Working amidst political and personal setbacks, Mieczysław Weinberg (1919–96) flourished as a composer, admired by Shostakovich and championed by the leading Soviet musicians of the day.

In this episode, Jens and Joe dive into the forgotten reels of Shostakovich’s film music.

This podcast presents pianist Giorgio Koukl in conversation with Raymond Bisha at the end of a five-year project to rehabilitate the complete works for piano solo and duo by Vittorio Rieti (1898–1994).

In this podcast, Raymond Bisha discusses the life and music of the composer, known as the ‘Brazilian Bartók’ on account of his ethnomusicological research, with conductor Neil Thomson.

Raymond Bisha introduces the latest instalment in the Capriccio label’s exploration of rarely performed or recorded symphonic works by Miklós Rózsa, outlining his maturation not only into one of the most successful film composers of all time, but also the creator of equally fine concert works.

Niklas Eklund, the renowned Swedish trumpet player, has died aged 56. 

Easter marks the high point of the Christian year. It cannot be surprising, then, that some of the greatest compositions in classical music have been written to mark this feast.

The GRAMMY Award-winning team of composer Michael Daugherty, conductor David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony returns with a new album comprising a set of remarkable works exploring associations with flight and space exploration, both tragic and triumphant.

Raymond Bisha delves into a new release of the first three of Petrassi’s concertos performed by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma and conducted by Francesco La Vecchia.

Raymond Bisha introduces the latest instalment of a collectable series of seven albums showcasing Ukraine-born composer Alexey Shor’s appealing personal style and superb craftsmanship.

A gala concert celebrating the 2025 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) took place recently in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, during which the winners in the various categories were formally acknowledged.

The renowned Soviet-Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina has died aged 93.

Notker Balbulus (c.840–912), also known as Notker of St Gall or Notker the Stammerer, was a renowned Benedictine monk at the Abbey of St Gall in Switzerland who made substantial contributions to both the music and literature of his time.

Franz Schmidt is not the most neglected composer among the 20th century grand romantics, but the discrepancy between the greatness of his music and his neglect in concert is staggering.

Since the 1970s, Brazilian conductor Isaac Karabtchevsky has steadfastly developed one of the most brilliant careers across the Brazilian and international music scenes, The Guardian in 2009 hailing him as one of Brazil’s living icons.

American composer Daron Hagen talks about his cantata Everyone, Everywhere in conversation with Raymond Bisha.

The Board of Directors of the Naxos Music Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthias Lutzweiler as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Naxos Music Group, effective immediately.

Raymond Bisha introduces the first of two albums of transcriptions of J. S. Bach’s cello suites performed by Yasunori Imamura, one of the world’s leading lutenists, both as a soloist and as a continuo player.

What to make of Norwegian composer Christian Sinding, who is chiefly remembered only by ambitious amateur pianists for his Rustle of Spring?

Developed in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Naxos’ Music of Brazil series is part of the Brasil em Concerto project, presenting around 100 orchestral, chamber, choral and vocal works from the 19th and 20th centuries, many of which were previously unpublished or simply undiscovered.

A student of Haydn, a masonic brother of Mozart and a fine composer in his own right, Paul Wranitzky (1756–1808) left behind 45 symphonies that are at long last stepping out of the shadows thanks to ongoing recordings and increased access to published scores.

John Rutter is the most acclaimed composer of Christmas carols alive today, while the Black Dyke Band occupies the highest rank in the worldwide brass band community.

American composer Kenneth Fuchs discusses the programmes of his two most recent albums in conversation with Raymond Bisha; both recordings feature the Sinfonia of London and soloists under conductor John Wilson.

Raymond Bisha introduces the programme on a recent recording that includes Kapustin’s Second and Sixth Piano Concertos, with soloist Frank Dupree accompanied variously by the SWR Big Band and the SWR Symphony Orchestra.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album featuring Beethoven’s final three cello sonatas that are full of unexpected shifts of harmony and mood, virtuoso flourishes and experimental surprises, all of which defy convention.

Recordings from Naxos and its affiliated labels were among the recently announced nominations for the 2025 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

Renowned both as a distinguished soloist with some 1,800 concerts worldwide to her credit and as a member of the Amadeus Guitar Duo, Dale Kavanagh is one of the most prominent classical guitarists of her generation.

Raymond Bisha’s latest podcast introduces the twenty-four strings and forty fingers of the Guitalian Quartet in a programme from a new album featuring music from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and beyond.

Knighted in 1950, Sir Arthur Bliss was Master of the Queen’s Music in Great Britain from 1953 until his death in 1975. Raymond Bisha introduces a new album comprising both original works for brass band and arrangements of others for the ensemble that represent the breadth of the composer’s output…

Game developers will be able to access Naxos’ classical, cultural, world, folk and regional music catalogues in a significant expansion of Reactional’s music delivery platform

Raymond Bisha introduces the world premiere recordings of remarkable orchestral works by Maria Herz.

Leif Segerstam, the renowned Finnish conductor, composer, violinist and pianist, has died aged 80.

Raymond Bisha’s podcast spotlights two classic recordings in the Vox Audiophile Edition that were first released in the mid-1970s.

Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth, this is the final podcast in Raymond Bisha’s four-part survey of Naxos’ project to record all 18 versions of the composer’s 11 symphonies.

Launched in 2004 as an online streaming service and educational resource for classical music, the Naxos Music Library catalogue now offers individual and institutional subscribers access to a milestone three million tracks.

Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth, this is the third podcast in Raymond Bisha’s four-part survey of Naxos’ project to record all 18 versions of the composer’s 11 symphonies.

Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth, this is the second podcast in Raymond Bisha’s four-part survey of Naxos’ project to record all 18 versions of the composer’s 11 symphonies.

Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth, Raymond Bisha dips into the fruits of Naxos’ project to record all 18 versions of the composer’s 11 symphonies.

A recent new album of American organ concertos featuring multi-award-winning artists brought together the artistry of organist Paul Jacobs and the contemporary music pedigree of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero.

In the first half of the 20th century, Catalan instrumental music was dominated by works for the piano and the cello. As a result, the importance of Catalan violin repertoire is often overlooked.

Conductor Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra have already persuaded audiences to absorb the symphonies of Brahms and Beethoven through their distinctive lens. Now they’re midway through a series of recordings of Haydn’s great late symphonies.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, perhaps best known for his numerous film scores and works for guitar, also composed in a variety of other genres, from transcriptions for cello to violin concertos, piano works and orchestral music.

Associates of the Naxos Music Group were saddened to learn of the recent passing of German composer Wolfgang Rihm, at the age of 72.

Pianist Alon Goldstein and the Fine Arts Quartet, with bassist Avery Cardoza, have just recorded rare 19th-century chamber versions of Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 18 & 22, their fifth album in the series following Naxos’s releases of Nos. 20/21, 23/24, 9/17, & 19/25.

In this podcast, Raymond Bisha talks with American composer Margaret Brouwer about the inspiration and compositional approach behind the orchestral pieces on the programme of her new album.

Five years into the celebrated Naxos Music of Brazil series, we reach Vol. 21 and the music of Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897–1948), who was a key figure in the cultural life of Rio de Janeiro.

Smetana’s Má vlast is an unprecedented cycle of six related symphonic poems that evoke Czech legends and celebrate the beauty of the country’s landscapes.

Pianist Quynh Nguyen discusses her recording of the complete piano works of Paul Chihara, the distinguished American composer whose output includes the scores for over 100 motion pictures and television series.

JoAnn Falletta, conductor of the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, discusses a programme of orchestral works by composer/conductor Lukas Foss, who was both a predecessor of hers in Buffalo and a mentor to her.

Irish cellist Gerald Peregrine introduces his latest album of early 20th-century British works for cello and piano, interweaving the classical and folk-based music with a personal narrative of community engagement, in which his live music-making initiatives have achieved truly significant and touching results.

This podcast spotlights Israeli mandolinist Alon Sariel, who provides an entree into the engaging world of the mandolin, an instrument that perhaps enjoys a relatively low profile but commands a fascinating global reach.

Marin Alsop discusses her latest release – an album of orchestral works by John Adams – with Raymond Bisha, exploring just what it is about Adams’ music that makes him the leading nominee for the title of America’s greatest living composer, not least for scores that inhabit ‘the groove’ with conspicuous relish.

Louis Wayne Ballard (1931–2007) – also known as ‘Honganozhe’, which means ‘Stands with Eagles’ in the Quapaw language – was the first indigenous North American composer of art music, and his extensive knowledge of the music, dance and mythology of this culture informed his compositions. This podcast reviews a new album of his works that are eclectic in style, uniquely varied and thoroughly engaging.

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series takes a musical week, a day at a time.

Raymond Bisha’s conversation with Janne Valkeajoki delves into the various musical transformations and performance mechanics that were involved in the masterly transfer from harpsichord strings to accordion reeds.

Orfeo Vecchi was held in high regard by his contemporaries for the sacred music he produced towards the end of the 16th century. Raymond Bisha introduces a new recording of the twenty pieces that comprise his third book of Motets for Six Voices.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of works for string quartet by Florence Price and Leo Sowerby, who were both prominent members of the Chicago music community in the 1930s and 1940s.

Raymond Bisha’s latest podcast introduces the world premiere recording of Joseph Rheinberger’s arrangement for two pianos of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

George Gershwin’s ever popular Rhapsody in Blue was first performed in February 1924. To mark the centenary of that celebrated event, pianist Jeffrey Biegel commissioned composer Peter Boyer to write a work for piano and orchestra that would be a 21st-century partner to Gershwin’s original.

Raymond Bisha introduces a programme of works for piano and orchestra by Chopin, performed by legendary pianist Abbey Simon.

The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) announced the Awards for 2024.

Raised in Medellín, Colombia, Billy Arcila has lived in the United States for over 40 years, where he teaches and performs as one of California’s foremost guitarists. In this podcast, Raymond Bisha presents the first  album to be made of his music.

Joseph Haydn was music director of the Esterházy Court at Eisenstadt for twenty-five years. It was where Prince Nikolaus commissioned him to write trios for the baryton, a bowed, stringed instrument similar to the viol but with extra plucked strings that enabled performers to accompany themselves.

Raymond Bisha introduces the fifteenth and final volume in Konstantin Scherbakov’s recordings of the complete piano works of Leopold Godowsky, in which the programme comprises a number of the arrangements Godowsky made of Chopin’s Études.

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series considers the roots and branches of trees featured in a selection of traditional Christmas carols in various styles.

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series spotlights a selection of fanfares composed for a variety of occasions during the last century.

Recordings from Naxos and its affiliated labels were among the recently announced nominations for the 2024 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

Naxos is delighted to have received a 2024 GRAMMY Awards nomination in the Best Orchestral Performance category…

The winners of the 2023 International Opera Awards were announced in a ceremony held at Teatr Wielki, Warsaw, Poland, on 9 November.

Stanisław Skrowaczewski spent 19 years as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, from 1960 to 1979, during which time he developed it into one of the finest orchestras in North America.

Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was also an accomplished guitarist and cellist, and his wonderful music for the latter instrument takes full advantage of the lyrical and dramatic capabilities of the instrument.

Naxos’ affiliated label Ondine was delighted to receive two prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Awards this year.

This podcast features Raymond Bisha in conversation with conductor Kenneth Kiesler about the rediscovery, rescue and reconstruction of two operas by James P. Johnson (1894–1955).

I’m not sure what the collective noun for a group of harmoniums might be (or should that be harmonia?), but this blog will take singular appearances by the instrument in some of the repertoire housed in the Naxos group’s catalogues.

This new artistic adventure which was to learn, perform and record the violin sonatas by Polish composers Zygmunt Noskowski and Wladyslaw Zelenski was, for pianist Bernadene Blaha and myself, most captivating.

Raymond Bisha’s second podcast featuring historic recordings on the VOX label explores those made of Tchaikovsky’s music by the Utah Symphony Orchestra under Maurice Abravanel, who was the ensemble’s music director for more than 30 years.

Dario Salvi, the Scottish-Italian conductor, musicologist and researcher who specialises in the restoration and performance of rare works, was recently awarded the “Riccardo Drigo” Music for Ballet Prize

This podcast features broadcaster Peter Hall in a conversation with JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, about her October release on the Naxos label, which is the second of two albums featuring all of Zoltán Kodály’s works for orchestra.

This podcast features American composer Jennifer Higdon in a wide-ranging conversation with Raymond Bisha, during which she describes the long swathe of influences on her composing career.

I was once asked what had been the seismic developments in the history of the development of music, equivalent to scientific discoveries that had opened up entirely new vistas for society.

Raymond Bisha presents the first in a series of podcasts that explore newly remastered recordings on the VOX label dating from the 1970s..

This is the period known in many parts of the world as the silly season, the time when news agencies struggle to post engaging headlines of serious news items during the peak holiday period. So, I thought this blog could follow suit by reminding everyone that 20 August each year marks World Mosquito Day.

It caught my eye that the date of this post would coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of England’s finest Romantic poets. Born on 4 August 1792, he didn’t live to see his 30th birthday. He was a radical, and not only in his poetry.

A blog on gardens in bloom would normally be appropriate for a readership in only one hemisphere at a time, I thought; but with global warming controlling the hosepipe I’m not so sure. Anyway, encouraged by the beautiful blooms and alluring aromas that currently accompany my morning walks through the park, I decided to clip a few extracts from musical gardens that are to be found in the catalogue.

Brazilian composer Claudio Santoro (1919–1989) proved a dynamic force for his country’s classical music scene. His life was both intertwined with, and deeply influenced by, the political and social events playing out around him, from the building of the Berlin Wall in Europe to political upheavals in his homeland. Through it all, his compositions reflected a life of distinctive musical exploration.

All at Naxos were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hungarian pianist Jenő Jandó.

As a youngster, one knew that the first requirement for playing the piano was to be able to find Middle C. So, I got to wondering if the first requirement for composers was to be able to write a Symphony in C. After all, I thought, Beethoven went on to produce nine symphonies, but his first was indeed cast in that key.

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series takes repetition as its theme, a musical technique that has long served composers very well, time and time and time again. Henry Purcell, Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten provide the musical examples.

Klaus Heymann, founder and Chairman of the Naxos Music Group, has been awarded the medal of Commander of the Order of Rio Branco by the Brazilian government for his contribution to Brazil’s classical music heritage through the award-winning ‘Music of Brazil’ series on Naxos.

Associates of the Naxos Music Group were saddened to learn of the recent passing of composer Kaija Saariaho, one of the leading figures in 20th- and 21st-century music.

The importance of the date may have flown under your radar, but 24 June marks International Fairy Day. Acknowledging just how integrated these treasured tiny creatures of mythic imagination are in everyday life and centuries-old traditions, there will no doubt be numerous festivals taking place around the world in honour of the wee folk who have inspired so many artistic creations across all disciplines.

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745–1799) – a brilliant swordsman, athlete, violin virtuoso and gifted composer – might well lay claim to being the most talented figure in an age of remarkable individuals. Raymond Bisha gives an overview of this remarkable life, binding the disparate elements of his career with the constant beauty of his violin concertos.

In English, the word ‘sinister’ suggests a touch of evil, taking its cue from the Latin, in which it denotes the adjective ‘left’ and a perception that the left hand is weaker than the right. As a left-hander myself, I prefer the view that we’re noted for being more artistic than right-handers! But, as a rather pedestrian pianist, I do humbly marvel at performances of keyboard works specifically written for the left hand alone.

A reference to sighing in music often reflects the emotional state of the person involved rather than the sound of the sigh itself. Song texts might simply encourage people to refrain from sighing, or probe further the possible reasons behind someone’s weary expression. Other works have more eccentric representations and references. This blog presents a cross section of them, which we’ll visit in random order.

Raymond Bisha introduces Naxos’ new album of the complete works for solo piano by leading American composer John Corigliano Jnr. During their conversation together, the composer gives insight into the creative genesis of all the works on the programme, which span a period of some fifty years…

Raymond Bisha introduces Naxos’ fifth album devoted to the music of leading American composer, Jonathan Leshnoff, who was GRAMMY-nominated for his album Violins of Hope (Naxos 8.559809) and is amongst the most frequently performed of living composers.

