NEWS FROM THE NAXOS MUSIC GROUP
March 2022
Grand Piano celebrates its 10th anniversary
This month marks the 10th anniversary of Grand Piano Records, the label celebrated for exploring undiscovered gems of the piano repertoire.
Launched in 2012 Grand Piano was established with the mission to explore and discover unknown and neglected repertoire for the piano. The label’s specialty is complete piano cycles of lesser-known composers, whose works might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded. Such composers include Leopold Koželuch, Hélène de Montgeroult, Alexander Tcherepnin, Blagoje Bersa, Mieczsław Weinberg, and many others. Grand Piano artists are often authorities on these composers and experts on the chosen repertoire, giving their performances a unique stamp of authority.
To mark this significant milestone, Grand Piano has planned a raft of anniversary projects that will take place throughout the rest of this year, including:
- Five special boxed sets: collections of award-winning albums from its catalogue, starting with a 10-CD box of works by female composers down the centuries, and 6 CDs spotlighting ‘The Age Golden of Pianist Composers’.
- A dynamic playlist of 88 representative tracks representing the 88 keys on a modern piano on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
- Curated playlists will showcase works by female composers.
- Several online events and livestreams throughout the year with Grand Piano artists.
Grand Piano artists are very often authorities on these less well-known composers and experts on the chosen repertoire, giving their performances a unique stamp of authenticity. Drawing on such a rich resource, the label is able to boast that the majority of its 100-plus releases to date include world premiere recordings.
Artist of the Month – Giorgio Koukl
‘It’s a pleasure to celebrate the first ten years of Grand Piano. Having had the honour to be one of its artists right from its launch, I have so far released some 20 albums. Continuing my cherished project of discovering lesser-known artists from the Parisian Belle Époque, I plan to record the piano works of Vittorio Rieti during the course of this year.’
– Giorgio Koukl
Giorgio Koukl is a Czech pianist/harpsichordist and composer. He studied at the Conservatoires in both Zürich and Milan, where he took part in the masterclasses of Nikita Magaloff, Jacques Février and Stanislas Neuhaus, and with Rudolf Firkušný, friend and advocate of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů. It was through Firkušný that Koukl first encountered Martinů’s music, prompting him to search out his compatriot’s solo piano works.
He has since adopted these works as an important part of his concert repertoire and is now considered one of the world’s leading interpreters of Martinů’s piano music. As a logical continuation of this work, Koukl has recorded the complete solo piano works of Paul Le Flem, Alexander Tcherepnin, Arthur Lourié, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Witold Lutosławski and, more recently, Alexandre Tansman, Vittorio Rieti and Tibor Harsányi.
– MusicWeb International
– Classica ★★★★★
– The Art Music Lounge
– Musical Toronto ★★★★
– Piano News
– Klassik.com
– International Piano
– Facts & Arts
– MusicWeb International
– MusicWeb International
John Philip Sousa Complete Music for Wind Band
John Philip Sousa (1854–1932) personified turn-of-the-century America, the comparative innocence and brash energy of a still new nation. His ever-touring band represented America across the globe and brought music to hundreds of American towns.
Sousa’s compositions spread his fame further. His marches The Stars and Stripes Forever!, The Washington Post and Semper Fidelis, which was adopted by the US Marine Corps, are universally acknowledged as the best of the genre. He was an exceptionally inventive composer of over 200 works, including symphonic poems, suites, operas and operettas.
The final volume in the Complete Music for Wind Band series explores some of the lesser-known corners of Sousa’s output. These include fantasies and humoresques that use renowned classical works and fashionable melodies of their day. Also featured are the rarely heard processional hymn with choir We March, We March to Victory and The Fancy of the Town, which offers up a world tour of traditional and popular songs.
Keith Brion has published many editions for wind band, including the music of Charles Ives, Percy Grainger and D.W. Reeves, and is the author of numerous articles. He is the author of a series of Sousa publications and curator of the Sousa collection at the Library of Congress.
‘Keith Brion has made a career of championing the music of John Philip Sousa… Through study of films and recordings, he imitates Sousa’s conducting style and handles the music the way Sousa did.’
– American Record Guide on Vol. 1
‘Brion’s conducting seems impeccable. He imbues each work with vitality, excitement, and full-throated military flair.’
