist Dan Deutsch at the Elma Arts Complex Luxury Hotel, Israel, as they launched their new recording on Naxos – Thoughts Observed (8.573780). In this recording Yaniv brings a refreshing perspective to the popular song cycle Dichterliebe from Schumann’s proverbial ‘year of song’. French songs of the 19th and 20th centuries offer d’Or’s exotic voice further dimensions, from the floating harmonies of the young Duparc and Debussy, to Reynaldo Hahn’s beautiful Bach pastiche, and the classical simplicity of Poulenc’s first songs.
“What makes this recording of these ancient reflections on beauty, love, joy and sorrow so profoundly expressive of basic human feelings and needs is the haunting voice and vulnerable phrasing of Yaniv d’Or’s haunting countertenor, backed by a folkish Baroque instrumental backdrop that suggests a Fellini fantasy.” – Audiophile Audition ★★★★★
Yaniv d’Or’s previous recording, Latino Ladino (8.573566), gained praise from several critics and publications:
“The brainchild of Yaniv d’Or, this programme of mostly traditional and Baroque music that flourished in exiled communities is performed with panache by the countertenor and the period group he founded, Ensemble NAYA.” – BBC Music Magazine ★★★★
“The main attraction is the limpid voice of d’Or, who has performed this program live and entranced audiences with darkly beautiful readings of traditional Ladino songs from across the Jewish diaspora.”
– Allmusic.com ★★★★
Upcoming performances by Yaniv d’Or are available here.
Featured Playlists – Classical Music Playlists for Summer
Finally, the season we've all been waiting for is officially here! Summer is upon us, and as you transition from spending time indoors to enjoying a bit more sunshine and fresh air outdoors, you can take your music with you. This month we're focusing on music to enhance the summer solstice, celebrating a new season, and preparing for the beach! Don't forget to save these great playlists to your library and enjoy listening to them at your leisure throughout the summer.
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Lars Vogt nominated as Gramophone Artist of the Year 2017
Lars Vogt, who first came to public attention when he won second prize at the 1990 Leeds International Piano Competition, is among the ten artists nominated for the Gramophone Artist of the Year award, and the publication is inviting readers to vote. The voting period closes at the end of this month, so be sure to head over to Gramophone’s website before it’s too late! The winner will be announced at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards gala on September 13, 2017. Previous winners include Naxos artist, conductor Marin Alsop, who won the award in 2003.
Vogt’s recordings on Ondine have been consistently praised by Gramophone, including the first release of his Beethoven Piano Concertos series with the Royal Northern Sinfonia (ODE 1292-2):
“When Lars Vogt’s recordings of Beethoven’s First and Second Piano Concertos with Simon Rattle and the CBSO were released in 1997, I thought them among the finest accounts of the works I had encountered. Happily, the newer performance, which Vogt directs from the keyboard, is every bit as good.”
– Richard Osborne (June 2017 Issue)
OTHER HIGHLY ACCLAIMED RECORDINGS FEATURING LARS VOGT
– Gramophone
– Gramophone
– Gramophone
– Gramophone
Happy 90th Birthday, Michael Gielen!
Born in Dresden on July 29, 1927, conductor Michael Gielen has dedicated his life to music. Some of his notable engagements include his positions as principal conductor at the Royal Opera in Stockholm (1960-64), the Belgian National Orchestra (1968-73) and Dutch Opera in Amsterdam (1973-76); as head of opera and general music director at the Frankfurt Opera (1977-87); music director of the Cincinnati Symphony (1980-86); and principal conductor of the SWR Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden and Freiburg (1989-99). He also conducted the world première performances of Bern Alois Zimmermann’s opera Die Soldaten and Gyorgy Ligeti’s Requiem.
Throughout his career he has received many awards, including the Hessian Culture Prize, the Theodor W. Adorno Prize of the City of Frankfurt and the Music Prize of the City of Vienna. In 1997 he was conferred with the Grand Silver Order of Merit for services rendered to the Republic of Austria; in 2007 he was awarded the ‘Der Faust’ theatre prize for lifetime achievement; and in 2010 he received the Music Prize of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, the Knight Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and a Culture Medal of Upper Austria.
