NEWS FROM THE NAXOS MUSIC GROUP
October 2020
Label of the Month: Capriccio
Founded in 1982, the CAPRICCIO record label has become well-known for the individual character of its diverse catalogue. Capriccio always wanted to fill the niches that other labels kept neglecting. Capriccio is committed to classical music that looks beyond the mainstream for those who are curious to discover unknown repertoire, young artists and inventive programmes. Its recordings feature artists such as Christine Schäfer, the Petersen Quartet, Tabea Zimmermann, Vladimir Spivakov, Ramon Vargas, Anne Schwanewilms, the Vienna Boys’ Choir and many others.
Recent releases have focused on forgotten composers, including Walter Braunfels, Karl Weigl, Ernst von Dohnányi, Hans Rott, Alexander von Zemlinskyand Pancho Vladigerov.
Eminent artists have ensured a consistently high standard of performance over the years. These include Christoph Eschenbach, Cornelius Meister, Roberto Paternostro, Bo Skovhus, Christine Schäfer, Ramón Vargas, Tzimon Barto, Matthias Goerne, Anne Schwanewilms, Christine Schornsheim, Jochen Kowalski, Hermann Prey, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, Concerto Köln, Max Emanuel Cenčić, Vladimir Spivakov and Dmitri Kitajenko.
![WELLESZ, E.: Opferung des Gefangenen (Die) [Opera]](https://www.naxos.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/C5423.jpg "WELLESZ, E.: Opferung des Gefangenen (Die) [Opera]")
Artist of the Month – Christopher Ward
Christopher Ward studied at Oxford University and London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He was répétiteur fellow at Scottish Opera and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and worked at Zurich's International Opera Studio before becoming Kapellmeister and Répétiteur at Staatstheater Kassel in 2005. During this time, he also assisted Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic at the Aix-en-Provence and Salzburg Easter Festivals.
In 2009, Christopher became kapellmeister and assistant to Kent Nagano at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, and in 2013, 1st kapellmeister at the Saarländisches Staatstheater. As guest conductor, he has directed performances at Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Komische Oper Berlin, Oper Graz, Salzburg Landestheater, Musiktheater im Revier, Staatstheater Mainz, Staatstheater Braunschweig and Staatstheater Darmstadt, Slovak National Theatre Bratislava, Munich Opera Festival and Prague Spring International Music Festival. He has also conducted concerts with the Bremen Philharmonic, Staatsorchester Braunschweig, Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, Cottbus Philharmonic, Neue Lausitz Philharmonic, Altenburg-Gera Philharmonic and Munich Youth Philharmonic orchestras.
Hans Rott, a composer and contemporary of Gustav Mahler, was unknown to most people of his day, and familiar to many critics only by his name. A member of Bruckner’s circle within the music scene in Vienna, Rott developed a strong antipathy towards Johannes Brahms. When you hear his works, it's difficult to appreciate that they probably remained entirely unperformed outside the confines of conservatory life. With these recordings of his orchestral works (some of them reconstructed), Capriccio has sought to fill that gap and preserve his fascinating legacy for posterity.
‘Christopher Ward conducts it with drive and fervor.’ – The Art Music Lounge
– Gramophone
Andrea De Vitis wins the 2020 Golden Guitar ‘Best Album Award’
Guitarist Andrea De Vitis recently received the 2020 Golden Guitar 'Best Album Award' at the 25th International Guitar Conference for his recording of Alexandre Tansman's Complete Works for Solo Guitar (8.573983 and 8.573984) on Naxos. Released on two volumes, American Record Guide praised his performance as “sublime” and “his colour choices neither overwhelm the musical intention nor are they cliched; instead, they both enhance and clarify the music, defining structure and adding charisma”.
Gabriel Schwabe plays Kodály’s cello sonata and chamber works
Zoltán Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8, with its expanded harmonies and tone colours, is one of the greatest solo cello works since Bach’s Cello Suites. The visual album with Gabriel Schwabe is now available exclusively on Apple Music.
Schwabe is joined by his wife Hellen Weiß in this all-Hungarian programme of music by two towering composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Gabriel Schwabe is among the leading cellists of his generation, being a laureate of numerous national and international competitions; while violinist Hellen Weiß has frequently impressed the critics with her ‘natural approach [and] remarkable talent.’ (Die Welt) Kodály’s Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 fuses classical form and folk influence, while the Sonata for Cello Solo, Op. 8, with its expanded harmonies and tone colours, is one of the greatest solo cello works since Bach’s Cello Suites. György Ligeti continued the Hungarian lineage with his Cello Sonata, a succinct but pivotal work in his compositional development.
– Fanfare
– Record Geijutsu
– Klara ★★★★
– Gramophone
Visit naxos.com to view Gabriel Schwabe’s complete discography.
A revelatory audiovisual recording of Donizetti's L’Ange de Nisida
Gaetano Donizetti's L’Ange de Nisida was commissioned by the director of the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. The libretto was entrusted to Gustave Vaëz and Alphonse Royer, and the opéra en quatre parties was completed in 1840. 180 years after its composition, the opera was finally performed for the first time in its original theatrical form in Donizetti’s native Bergamo, at the construction site of the city theatre bearing his name, a most symbolic coincidence that added emotional value to a long-awaited event.
The site became an element of director Francesco Micheli's dramaturgy, with the audience sitting in the first three tiers of boxes and on a dais on the stage, and the action taking place in the parterre, as in Elizabethan theatre. The staging's dramatic space reproduces a mass of sheets from the libretto and the score, scattered around as if they were an island, the island of Nisida. Lights, projections and costumes – amazingly made of paper – were designed to provide added reference to the plot and conceived to great effect.
The performance was hailed as a triumph by both the public and the critics and was awarded a special prize at the 39th Franco Abbiati Prize of Italian music critics.
![HENZE, H.W.: Prinz von Homburg (Der) [Opera] (Staatsoper Stuttgart, 2019) (NTSC)](images/37848.jpg "HENZE, H.W.: Prinz von Homburg (Der) [Opera] (Staatsoper Stuttgart, 2019) (NTSC)")
‘Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida proves to be a masterpiece.’
– Bachtrack ★★★★★
‘Ange de Nisida: a drama imbued in beauty.’ – Bergamo News
‘The result was revelatory at every imaginable level.’ – Operawire
CAST
| Don Fernand d’Aragon | Florian Sempey |
| Don Gaspar | Roberto Lorenzi |
| Leone de Casaldi | Konu Kim |
| La comtesse Sylvia de Linarès | Lidia Fridman |
| Le Moine | Federico Benetti |
Orchestra e Coro Donizetti Opera
| Conductor | Jean-Luc Tingaud |
| Chorus Master | Fabio Tartari |
| Director | Francesco Micheli |
| Set Designer | Angelo Sala |
| Costume designer | Margherita Baldoni |
| Light designer | Alessandro Andreoli |
| Video Director | Adriano Figari, Matteo Ricchetti |
| Theatre | Festival Donizetti Opera 2019, Cantiere del Teatro Donizetti |
New Production by Fondazione Teatro Donizetti
More full-length videos? NaxosVideoLibrary.com brings you an extensive streaming video library of classical music performances, opera, ballet, live concerts and documentaries. Watch the world's greatest opera houses, ballet companies, orchestras and artists perform on demand! NaxosVideoLibrary.com offers over 3,450 full-length videos, accessible anytime, anywhere.
Dutilleux’s piano works featured in HBO’s We Are Who We Are
Multiple tracks from pianist John Chen’s recital recording in the Naxos Laureate Series are featured in the new HBO drama series. From Luca Guadagnino, the director of Call Me By Your Name, We Are Who We Are follows a group of teens growing up on an American Army base outside of Venice, Italy struggling to find their own identities as they move into young-adulthood.
Need to license some music for a project and don’t know where to start? Visit Naxos Licensing to find out how!
Nicholas Walker completes Balakirev’s piano music edition
Pianist Nicholas Walker’s 6-volume cycle of Balakirev's complete piano music has been enthusiastically praised as a 'revelation' by Damian Thompson in The Spectator. Click here to find out what else the writer has to say about Balakirev and his music, and why he considers Nicholas Walker to be 'one of Britain’s greatest pianists'.
Walker was interviewed by BBC Radio 3’s Sean Rafferty about his highly-acclaimed Balakirev cycle. Click here to listen to the broadcast.
‘Nicholas Walker’s new six-CD cycle of the complete piano works of the eccentric Russian composer are a revelation... The set is more complete than Paley’s, infinitely better played and includes Walker’s own magical transcription of Tamara. ...there’s no doubt in my mind that Nicholas Walker has finally emerged as one of Britain’s greatest pianists.’ – The Spectator
– Spiegel Online
– American Record Guide
– Ritmo ★★★★★
– Stretto
– Gramophone
– Records International
Dive into classic literature – Naxos Spoken Word Library
Featuring a comprehensive collection of classic audiobooks and high quality independent publisher productions, the Naxos Spoken Word Library (NSWL) provides an online and offline streaming service in English, German and French for both individual and institutional subscribers.
Naxos AudioBooks is an award-winning audiobook publisher producing unique literary classics and educational themed productions. NSWL offers the complete Naxos AudioBooks catalogue, many items available with text on screen and print features.
Also included are Naxos Educational products, with a unique audiobook focusing on classical music, reflecting our affiliation with Naxos, the world’s leading classical music group. These titles cover lighthearted introductions to opera as well as biographies of composers and a survey of orchestral instruments.
KEY FEATURES:
- Rich Audiobook Content
Features thousands of best-sellers and a collection of the world's greatest literature – many classic novels, plays and poetry, from medieval times to the 21st century under various categories, such as Children's Classics, Classic Fiction, Shakespeare's Plays. New titles are added monthly. - Speech to Text recognition
Introduce new vocabulary or difficult proper names or locales, unfamiliar dialects or accents, Old English, and literary styles. Student users can easily repeat passages to learn how to properly read and interpret content. - Text on screen
Text is available to follow on screen, providing a comprehensive presentation of the literature and an excellent language-learning facility. Text may also be printed.
Visit www.naxosspokenwordlibrary.com and get free 15-minute preview!
Take your books with you wherever you go with mobile applications for Apple devices. Browse for titles on the go and save books for offline reading/listening. Listen to books while you drive to and from work or school.
In the recording studio: Award-winning trumpeter Selina Ott presents her debut album on ORFEO
Selina Ott was the first woman in the Munich ARD International Music Competition’s 70-year history to be awarded First Prize in the trumpet category, in September 2018 and at the age of only 20. She was subsequently invited to perform with leading orchestras such as the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich and the Czech Philharmonic, and at international festivals.
On her debut album with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under Roberto Paternostro, the young artist presents an exciting selection from the opulent range of 20th-century trumpet concertos that were written in close succession: the frequently performed concerto by Arutiunian and the much rarer first concerto by Vladimir Peskin are accompanied by a charming work by French composer Alfred Desenclos, offering a marked contrast to the two Soviet concertos.
Playlists for October
Looking for new music? Our selection of curated playlists has you covered with music to complement the season, moment, or activity! First, get a crash course on the history of Western music with Introduction to Classical, and immerse yourself in the sounds of fall with Music for a New Season: Autumn and unCLASSIFIED’s Spooky Classical for Halloween! Finally, listen to the latest and captivating piano pieces written by your favourite Latin American composers. Happy listening!
Catalani’s aria featured in Chanel’s film
The music of Alfredo Catalani’s well-known aria Ebben? ne andrò lontana from La Wally is featured in the following video to highlight the contemporary elegance of the Chanel’s 2019/20 Métiers d’art collection.
Need to license some music for a project and don’t know where to start? Visit Naxos Licensing to find out how!
Celebrate Beethoven
Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth
In celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birth year, we have curated a special Celebrate Beethoven playlist which is refreshed monthly according to various interesting themes based on his life, compositional periods, genre, and more. The tracks are sourced from the Naxos Complete Beethoven Edition, a new 90-disc boxed set also released to mark the anniversary year, hailed by the critics or being the most comprehensive set available.
This month we focus on his STAGE WORKS.
Beethoven wrote sparingly for the stage but it inspired in him some engaging and dramatic music. The opera Fidelio was completed in 1814, nine years after the first version of the opera was premiered as Leonore, and remains one of the most quintessential works in the genre. Egmont is incidental music composed for Goethe’s play, and commemorative music is represented by King Stephen and The Ruins of Athens both of which were written to celebrate the opening of a new German theatre in Pest in 1812.
Follow the Celebrate Beethoven playlist on your favourite streaming platform to discover a wide range of works from one of the most influential composers in the history of classical music.
Themed Digital Album
Each month, we also have corresponding digital albums that you may download and enjoy again and again. Please click on the cover image to your left to download this month's release and remember to come back and visit our mini‑site each month for more amazing music!
This CELEBRATE BEETHOVEN catalogue contains an impressive collection of works by this master composer across the Naxos Music Group labels.
Boris Giltburg has set out to learn and film all 32 piano sonatas by Beethoven by the end of 2020. The project started as a personal exploration, driven by curiosity and his strong love of the Beethoven sonatas, and the recordings presented in this initial volume display Giltburg’s customary spirit, technical finesse and convey the electric atmosphere of the live recording.
Beethoven’s monumental contribution to Western classical music is celebrated here in this definitive collection marking the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Surveying the totality of his career and achievement, the Complete Edition spans orchestral, concerto, keyboard, chamber, music for the stage, choral and vocal works, encompassing his most familiar and iconic masterpieces, alongside rarities and recently reconstructed fragments and sketches in world premiere recordings.
Visit and bookmark the mini-site for this release, which will be regularly updated.
Review by ClassicsToday.com’s David Hurwitz:
Donizetti's L’Ange de Nisida
by Hugh Howard (1675–1737)
October
Naxos Spoken Word Library