– Classical Candor on Vol. 11
‘Keith Brion’s conducting is vigorously animated, drawing some superb playing from his Birmingham ensemble. Also, the clear and beautifully balanced recording is an added bonus to the enjoyment.’
– Classical Music Daily on Vol. 21
Click here to view the full list of Sousa titles on Naxos
Celebrating Female Artists of the Naxos Music Group
The Naxos Music Group hosts a roster of impressive female artists. For Women’s History Month, we celebrate them for their remarkable contributions to the history of recorded music.
conductor
conductor
conductor
conductor
violin
violin
cello
violin
piano
piano
piano
percussion
trumpet
soprano
soprano
ballet dancer
![ART OF NATALIA OSIPOVA (THE) - Giselle / Swan Lake / La fille mal gardée [Ballets] / Force of Nature Natalia (Documentary) (4-DVD Box Set) (NTSC)](images/OA1323BD.png "ART OF NATALIA OSIPOVA (THE) - Giselle / Swan Lake / La fille mal gardée [Ballets] / Force of Nature Natalia (Documentary) (4-DVD Box Set) (NTSC)")
PrestoMusic offers up to 30% off on the entire Capriccio catalogue!
With innovative programming that includes both traditional repertoire and works beyond the mainstream, Capriccio has earned a reputation for being on the cutting edge of the classical music recording industry. With performances from distinguished artists including the likes of Tabea Zimmermann and Christine Schäfer, the label offers a wide range of music to explore.
Until 2 May 2022, PrestoMusic is offering up to 30% off all recordings on the Capriccio label.
– The New York Times (The 25 Best Classical Tracks of 2021)
– Pizzicato ★★★★
– Fanfare
– Gramophone
Marin Alsop to lead the Vienna RSO until 2025
Just announced – Marin Alsop’s appointment as chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Vienna RSO) is extended until the summer of 2025.
One of the foremost conductors of our time, Marin Alsop represents a powerful and inspiring voice. Convinced that music has the power to change lives, she is internationally recognised for her innovative approach to programming and audience development, deep commitment to education, and championing of music’s importance in the world. The first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the United States (Baltimore), South America (São Paulo, Brazil), Austria (Vienna) and Britain (Bournemouth), she is, as The New York Times put it, not only ‘a formidable musician and a powerful communicator’ but also ‘a conductor with a vision.’
In their first year of collaboration, Alsop and the Vienna RSO recorded works by Paul Hindemith and Hans Werner Henze for Naxos, and both were met with critical acclaim:
– Crescendo
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
Recognised with multiple Gramophone Awards, Marin Alsop’s extensive discography includes acclaimed Naxos cycles of Brahms with the London Philharmonic, Dvořák with the Baltimore Symphony, and Prokofiev with the São Paulo Symphony.
[8-Disc Boxed Set]
– Gramophone
[6-Disc Boxed Set]
– MusicWeb International
– Classic FM ★★★★
– AllMusic.com
– American Record Guide
– The Penguin Guide
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★
– ClassicalCDReview.com
Ingmar Bergman’s film Persona in a powerful new stage production
The celebrated actor Elisabet Vogler has fallen silent. She doesn’t speak anymore. Together with her nurse Alma the two unequal women spend a carefree summer – until the situation between them shifts. Where is the line between one’s own identity and assigned roles? How is it possible to slip into a different life? Director Anna Bergmann raises questions about power, trust and role images and presents an excellent adaption of Ingmar Bergman’s experimental film.
‘Corinna Harfouch renders her roles believable and compelling.’
– The New York Times
‘Anna Bergmann has succeeded in producing an extraordinarily rich and visually powerful production.’
– NDR Kultur
| Mrs. Elisabet Vogler | Karin Lithman |
| Sister Alma | Corrina Harfouch |
| Doctor | Franziska Machens |
| Mr. Vogler | Andreas Grötzinger |
| Stage Director | Anna Bergmann |
| Dramaturgy | Sonja Anders, Felicia Ohly |
| Music | Hannes Gwisdek |
| Set Designer | Jo Schramm |
| Costume Designer | Lane Schäfer |
| Lighting Designer | Sven Erik Andersson |
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!
Vigüela’s A la manera artesana is #1 in Transglobal World Music Chart
ARC Music’s release, A la manera artesana, featuring the Spanish ensemble Vigüela earned the top spot in this month’s Transglobal World Music Chart (TWMC)!
