This month brings you another bumper crop of great reviews from the leading music magazines, quality dailies and online review sites. There’s no doubt about it: Naxos releases and distributes some of the best music and audiovisual albums!
‘Guerrero guides his ensemble through a performance in which both details and arching statements are set forth to resplendent effect.’ – Gramophone
‘This disc presents three of her [Jennifer Higdon] most satisfying works in dazzling performances by the Nashville Symphony conducted by its brilliant music director, Giancarlo Guerrero.’ – Fanfare
‘This Wozzeck is more sung, and evenly so, than most rivals on record’ – Gramophone
‘…this is a terrifically imposing performance that grips from the very first.’ – Fanfare
‘The singing is gripping: baritone Roman Trekel is one of today’s top Wozzecks, full-on and volatile, his violence cracked with frailty, and Anne Schwanewilms plays Marie with devastating dignity.’ – The Guardian
‘This fifth volume is one of the strongest, filled with songs and orchestral pieces that one would not immediately associate with a brass ensemble, and the fun is in seeing how the arrangers do it.’ – AllMusic.com
‘This is an album that I approached with high expectations: The Tempest Trio have been compared to the “Million Dollar Trio” of Arthur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, and Gregor Piatigorsky… But does it measure up? It most certainly does!’ – American Record Guide
‘Laitman writes riskily for her heroine, with important text couched in high-flying lines. It’s difficult to know if other, less nimble sopranos would be as intelligible, but Claycomb is always clear, affecting and sympathetic. The choral singing is particularly strong, and the orchestra, led by Ari Pelto, is polished and precise.’ – Opera News
‘An orchestra clearly committed to the cause, and a conductor completely at home with this Francophile composer’s personal idiom, collectively bless these recordings.’ – ClassicsToday.com
‘Cotik and Lin are to be applauded for demonstrating ways in which Piazzolla’s music can, in the right hands, retain its core genius in a variety of instrumental settings.’ – DownBeat Magazine
‘Engineering kudos go to producer Tim Handley and engineer Gary Call for maintaining clarity in an extremely diverse set of materials. Highly recommended.’ – AllMusic.com
‘I think these two discs are rather good. No. Rephrase that. I think they are exceptional. …it is rare to find a disc with almost all of Saint-Saëns’s works for violin and orchestra (apart from the concertos) on a single disc; and I have not found another anywhere that has his complete works for cello and orchestra.’ – Gramophone
‘Delightful in every respect.’ – MusicWeb International
Buy/Stream
WAGNER, R.: Siegfried [Opera]
O’Neill • Goerne • Cangelosi • Mechelen • Melton • Hong Kong Philharmonic • van Zweden
Naxos 8.660413-16
‘Van Zweden, et al, prove their mettle, taste, and polish here’ – ClassicsToday.com
‘Olesia Novikova dances the very difficult choreography perfectly. She glides across the stage with excellent technique. The very large cast, including children, dances impressively and with perfect coordination. The sets and costumes are bright and beautiful, shown to their best advantage in the excellent, amazingly clear 16:9 Bluray disc.’ – American Record Guide
BELLINI, V.: Puritani (I) [Opera] (Teatro Real, 2016)
Damrau • Camarena • Tézier • Testé • Stroppa • Teatro Real de Madrid Chorus and Orchestra • Pidò • Sagi
Bel Air Classiques BAC442 [Blu-ray, HD] | BAC142 [DVD]
‘This performance sent me into raptures, mainly thanks to the committed performances of Diana Damrau and Javier Camarena. I also liked (very much) the symbolic production and its design, though many would question certain aspects of it. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I look upon it with a degree of indulgence.’ – ConcertoNet.com
‘The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra plays magnificently, the warmly burnished brass riding a rich cushion of strings–noble, expressive, grand but never crude. It’s the genuine Bruckner sound, while the engineering does the interpretation full justice. A great release.’ – ClassicsToday.com
‘The 2016 Bregenz Festival production documented here was mostly cast from strength. The role of Amleto, as it’s billed, is demanding both dramatically and vocally…Pavel Černoch projects the part in full, brilliant, ringy tones’ – Opera News
‘In this recording of Adams’s Canticles of the Holy Wind the composer presents a masterpiece of sound, harmony, and rhythm inspired by nature. The recording features a flawless Philadelphia-based chamber choir, The Crossing, conducted by Donald Nally and joined by the versatile percussionist Amy Garapic.’ – Opera News
‘This is a very welcome introduction to a tenor whom all lovers of excellent singing will be happy to get to know; and a convenient way to get some of the best-loved tenor arias in a single disc.’ – Opera Today
BERLIOZ, H.: Béatrice et Bénédict [Opera] (Glyndebourne, 2016)
D’Oustrac • Appleby • Sly • Caton • Lhote • Bradić • Karthäuser • Glyndebourne Chorus • London Philharmonic Orchestra • Manacorda • Pelly
Opus Arte OABD7219D [Blu-ray, HD] | OA1239D [DVD]
‘The overture starts rather timorously, but Manacorda soon shows himself to be a master of color and pace: he and Pelly know the value of well-considered pauses. The LPO players are top-notch.’ – Opera News
‘This will tell you why Wunderlich is considered one of the greatest singing actors. There is not one note that is not carefully thought out and sung with beauty and commitment to character.’ – American Record Guide
Naxos recordings, and those from the labels we distribute globally, consistently receive critical acclaim for their fascinating repertoire, outstanding performances and audio quality.
We use cookies to improve the use of our website, our products and services, and confirm your login authorization or initial creation of account. By clicking "Ok" or by continuing to use our website, you agree to cookies being set on your device as explained in our Privacy Policy. You may disable the use of cookies if you do not wish to accept them, however, this may limit the website's overall functionality.
Ok
Cookie Policy
Scheduled Service Outage Notice:
We will be doing our server maintenance on Saturday, October 26, 2019 (From 14:00 GMT to 15:00 GMT); 10:00 EDT to 11:00 EDT). Server interruption is expected and when it occurs, you may occasionally see messages like "connection reset", "cannot find server" or "page cannot be displayed" on the website. Service on Naxos may be affected at these times.