All at Naxos were saddened to learn of the passing of Barry Humphries, the highly popular entertainer who connected globally with audiences via a range of artistic platforms that included music, drama and comedy.

I know they’re out there somewhere… people who don’t run a mile when confronted with an arachnid’s bulbous body and hairy projections, stoically putting your average blogger to timorous shame. It would seem that some classical composers weren’t afraid of getting up close and personal with spiders, either, judging from the number of pieces spun in their recognition. What follows is a selection of such pieces.

Not long ago, when I was living in Hong Kong, there was a curious surge of interest among students in playing the ukulele, an instrument that has many cousins around the world in different cultures: banjo, mandolin, lute, balalaika, and so on.

Conductor and Naxos artist Marin Alsop discusses Robert Schumann’s four symphonies in the wake of her recordings of the works as reorchestrated by Mahler.

This blog visits a new album scheduled for release on April 14 that features works for piano and orchestra by Sergei Rachmaninov (2023 marks the 150th anniversary of his birth).

When I was a teenager, I would occasionally try and bash through Poulenc’s Thème varié on my long-suffering upright piano. I loved the lilt of the original theme on which the variations are based. Here it is:

Music from Finland brings our short survey of Nordic music over the past few weeks to a close. For most people, the country’s reputation for classical music is probably dominated by the name of Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), so this blog will try and turn the spotlight on works by other composers deserving of air-time.

The Naxos Music Group is proud to team up with Cathay Pacific in launching the Naxos Channel on the airline’s in-flight entertainment system from February 2023 onwards.

It’s Norway that comes under the spotlight this week in our Nordic composers survey. Iceland + Sweden and Denmark featured in the first two instalments; Finland will take the finale spot. The seven Norwegian composers in this chapter will be heard in chronological order, with one exception.

All at Naxos were saddened to learn of the passing of Keith Anderson following a distinguished life of music performance, broadcasting and scholarship.

The first instalment in our brief survey of music from the Nordic countries – Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden [FINDS] – featured composers from Iceland and Sweden. This edition showcases music by a selection of Danish composers, whom we’ll introduce in broadly chronological order.

Naxos Records has been named this year’s ‘Label of the Year’ by the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

The next few editions of the Naxos blog will offer a smörgåsbord of music from the Nordic countries, presenting examples from Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden (FINDS, my acronym) that may be unfamiliar yet richly rewarding. This edition showcases composers from Iceland and Sweden.

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series spotlights music expressed through the prism of madness in a range of contexts, from the world of fantasy to the theatre of war.

So, taking a cue from Naxos’ release this month of a new album of Howell’s piano music, I thought my blog could assemble a selection of works by these three characteristically ‘English’ composers – Howells, Sumsion and Finzi – in a sort of musical Friends Reunited.

The Fine Arts Quartet has just completed its 21st production for the Naxos label. The all-Dvořák programme has as its centrepiece one of his rarely performed, complex and wild early string quartets, No. 2 in B Flat major (B.17) from 1868–69.

There can be few pieces to rival the popularity of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, be it performed from the ‘original score’ (it was itself an arrangement of an earlier string quartet movement) or in one of the plentiful arrangements of the piece for other forces.

Quite by accident, I came across the fact that November 25, the date of this posting, also marks the 1955 premiere of American composer Walter Piston’s Sixth Symphony. Taking the lead from that touch of serendipity, I thought this edition might give a sketch of the composer and his output. Within my own sphere of experience, his name is better known than his music.

When Naxos asked the Buffalo Philharmonic to record the orchestral works of Zoltán Kodály, I had no idea of how deeply the orchestra and I were going to love the brilliant Hungarian world of this extraordinary composer.

The previous edition of our Naxos blog focused on two symphonies that Brazilian composer Cláudio Santoro (1919–89) composed in the 1950s – the Fourth and Fifth – the latter written to mark the founding of the country’s new capital, Brasilia.

The Fine Arts Quartet, along with pianists Fabio and Gisele Witkowski and bassist Alexander Bickard, just recorded rare, early chamber music by the celebrated Romanian composer George Enescu.

Cláudio Santoro features significantly in the Naxos Music of Brazil series, which is a joint undertaking with Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote music by Brazilian composers in an extensive series of new albums.

