NEWS FROM THE NAXOS MUSIC GROUP

Guitarist Georg Gulyás' recordings for the Proprius label include J.S. Bach’s complete works for lute, together with works by Britten, Ginastera and Falla. His performances have received critical acclaim and his album Albéniz, Ponce, Tárrega (PRSACD2030) won the award for Best Instrumental Music at the 2006 Audiophile Recordings Awards in Hong Kong.

Georg Gulyás has been successful in several competitions and received First Prize at the Karis International Guitar Competition. At the beginning of the 1990s, Georg Gulyás was chosen for special promotion by the Concerts Sweden organisation, which led to his performing all over Europe. He has since performed around the world, in addition to appearing as soloist with the leading Swedish orchestras.

This month marks the 100th anniversary of Astor Piazzolla’s birth. Born in Argentina, the composer, conductor and bandoneon player spent much of his childhood and adolescence in New York, where he was taken by his family in 1925. He established himself in Buenos Aires from 1937 as a player of the bandoneon (a German-invented form of concertina popular in Argentinian tango bands) and came to enjoy an international reputation with the various ensembles that he established and led.

Piazzolla was associated in particular with the development of the so-called nuevo tango (new tango), for concert use rather than dancing. His compositions include a Bandoneon Concerto and a suite for bandoneon and chamber orchestra titled Punta del Este. His music, much of it preserved in the recordings he made, has provided concert items for various instruments and performers.

The award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition went to the world premiere recording of Christopher Rouse’s Fifth Symphony (8.559852), performed by the Nashville Symphony under Giancarlo Guerrero. The symphony fondly recalls Beethoven’s mighty Fifth but blurs the lines between tradition and modernity, transporting the listener from turbulence to serenity. The work was described as “brilliant, exciting and at times hauntingly beautiful” by The Dallas Morning News.

The award for Best Choral Performance went to a recording of Richard Danielpour’s dramatic oratorio The Passion of Yeshua (8.559885-86), with the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, and the UCLA Chamber Singers conducted by JoAnn Falletta. The release also received nominations for Best Contemporary Classical Composition and Best Engineered Album (Classical). Soloists include soprano Hila Plitmann, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Timothy Fallon, and baritones Matthew Worth, Kenneth Overton and James K. Bass. Fanfare judged the recording “a superb production and a jewel in Naxos’ crown.”

‘In the eyes of JoAnn Falletta, Florent Schmitt is "the greatest French composer you've never heard of." Let's hope that this magnificent release changes that a little... The Buffalo forces paint with a rich palette, without ever drowning out the skilful interlacing of melodies nor the juxtaposition of timbres. This clarity of texture gives a rather fascinating depth.’ – Diapason

The Naxos Audiobook No Name by Wilkie Collins has been selected as a finalist in the Multi-voiced Performance category of the Audio Publisher Association's Audie Awards. Read by Nicholas Boulton, with Rachel Atkins, Russell Bentley, John Foley, David Rintoul and Lucy Scott, the title received critical acclaim and is the winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award.

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 shine a spotlight on his most ROMANTIC music.

Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the most influential composers in the entire history of Western music. His stylistic innovations built on and expanded established Classical forms, propelling chamber music, solo and orchestral genres into a Romantic era that thrived on the expression of deeper and more personal emotions. From the gorgeous lyricism found in the ‘Pathétique’ and ‘Moonlight’ Sonatas, to the pictorial scenes in the ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, this collection brings together some of Beethoven’s most beautiful and poetic musical movements.

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!

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: