News from the Naxos Music Group
June 2018
Label of the Month – belvedere edition
belvedere edition releases audio and audiovisual recordings in the fields of high-class drama and classical music performances on DVD, Blu-ray and CD.
Based in Berlin, belvedere was founded in 2006. The label began production as Theatre Edition, which was the first label in the German-speaking region to focus on award-winning, high quality theatre productions on DVD. As a result, belvedere also gained a significant position in the market for music programmes, such as Franz Welser-Möst's Brahms Cycle and recordings by Mariss Jansons, Yo-Yo Ma and others. In 2014 the label initiated an exclusive partnership with the Mozart Week Festival to release a series of milestone recordings from the beginning of the Festival in 1956 to the present day. Renowned artists such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pierre Boulez, Renaud Capuçon, Clara Haskil and Peter Schreier made their mark on this festival and created a distinct impact as regards interpretation, artistic analysis and musical performance, all of which is now available on CD and DVD at belvedere.
The following trailer showcases some of the acclaimed music recordings and award-winning music documentaries released by belvedere in the recent years.
RECENT AND UPCOMING RELEASES
![SALIERI, A.: Prima la musica e poi le parole / MOZART, W.A.: Der Schauspieldirektor [Operas]](https://www.naxos.com/SharedFiles/images/cds/others/BVE08035.gif "SALIERI, A.: Prima la musica e poi le parole / MOZART, W.A.: Der Schauspieldirektor [Operas]")
at the 2018 BBC Proms
Naxos Music Group’s Artists at the 2018 BBC Proms
The 2018 BBC Proms will run from July 13 to September 8. This year, Marin Alsop will be bringing the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to the festival as part of the orchestra’s first overseas tour in 13 years. It makes its Proms debut on August 27th. They will mark the centenary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, bringing Bernstein-inspired concerts to London over his birthday weekend. The concert will also feature pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who has previously recorded Bernstein’s Second Symphony for Naxos with Marin Alsop and the orchestra.
Müller-Schott
Several artists from Naxos’ affiliated labels will also be performing at the Proms. Orfeo’s star artists Francesco Piemontesi, Daniel Müller-Schott and Baiba Skride, all of whom have made acclaimed recordings with innovative programmes, will be performing on July 14, August 1 and September 3 respectively.
Orozco‐Estrada
Andrés Orozco‐Estrada, who has recorded for Oehms, will be conducting Verdi’s Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on August 30.
Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto will be performing in two exciting programmes: The Brandenburg Concertos Project (August 5) and the world premiere of a new violin concerto written especially for him by award-winning young British composer Philip Venables (August 17). Pekka Kuusisto has recorded extensively for Ondine.
The 2018 Proms will also pay tribute to the centenary anniversaries of several composers, with an exploration of the music of Debussy, Hubert Parry and Lili Boulanger, all of whom died in 1918.
on Musica magazine cover
Alessandro Marangoni appears on Musica magazine cover
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Marking the 150th anniversary of Rossini's death, Italian magazine Musica is this month featuring pianist Alessandro Marangoni, who has recorded a complete edition of Rossini’s Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age) for Naxos. It will be by far the most complete collection available, with its comprehensive approach and numerous premiere recordings.
The extensive series has been gathering momentum since its launch, and acclaim for Alessandro Marangoni’s playing has been universal: “This music, all surfaces reflecting gilded salons, requires a high level of artistry to pull off. Marangoni sparkles and seduces over and over again” (Toronto Star on Vol. 2, 8.570766); and of the double-disc first volume (8.570590-91) MusicWeb International predicted that “this is going to turn into another of Naxos’ eminently collectable sets, and on this showing will prove to be worth it at almost any price.”
The series features music for piano solo, chamber and vocal music with piano accompaniment. There are many rarities in world premiere recordings.
Rossini Complete Péchés de vieillesse Piano Music series
A2IM 2018 Libera Award
Naxos receives A2IM 2018 Libera Award
This year's A2IM Libera Awards were announced on 21 June at the PlayStation Theater, New York City. Naxos was delighted to be among the winners and to receive the first ever Libera Award for Best Classical Album. The honour fell to Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for their recording of Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3 and Three Latin American Sketches (8.559844). Released as part of the Naxos American Classics Series, the recording received widespread critical acclaim, with Gramophone noting that " … Slatkin’s attention to colouristic detail, and the expressive intensity of the Detroit Symphony’s playing, are riveting." Naxos had received three of the five nominations for the award.
The annual Libera Awards were launched in 2012 by A2IM (The American Association of Independent Music). The body represents a diverse group of more than 550 independently owned American record labels, and offers support in the areas of business opportunity, advocacy, representation and networking.
International Guitar Competition
Tengyue Zhang among laureates of 2018 JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Competition
The Chinese guitarist Tengyue ‘TY’ Zhang has passed another milestone in his celebrated young career by winning second prize at the 2018 JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Competition. He also won the Audience Favourite Award for his brilliant playing of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez with Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
TY Zhang was the winner of the 2017 Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) International Concert Artist Competition, which is recognised as the most prestigious guitar contest in the world. He has also received several other First Prizes, including at the Forum Gitarre Wien International Youth Competition, the 2015 Changsha International Competition (which presented him on tour throughout China), the 2017 Schadt String Competition, and the 2017 Frauchi Competition in Moscow (which will present him in recital/concerto tours in Russia).
Watch TY perform D. Scarlatti’s Keyboard Sonata K. 53, in his own arrangement for guitar, included in his Laureate Recital album on Naxos (8.573905):
MORE GUITAR LAUREATE RECITAL RECORDINGS
– WFMT (Chicago)
– American Record Guide
– Soundboard
– American Record Guide
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Enjoy our Classical Guitar Music collection and follow the playlist on Apple Music and Spotify!
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Naxos Day 2018
On May 14-16, Naxos Music Group hosted its annual conference for its worldwide sales organisations, distributors and house labels in Rotterdam, held this year in conjunction with the Classical:NEXT music conference. Around a hundred people from the Naxos group companies, distributors, and labels participated in a range of meetings and events. At Naxos Day, the global distributors were treated to introduced a range of exciting new titles from Naxos and its affiliated labels, as well as to new digital services, audiobooks and presentations of best practices and creative new ideas from different markets.
At Classical:NEXT, representatives from selected Naxos’ regional offices, including Germany, Sweden, the UK, the US, Japan, China and Naxos Global Logistics, provided updates on activities and their regional markets to the many independent labels which they distribute. The Naxos booth at the Classical:NEXT event also proved a popular meeting place and saw a constant stream of visitors.
Naxos Music Group’s presence in Rotterdam reinforces the leading role that the group is taking to strengthen the position of the vibrant and diverse world of independent classical labels. Not only is Naxos a major industry player on its own with its vast catalogue, related products and services, and by managing a number of other independent labels; it has become the backbone of the independents, by offering a range of distribution, sales and marketing services.
for Naxos Music Library
New, improved mobile app for Naxos Music Library
Naxos Music Library (NML) has recently released an updated app for iOS* that makes access to its 100,000-plus discs a more seamless and enjoyable experience. The new app is free to NML subscribers, whether individual or institutional, and brings many of the capabilities of the website conveniently to mobile devices.
New features include:- more intuitive streaming speeds on 3G and 4G networks
- improved track continuity
- clean and simple interface
- compilations easier to create and share
- footer player accessible with a swipe of the finger
- newly established authentication codes facilitate log-in
See the new design and how it makes it easier to use! Download music for offline playback! Search for music in the new categorical browsing section. Search "Naxos Music Library" in the Apple App store to find the update or download the app today!
About Naxos Music Library
Naxos Music Library sets the industry standard in streaming classical music, featuring over 100,000 CDs from 700 prestigious record labels, including BIS, Chandos, Sony Classical, Nettwerk Music Group, Sun Records, Virgin Classics and Warner Classics (including the former EMI Classics catalogue).
With more than 1.5 million tracks of music, plus a raft of educational tools, Naxos Music Library is available through either individual or institutional and professional subscriptions.
It is currently enjoyed by more than 2,000 universities, performing arts organisations and public libraries throughout the world.
*The new app for Android devices will be available in November
Dance featuring Hansjörg Albrecht
Faust Symphony for Organ & Dance featuring Hansjörg Albrecht
The Faust Symphony, first performed in Weimar in 1857, is one of Franz Liszt’s most significant compositions. The work featured as one of the highlights of the 2018 Faust Festival held in Munich. Organist Hansjörg Albrecht gave a unique and impressive performance of his own transcription of the work for organ, together with choreographer Matteo Carvone, dancers of the Gärtnerplatz Theater and the Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance.
Hansjörg Albrecht also played the Faust Symphony on the celebrated Klais organ in the Gasteig's Philharmonic Hall (the same venue as for the festival performance) on his newest recording.
Hansjörg Albrecht, conductor, organist and harpsichordist, is the artistic director of the Munich Bach Choir and Bach Orchestra. His career as a conductor engages him in music from the Baroque period to the present age, from forgotten works to new creations, and he has established himself as a leading virtuoso of his instrument, not least with his organ transcriptions.
OTHER RECORDINGS FEATURING HANSJÖRG ALBRECHT
– American Record Guide
– American Record Guide
– Fanfare
– Fanfare
For more titles featuring Hansjörg Albrecht, please visit www.oehmsclassics.de.
metal and music
Craftsmanship, metal and music
Naxos Japan is excited to be a part of the latest documentary film on metal hammering. One of the techniques of traditional Japanese metal craftsmanship is tankin, in which metal hammers and wooden mallets are used to spread metal to create containers. Hoseki Okuyama was recognised as Holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property of Tankin in 1995.
This film is a detailed record of his use of traditional tankin techniques in the creation of the silver inlaid vase (gin-uchikomizogan-kaki) "Wakame". It depicts how he hammers and spreads a silver ingot to create a pot, the delicate work involved in the process of inlaying, and the refined lustre given to the silver surface of the piece by a finisher.
It also features parts of a fantastic recording of the Bach Cello Suite No. 3 - be sure to listen out for them! You can catch the documentary in its entirety below.