The Naxos Music Group expresses its condolences at the news of the passing of pianist Michael Ponti, a week before what would have been his 85th birthday.

Pater seraphicus is how the 19th-century pianist/organist/teacher/composer César Franck was known to his pupils.

If you’ve already made your will, maybe you’ve also stipulated the music you would like to be played at the assembly for your funeral service.

When a composer’s work is marked as his or her Opus 100, it surely marks a milestone in their development.

All at the Naxos Music Group were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of pianist/conductor Lars Vogt at the age of 51.

This podcast features Peter Hall in conversation with JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, about her latest release on the Naxos label — a recording of William Walton’s Façades 1 and 2, together with four additional movements.

Labelling Beethoven’s Für Elise a mere trifle might appear insulting to such a household name and piano solo favourite.

Pianist Alon Goldstein, the Fine Arts Quartet and bassist Lizzie Burns recently recorded rare 19th-century chamber versions of Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 19 and 25.

Here’s a small selection of works celebrating August, not as an evocative month approaching Autumn, but as a dedicatee (August Bournonville), a composer’s name (August Baeyens, Friedrich August Belcke), a source of literary inspiration (August von Platen-Hallermünde, August Strindberg), and an arranger (August Eberhard Müller).

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series takes rats as its theme, a topic that, perhaps surprisingly, has caught the attention of composers across the world and down the ages.

It’s maybe too convenient to restrict references to war to big anniversary dates, so this blog presents a small selection of musical works that paint the subject of conflict in tuneful reminders of how wearisome and worthless the daily pursuit is.

All at Naxos were saddened to hear of the passing of American pianist, teacher and author Joseph Banowetz on 3 July, aged 87.

With so many world events defying logic right now, I thought we might escape briefly into a space where words make no attempt to stack up, but merely divert for a while and lighten the spirit. Welcome to the literary worlds of Lewis Carroll, William Brighty Rands, Hilaire Belloc and someone called Mr Traditional.

While most people tend to seek visions of the future—especially where lottery tickets are concerned—this blog cites four works featuring musical visions from the past.

The Violin Channel had the privilege of chatting with Naxos Founder and head, Klaus Heymann.

Although they have their detractors, national and international music competitions continue to stand the test of time.

The oft-adopted adage “pressure makes diamonds” stems from massive pressure and ferocious temperatures combining beneath the Earth’s crust to produce precious stones of enduring value from the single element of carbon: chemistry and physics ultimately give way to craftsmanship and art in achieving the final product.

King Louis XIV of France, the legendary ‘Sun King’ and victim of the awful play on words in the title of this blog, was born in 1638; he ascended to the throne in 1643, four months before his fifth birthday, and died in 1715.

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series examines how a musical composition can be pampered by alternative wardrobes, when an original is dressed in different presentations of style and instrumentation while retaining its core character.

In 1980, I sat in the Kyiv Opera House enjoying a performance of Verdi’s Il trovatore as one of a handful of British music teachers permitted entry into the USSR under an educational exchange scheme.

Living in the northern hemisphere, we’re at that bubbly time of year when I can look out of the window and gorge my eyes on the colourful spectrum of flowers that the month of April brings.

After a recording hiatus of two years, the Buffalo Philharmonic was very happy to return to the studio to record again for Naxos.

Leading German composer Wolfgang Rihm celebrated his 70th birthday on 13 March.

Raymond Bisha introduces us to the eclectic and exuberant imagination of the American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, whose works are inhabited by a host of influences — musical, historical and personal.

The American composer George Crumb died on 6 February, aged 92.

Raymond Bisha’s podcast focuses on two works by William Bolcom recorded for the Naxos American Classics Series.

Definitions of the word ‘fairy’ as perceived down the ages are wide-ranging, with notions of diminutive enchantresses contrasting with images of grotesque goblins.

Raymond Bisha dips into a Naxos recording of works by Jean Sibelius that have been obscured by the popularity of his symphonies and the violin concerto, including many pieces he wrote to complement stage works. 

One of the items on my bucket list that I’d like to tick off before the great light-switch of life gets flicked is to experience the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis.