In 2014, Gielen issued a press release announcing that he had been forced to end his conducting activities for health reasons. His last concert appearance was in February 2014 with the NDR Symphony Orchestra.
To celebrate his highly successful career, and with his 90th birthday imminent, SWR Classic is releasing the Michael Gielen Edition – 50 years of recordings in 10 volumes from the SWR Archives. In September Volume 6 will be released with the most comprehensive Mahler collection with Michael Gielen to date, on 17 CDs, with a bonus DVD of a performance of Symphony No. 9, and the first release of Gielen conducting Rückert-Lieder and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (SWR19042CD). Succeeding volumes will include music by Beethoven, Janáček, the Second Viennese School, and works written after the Second World War.
PREVIOUS VOLUMES OF THE MICHAEL GIELEN EDITION
– The Art Music Lounge
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
– The WholeNote
– Gramophone
– Pizzicato ★★★★
Pennywise and Penderecki scare in the new ‘It’ trailer
Coulrophobia – or the fear of clowns – is something very real to many people, and Stephen King has used this theme to frightening effect since the novel was first published in 1986, followed by the original TV mini-series in 1990. Now, a new generation of thrill-seekers can catch ‘IT’ on the big screen, as the movie comes to theatres in a few months. Since music enhances the mood of any project, movie-goers are promised a terrifying experience! Here’s a sneak peak at the video trailer, set to Penderecki’s De Natura Sonoris No. 1 (8.572482). Sleep well!
For more information about the latest projects from Naxos Licensing, visit www.naxoslicensing.com.
Baltimore Symphony’s New Music Festival
After 25 years as music director of the renowned Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, leading conductor Marin Alsop, together with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, inaugurated the New Music Festival. Première performances of works by renowned contemporary composers graced the three-day festival, including Agata Zubel’s Labyrinth, Malek Jandali’s The Silent Ocean, and BSO co-commissioned work The City by Kevin Puts.
In a press statement the BSO music director said, “A new music festival in Baltimore in July – why not? We have a pretty vibrant arts scene here in terms of cutting-edge and alternative. I tried to put really intriguing music together.”
Marin Alsop is an ardent champion of new music. Her recording of Kevin Puts’ Symphony No. 2 and Flute Concerto, with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra and flautist Adam Walker was Editors’ Choice in Allmusic.com and Recording of the Month by MusicWeb International (8.559794):
“Marin Alsop elicits an impressively polished performance from Peabody’s student orchestra” – Gramophone
“This is music to bring you to life, played marvelously by Alsop and Peabody.”
– Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review
“Symphony No. 2—a musical illustration of the events of 9/11—is movingly performed under the direction of Marin Alsop” – BBC Music Magazine ★★★★
OTHER CONTEMPORARY MUSIC RECORDINGS BY MARIN ALSOP
You can check out the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 Season here.
An innovative dance extravaganza – Mourad Merzouki’s PIXEL
Pixel is a stunning contemporary dance performance for 11 dancers, choreographed by Mourad Merzouki and performed by Compagnie Käfig within a virtual and living visual environment. It's a work based on illusion, combining energy and poetry, fiction and technical achievement, minimal music and hip-hop. It opens a dialogue between the synthetic world of digital projection and the real bodies of dancers. Cutting-edge designers Adrien Mondot and Claire Bardainne – simply known as Adrien M & Claire B – are on board for the performance.
Available on both DVD (2.110386) and Blu-ray (NBD0060).
and Adrien Mondot
“Pixel ties in with the current climate, with what we’re living through today. The circle could be seen as representing territory and borders. The group inside the circle shun those who are outside. Then there’s the idea of helping others, the ‘umbrella’ moment, not knowing whether to shelter someone or push him away. There’s something of that here. Perhaps it’s the things I see and experience in everyday life that I bring to a show.
We’ve tried to create something that will entertain people on the night, but will send them away with a sense of something new and distinctive, to do with a dialogue between future and present, man and machine, the real and the virtual.”
– Mourad Merzouki
In Balakirev’s footsteps. Nicholas Walker in concert.
Nicholas Walker is recognised as one of the greatest champions of Mili Balakirev's music. His ongoing survey of Balakirev's complete piano works on the Grand Piano label has been critically praised by leading publications, with many predicting that Walker's interpretation will become the reference set for Balakirev. The following videos feature one of Nicholas Walker's recitals, playing pieces from his Balakirev series.
For more videos, please visit Grand Piano's YouTube page.
– MusicWeb International
– American Record Guide
– Fanfare
For more information about Nicholas Walker and his Balakirev recordings, please visit www.grandpianorecords.com.
Featured Digital Platform – Naxos Works Database
“Naxos Works Database is a valuable reference tool for librarians, performers, conductors, and musicologists and I look forward to watching its continued growth.” – Music Library Association
Researching a composer for college? Preparing a concert? Looking for new music to perform? The Naxos Works Database is your reliable source for classical music information.
This new Naxos service meets the needs of artists and performing arts organisations, a place where you can find all the most important information about classical musical works: instrumentation, duration, year of composition, composer biographies, music notes and much more.
The entries in the Naxos Works Database are largely derived from the vast amount of information included in the Naxos Music Library, augmented by information from many other sources and through our close cooperation with music publishers.
The new service offers sophisticated search capabilities: by playing time, year of composition, country of birth of the composer, category, featured instrument and many other criteria, either on their own or combined.
We’re adding new works all the time, and working closely with classical music publishers to make sure we have up-to-date records.
Sign up for a free trial now and enjoy the benefits of one of the most trusted names in classical music.
Artist of the Month – Takako Nishizaki, Violin
“Before recording practically all standard concertos and sonatas for Naxos, I recorded rarely if ever performed violin concertos. At the time, they were all world première recordings. This meant that there were no other recordings I could listen to and in many respects my recordings were the first performances of these works in the second half of the 20th century. Several of my recordings are still the only recorded versions of these works – the Rubinstein Concerto, the Joachim Concerto No. 3 and the Cui Suite Concertante. It was hard work at the time but I am still proud of these pioneering recordings.”
– Takako Nishizaki
Takako Nishizaki is one of the most frequently recorded and among the bestselling violinists of all time. Her recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (8.550056) was named the 8th best-selling classical CD of all time with sales exceeding 1,000,000 copies to-date. Her recordings of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto by Zhanhao He and Gang Chen sold more than three million copies in the People’s Republic of China and throughout Southeast Asia.
Including her recordings of Chinese music, Takako Nishizaki has recorded more than 100 CDs to date. For Marco Polo, she recorded a large number of rare violin concertos, by Anton Rubinstein, Louis Spohr, César Cui, Charles de Bériot, Respighi and Joseph Joachim.
For Naxos, she has recorded Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the complete works for violin and orchestra by Mozart (including the Haffner Serenade), Beethoven, Bach and Tchaikovsky as well as the concertos of Brahms, Bruch and Mendelssohn. The Vivaldi, Bach, Brahms/Bruch and Tchaikovsky/Mendelssohn recordings were awarded platinum discs (for sales in excess of 100,000 copies each worldwide). She has also recorded the complete sonatas for violin and piano of Mozart (on six CDs) and Beethoven (on four CDs) as well as the sonatas of Grieg and Franck.
In 2005 she founded the Takako Nishizaki Violin Studio with the aim of raising the standards of violin playing in Hong Kong. Since 2005, almost 800 students have studied at the Studio, with many of its students regularly winning top prizes at the annual Hong Kong Music Festival events and performing at seasonal and fundraising events around Hong Kong.
OTHER NOTABLE RECORDINGS BY TAKAKO NISHIZAKI
– ClassicsToday.com
– American Record Guide
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