Vigüela have found an audience in both rural and urban Spain. For the latter, they are like a window on a world that modern Spain, and the rest of the world, knows nothing about. Indeed, life in El Carpio de Tajo (their hometown) is quite simple and mainly revolves around vegetables, fruit, sheep and goats. The name of the band, Vigüela, is a local term for guitar. The band started around 1986 and has now recorded nine albums; the last three have been released internationally on ARC Music.
Other titles from Naxos Music Group also appeared on this month’s list:
View the full list on www.transglobalwmc.com/charts/march-2022-chart
Jaakko Kuusisto (1974–2022)
Finnish musician Jaakko Kuusisto died on 23 February 2022. Diagnosed with a brain tumour in the summer of 2020, his condition deteriorated earlier this year and he was hospitalised.
The conductor, composer and violinist enjoyed an extensive career that was launched by a series of successes in international violin competitions in the 1990s. Kuusisto’s conducting repertoire was versatile and ranged from the Baroque to the latest new works, regardless of genre. He worked with many leading orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra; Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras; National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa; NDR Hannover, DeFilharmonie in Belgium; Chamber Orchestras of Tallinn and Lausanne; Helsinki, Turku and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestras; Lahti Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra.
He worked regularly in opera as well; in 2016 he orchestrated and conducted Indigo at the Finnish National Opera, a work written by Eicca Toppinen and Perttu Kivilaakso of Apocalyptica. Kuusisto was also chief conductor of the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra in 2018. Kuusisto’s compositions consist of nearly 40 works: chamber and vocal music, orchestral pieces, operas, as well as music for films. His Violin Concerto, written for Elina Vähälä, became an international success with performances by, among others, the Minnesota, Detroit and Singapore orchestras.
His discography on the Ondine label included J.S. Bach’s violin concertos and concertos by Finnish composers with the Tapiola Sinfonietta. He also reconstructed and conducted orchestral works by Armas Järnefelt.
He is survived by his wife and two children from a previous marriage.
– BBC Radio 3
– Cinemusica ★★★★
– Fanfare
– Répertoire
Valencia Baryton Project to bring rare instrument on tour in the US!
With Matthew Baker, one of only a handful of baryton players worldwide, the Valencia Baryton Project has performed across the globe, introducing the instrument that was considered to be the pinnacle of aristocratic music during the Classical era. In April they will tour the United States across 14 cities in seven states.
The Valencia Baryton Project comprises musicians from the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opera house in Valencia and the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, who came together with the vision of performing the almost 160 works by Joseph Haydn written for the baryton, a cross between a viola da gamba and a lirone. At the heart of the ensemble is the traditional baryton trio – baryton, viola and cello – for which Haydn wrote 123 works of outstanding beauty during his time as court composer for Prince Esterházy of Austria. Their Naxos release was named one of AllMusic.com’s ‘Favourite Classical Albums’ of 2021.
‘The six trios included have been very well chosen to demonstrate Haydn’s inexhaustible creative fantasy. While Matthew Baker has pride of place as the player of Nikolaus’s instrument, Haydn…has ensured the others are by no means reduced to accompanying lackeys. The trio prove themselves a well attuned team, always alert to the music’s mercurial nature.’
– The Strad
‘The interpretation of each one of the instrumentalists is impeccable, not only at the individual level, but as a whole, showing exquisite chamber music work, without seeking individual prominence, displaying a performance as a trio as compact as it is precise and balanced.’
– Ritmo ★★★★★
Kevin Puts’ new opera The Hours set for world premiere
Award-winning composer Kevin Puts’ latest operatic work, an adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s novel The Hours, is a co-commission of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera and slated to premiere in 2022. The cast will include opera superstars Renée Fleming and Joyce DiDonato, and Tony-winner Kelli O’Hara. The libretto is by Greg Pierce.
Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his debut opera Silent Night, Kevin Puts’ works have been commissioned, performed and recorded by leading ensembles and soloists throughout the world, including Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Dame Evelyn Glennie, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the Tonhalle Orchester (Zurich), the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Miro Quartet.
![PUTS, K.: Silent Night [Opera]](https://www.naxos.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.669050-51.jpg "PUTS, K.: Silent Night [Opera]")
– Pizzicato ★★★★
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★
Introducing NAXOS MOODS!