Need to license some music for a project and don’t know where to start? Visit Naxos Licensing to find out how!
Inga Fiolia plays Glinka
Georgian-born pianist Inga Fiolia’s highly anticipated second volume of Mikhail Glinka’s complete piano works features the Russian composer's charming and infectious dances – polkas, mazurkas, galops and waltzes. Watch the video to discover more about this young, up-and-coming pianist, and what the two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, arranger and composer Alan Broadbent has to say about Inga Fiolia.
Glinka wrote a series of delightful polkas, mazurkas, galops and waltzes that were predominantly intended for fashionable drawing rooms and salons. He also wrote more substantial pieces such as the Grande Valse in G major and the Polonaise in E major which were initially scored for orchestra. Some pieces were also based on pre-existing melodies such as the Variations on a theme of Mozart, which is inspired by a melody drawn from Die Zauberflöte, and the attractive Tarantella in A minor, a rhythmic adaptation of the Russian folk song In the field there stood a birch tree.
For her first release, Inga was featured live on ARTE TV and received massive attention from the German press, including a cover photo and feature article in Crescendo magazine, a major feature in Piano News, and several other high profile media interviews.
“Inga Fiolia has the right sort of perky spirit, charm and deftness of technique to give some idea of how those salons might have swooned and sighed in admiration at Glinka’s gifts.” – Gramophone
Cello Concerto. A radiant rediscovery.
The Dream of America
airs on TV
Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America airs on TV
PBS, the popular American public broadcaster, will pay tribute to its nation's history with screenings of Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America (8.559246). The transmission will air as part of the PBS Great Performances series. Ellis Island: The Dream of America premieres on PBS stations across the United States on June 29 with subsequent telecasts until 2020. You may also view the comprehensive list of airings during the first week nationwide in the United States here. It will also be available to stream at pbs.org/gperf and on PBS apps. The Boston Pops will perform excerpts from the work as part of their Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, which has a live audience in the hundreds of thousands, and will be televised on Bloomberg.
Celebrating the historic American immigrant experience, Ellis Island: The Dream of America is performed by Pacific Symphony under music director Carl St. Clair and features appearances by guest stars Barry Bostwick, Camryn Manheim, Michael Nouri, and others.
The work was created for actors, orchestra and projected images by the American composer Peter Boyer in 2001-02. Naxos released its recording of the work in 2005, and since then it has been broadcast by more than 100 classical radio stations around the United States, and internationally. The recording, conducted by the composer himself, was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition in 2006.
to Summer
A Fresh Start to Summer
With summer just around the corner, we have a great new selection of classical playlists for your upcoming fun in the sun. First, we have Classical Guitar Music, which is the perfect soundtrack to your evening bonfire or camping trip. Next, get ready for the blockbuster movie season with Classical Music at the Movies, featuring the works of John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and more! Finally, keep your little ones entertained with unCLASSIFIED’s brand new Kids Around the World playlist; perfect for the kid in all of us! Don’t wait—add these playlists to your library, and enjoy the beginning of the summer season and beyond.
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the Month
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller
Artist of the Month – Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, soprano
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller studied with Rudolf Piernay, with whom she still closely collaborates. The multi-award winning soprano later honed her skills in masterclasses with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Julia Varady, Elly Ameling and Thomas Hampson.
In 2014, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller achieved her international breakthrough at the Salzburg Opera Festival with her sensational debut as Zdenka alongside Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson under the baton of Christian Thielemann. Shortly afterwards, she was distinguished by the German magazine Opernwelt that named her Young Artist of the Year. She later resumed the role at Semperoper Dresden and at the Munich Opera Festival. In Amsterdam, she made her house and role debut as Sophie in a new production of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier in 2015.
The versatile singer is a regular guest on the concert stage. Hanna-Elisabeth Müller celebrated the arrival of 2017 in spectacular style, appearing in the opening concerts of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. In 2016-2017, she also appeared at the Philharmonie de Paris, Philharmonie Essen, Philharmonie Cologne (with WDR Symphony Orchestra), and the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf.
With her permanent piano partner Juliane Ruf, she regularly appears at major recital venues such as Heidelberger Frühling, Philharmonie Cologne, deSingel Antwerp and at the Festival RheinVokal. Her first recital album Traumgekrönt was released in June 2017, featuring songs by Strauss, Berg and Schönberg.
“I chose Lieder for this CD that are close to my heart. I feel very much at home with the music of Richard Strauss and it goes very well with the fin-de-siècle mood of Alban Berg. With that as a basis, we then started looking for songs whose lyrics leave reality behind, and that is when we came upon works relating to flowers. There is much that is ambiguous in some of the songs. And they definitely reflect everyday 21st-century emotions; their lyrics address, treat and analyse those emotions. It is many decades since the Lieder were composed, and of course today we use different language; as a singer I interpret the message for the present day. These are wonderful, finely painted pictures of girls, miniatures on an imaginary wall, that speak to us directly.”
– Hanna-Elisabeth Müller talking about Traumgekrönt
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