Enrique Granados was a leading figure of Spain’s late-19th-century nationalist and impressionist school of musicians. His much-loved Danzas españolas is a collection of piano pieces that reflects a refined blend of Romantic lyricism and Spanish folk imagery. The Azulejos Guitar Duo’s new transcription of this collection was inspired by the guitar duo arrangements that Miquel Llobet made of two of Granados’ Danzas in 1924. They built on this example, incorporating the widened expressive range offered by re-scoring for two guitars, creating a superb new representation of this much-loved classic of the Spanish repertoire. Although this is the Azulejos Guitar Duo’s Naxos debut, its members Eugenio Della Chiara and Pietro Locatto are already established as leading performers, having appeared widely as soloists and in the recording studio.

Known primarily as a prolific opera composer, Gaetano Donizetti also wrote some 300 songs which were destined for intimate gatherings of friends, professionals and wealthy amateurs. Donizetti was seemingly blasé about these songs, yet they are an endless source of interest: they sport both melodic beauty and structural surety that are invariably captivating, whether in settings of ballades or canzonettas, theatrical ariettas or poignant love laments. This seventeen-song programme radiates with the superb artistry of mezzo-soprano Margarita Gritskova and pianist Maria Prinz, who have already captured the attention of collectors with their previous Naxos recitals of Russian songs: ‘As a follow-up to their outstanding disc of Prokofiev songs, mezzo Margarita Gritskova and her supportive, insightful pianist Maria Prinz offer a carefully curated collection of twenty short vocal pieces by Shostakovich … Gritskova and Prinz are ideal guides.’ (Opera News) As a postscript bonus, we would mention that a digital single of Donizetti's Lamento in morte di V. Bellini (9.70399) will be simultaneously released by the same artists.

9.70399 *

Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797–1848)
Lamento per la morte di V. Bellini

* Only available for download and streaming

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Our noted collection of recordings featuring brass instruments continues with this exciting release from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero. The programme boasts two significant world premiere recordings – Brad Warnaar’s Cornet Concerto and Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto – topped off by jazz legend Chick Corea’s popular Trombone Concerto. The top-flight soloists comprise José Sibaja, one of the most versatile and highly acclaimed trumpet players of his generation; Joseph Alessi, trombonist with the New York Philharmonic, who enjoys a distinguished solo and recording career; and members of the brass section of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (in the Higdon concerto). Boasting a remarkable track record on the Naxos label, each new release of contemporary repertoire from this conductor and orchestra has become something of a special event.

Timothy Corlis’ music is both strikingly atmospheric and bursting with vigour, qualities that are clearly demonstrated on this new album. As a composer/teacher/choral director, Corlis’ output is currently performed and broadcast by some of Canada’s most prominent artists and ensembles, not least the Edison Singers, conducted here by their founding director Noel Edison. Noel has made more than twenty-five recordings for the Naxos label and has long been recognised as one of Canada’s leading choral conductors; he’s the recipient of numerous distinguished awards, including the Order of Ontario and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The centrepiece on this programme is Corlis’ Missa Pax, one of his major works that reinterprets the traditional liturgical text with abundant modes of expression and irresistible vitality.

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Karl Gustav Vollmoeller’s pantomime Das Mirakel is arguably his most important stage work, and the score Engelbert Humperdinck provided as accompaniment impresses with its rich, romantic sound and large-scale choral scenes. Nonetheless, the work has remained an unjustly neglected item among Humperdinck’s output. Premiered in London in 1911, it was none other than the great Max Reinhardt who adapted Das Mirakel for film in 1912, staging numerous performances with hundreds of actors, singers and dancers before it eventually reached the Salzburg Festival in 1925. This thoroughly Romantic masterpiece can now be enjoyed in its first complete recording.