Naxos Moods is an ecosystem of playlists curated by experts and musicologists to complement the wide range of feelings and activities people experience every day, with an emphasis on stress alleviation, relaxation, and inspiration. This free mobile app is available for all iPhone users with active Apple Music subscriptions. Versions for other streaming services will follow shortly.
Naxos’ breadth of musical knowledge and programming expertise, combined with its extensive catalogue of classical, world and jazz music, creates top-notch listening experiences for users via a wide array of mood-themed playlists.
Playlists for March
Looking for new music? Our selection of curated playlists has you covered with music to complement the season, moment, or activity! Discover iconic recordings in the Celebrate Classical! Black History Month playlist and explore works by legendary Black composers in unCLASSIFIED’s Hues of Music: Black Voices playlist. Need to find a way to set a romantic mood for Valentine’s Day? Stream the Love and Romance playlist or Grand Piano’s Romantic Piano playlist. Happy listening!
Sara Aimée Smiseth talks about Agathe Backer Grøndahl’s piano works
We recently chatted with Norwegian pianist Sara Aimée Smiseth about her new Grand Piano release of piano works by Agathe Backer Grøndahl. This is her debut solo recording.
Hailed by George Bernard Shaw as one of the 19th century’s greatest virtuoso pianists, Agathe Backer Grøndahl was also a pioneer among women composers, juggling marriage, motherhood and an extensive career. She was taught by Liszt in Weimar, and as one of Norway’s most respected composer-pianists, created a large body of work that displays colourful stylistic variety and poetic breadth. The beautiful Sérénade from Trois Morceaux, Op. 15 may well be Backer Grøndahl’s most popular piano composition, but her concert études are virtuoso masterpieces; the folk-tune arrangements drawn from her Op. 30 and Op. 33 sets illustrate her perceptive absorption of her country’s folk music. The remarkable fairy-tale suite I blaafjellet, Op. 44 is possibly the first impressionist piece by a Norwegian composer.
Exclusively available on Apple Music. Click on any of the images to visit the playlist.
Also stream Grand Piano’s Three Centuries of Female Composers playlist, featuring music by Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Anne-Louis Brillon de Jouy, Vítězslava Kaprálová and more.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4
It’s the late 1950s and Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel has everything she has ever wanted – the perfect husband, two kids and an elegant apartment on New York’s Upper West Side. Her seemingly idyllic life takes a surprising turn when she discovers a hidden talent she didn’t previously know she had – stand-up comedy. This revelation changes her life forever as she begins a journey that takes her from her comfortable life on the Upper West Side through the cafes and nightclubs of Greenwich Village as she makes her way through the city’s comedy industry on a path that could ultimately lead her to a spot on the ‘Tonight Show’ couch. The series was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (‘Gilmore Girls’).
The Golden Globe and Emmy®-winning series is back for its fourth season, featuring excerpts from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, Haydn’s ‘Military’ Symphonyand Britten’s Friday Afternoons, courtesy of Source/Q and Naxos!
Need to license some music for a project and don’t know where to start? Visit Naxos Licensing to find out how!
2022 Nominations for Swedish Grammis
We’re pleased to share that two titles from the Naxos Music Group labels were recently nominated for this year’s Swedish Grammis!
This release is both Sofie Asplnud’s and the Lunds Kammarsolistes’ debut recording. The idea for this album is to put together musical works based on poems by the two poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. The story about their stormy relationship has been told many times in literature, movies and theatre. Here we’d like to tell it in a different way, through the works Britten’s Les Illuminations and Debussy’s Arriettes Oublieés, heard in a brand new arrangement for strings by Tobias Broström.
The Swedish Chamber Orchestra’s regular season includes children’s music performances at the Örebro Concert Hall. Over the years, thousands of kids and adults have joined the fun, singing along to the songs and experience a live concert in a large concert hall. ‘My Big Love’ consists of music featured in these concerts, as well as newly written songs. These pieces provide security, arouse curiosity and inspire dance, play and closeness to children.
To browse the full list of nominations for the 2022 Swedish Grammis, visit
https://grammis.se/nominated_year/2022/.
– Gramophone
– ClassicalCDReview.com
of the Naxos Music Group
Wolfgang Rihm.
Protean par excellence.
(1974–2022)
Wolfgang Rihm. Protean par excellence.