Once in a while you hear such incredibly beautiful music for the first time that you just can’t understand why it has remained under wraps for so long.

Naxos artist and internationally renowned conductor Marin Alsop features in The Conductor, an engaging new documentary directed by Bernadette Wegenstein that is currently being screened in cinemas across the US and in Canada.

I live in the city of Canterbury, in the south east of England.

All at Naxos send their congratulations to American composer Kenneth Fuchs on receiving the 3rd Annual Composer Award from the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation.

Fantasy, fairy tales and Maurice Ravel’s flair for orchestral colour are all to the fore in this album featuring two examples of the composer’s music for the stage — the scores for his opera L’Enfant et les sortilèges and his ballet Ma mère l’oye.

The beginning of a new calendar year also marks the Christian Feast of the Epiphany as embodied in the journey of the Three Wise Men seeking the new-born Jesus, led by a star.

In this week’s podcast, Raymond Bisha introduces the 4-CD collection of the complete piano works of Mieczysław Weinberg — from teenage mazurkas written in his native Poland through to his last works for the instrument composed in Moscow.

Naxos sends its congratulations to Catalan composer Leonardo Balada, who has won this year’s XVIII SGAE Prize for Ibero-American Music ‘Tomás Luis de Victoria’. Organised by the SGAE Foundation, the award recognises Balada’s substantial contribution to the enrichment of the musical heritage of Ibero-American communities through his creative work and “for the universality of his musical language.”

The human voice, Nature’s ‘instrument’, is a flexible piece of equipment. Men singing in the female sex’s natural register or ‘modal voice’ is usually referred to as a counter-tenor, sometimes a male soprano.

Although city centres and shopping complexes have for some weeks been ringing with the sound of musical Christmas jollies, this blog presents the reverse side of the coin, with a small selection of works that reflect a less traditional side of the month of December.

Whatever the instrument, mastery of performance technique is a daunting challenge. But spare a thought for string players who probably suffer at the hands of exploitation more than others.

The nearest I’ve ever got to a gnome is by eyeing its dictionary definition

Recordings from Naxos and its affiliated labels were among the recently announced nominations for the 2022 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

This podcast features Marin Alsop in conversation with Raymond Bisha following the release of her first album for Naxos as chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Zemlinsky, the Austrian composer, conductor and teacher.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series introduces a selection of classical music items associated with natural disasters, from Biblical times to modern eras.

Violinist Tianwa Yang marks her fifteenth year as one of Naxos’ leading artists with a new album featuring Prokofiev’s two violin concertos.

I recently registered with my local library and duly received a plastic card that gives me borrowing rights.

An introduction to the Symphonies and Dances of composer Malcolm Arnold featuring conductor Andrew Penny who recorded all these works for Naxos.

Amid the busy world news scene last month, the announcement of the passing of the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis on 2 September at the age of 96 escaped my attention.

Raymond Bisha presents an overview of Boris Giltburg’s project to learn and record all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, which are now released in a 9-CD boxed set edition following their inception as critically acclaimed digital releases.

I’ve always found it intriguing how a quality composition is seemingly indestructible when it’s pressed into new clothes by skilled arrangers.

Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a brilliant swordsman, athlete, violin virtuoso and gifted composer, with a claim to being the most talented figure in an age of remarkable individuals.

If there’s a man for all seasons, is there a music for all days? The answer seems to be ‘yes’, so off we go.

Raymond Bisha introduces the second volume of string quartets by the Lithuanian composer Jurgis Karnavičius (1884–1941), recorded by the Vilnius String Quartet on the Ondine label.

It might seem improbable that something as solid and stolid as a mountain could be inspirational to composers.

Significantly influenced by his experience of playing in some of the earliest Soviet jazz bands, Nikolai Kapustin trained as a pianist at the Moscow Conservatory but subsequently devoted himself to composition.

Western composers uniformly embraced the system of tonality for some two centuries, until it found itself challenged by a radical alternative system called atonality around the year 1900.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series introduces a selection of classical music items associated with male personal grooming experts, either by profession or name.

Raymond Bisha prefaces his latest podcast with this introduction: “Heitor Villa-Lobos, the prolific Brazilian composer of some 2,000 works, conductor, cellist, guitarist and music educationalist, wrote his three violin sonatas between 1912 and 1920.

French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) is remembered as someone who could spin melodies as easily as he breathed.

In July of 2021, I finally met with an all-star cast at the Virginia Arts Festival to work on a pandemic delayed project—the first complete recording of the Walton Facade, including the appendix of four poems that had never been captured on recording.

Long before Madonna’s lucrative three-word ‘Like a Virgin’ spin-offs, Albert Ketèlbey had his own attention-grabbing four-word version: In a Chinese Temple Garden, In a Monastery Garden and my favourite of all, In a Persian Market.

With multiple GRAMMY nominations and wide critical acclaim to her credit, Joan Tower’s latest album in the Naxos American Classics series demonstrates why she is so often performed, and why she is such a respected person among American composers.

We reach the final instalment of our alphabetical collection of composers whose music has been somewhat neglected as the years have rolled by, with this blog casting a spotlight on Galina Ustvolskaya, Francesco Maria Veracini, Peter von Winter, Iannis Xenakis, Isang Yun and Joaquim Zamacóis.

Anne-Louise Brillon de Jouy ran one of the finest salons in pre-revolution Paris.

All at Naxos send their warmest congratulations to Julian Lloyd Webber following his inclusion in The Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours List on the 11th of June.

Recordings from the Naxos label are among the recently announced nominations for the 2021 OPUS Klassik Awards, Germany’s most prestigious awards body for classical music.

From composer to transcriber to performer — less instantaneous than modern transmissions, but it’s how many works first came to be known by music lovers before the dawn of the age of technology.

Continuing our alphabetical spotlighting of less well-known composers and their works, this week’s blog visits Italy, Poland and Guatemala and presents music from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (1782–1871) was one of the most famous composers of the 19th century.

Karłowicz, Lipiński, Magnard, Nepomuceno, Ohzawa. These are the composers who give us our next alphabetical tranche of unfamiliar names and neglected outputs that deserve a more frequent airing.

Raymond Bisha introduces Spanish guitarist Mabel Millán in her debut album for Naxos.

This is the second instalment in our alphabetical sifting through composers whose profiles are sadly more obscure than their quality compositions often deserve.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series focuses on Mahler’s wife, Alma.

In this podcast, Raymond Bisha takes us on a journey across South America, making musical stops in the countries of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Colombia.

This is the start of a 5-part series highlighting the distinctly engaging music of less well-known composers.

Raymond Bisha’s latest podcast finds him in conversation with world-renowned guitarist and lutenist Richard Savino who introduces his debut recording for Naxos that also features his renowned ensemble El Mundo.

Places of Christian worship the world over will be marking the Easter Story at this time, no doubt with many performances of sacred music that vividly portray the central scenes of Jesus’ execution on the cross, his entombment, and his subsequent resurrection.

Naxos is pleased to relate the announcement that Marin Alsop, one of the label’s major recording artists, has been named Classical Woman of the Year by Performance Today, the popular American classical music radio programme.

Described as having ‘natural genius’, John Abraham Fisher was a significant figure in London during the second half of the 18th century.

A fanfare is a flourish of trumpets or other similar instruments, used for military or ceremonial purposes, or music that conveys this impression.

Naxos is delighted to be among the recipients of this year’s GRAMMY Awards, announced on 14 March.

Aram Il’yich Khachaturian once described how he “grew up in an atmosphere rich in folk music, popular festivals, rites joyous and sad, events in the lives of people always accompanied by music… deeply engraved in my memory, that determined my musical thinking.”

Do you recall hearing a particularly affecting piece of music for the first time, maybe as a younger newcomer to the world of classical music?

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of choral transcriptions by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) that forms part of Naxos’ Music of Brazil series.

The young British composer Alexander Campkin has already received over 90 commissions from organisations such as The Royal Opera House, The London Mozart Players, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Aldeburgh Music and The BBC Performing Arts Fund.

There are as many interpretations of pieces of classical music as there are pairs of ears – that’s inner ears for conductors, and physical ears for audiences.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of orchestral works by Žibouklé Martinaityté (b. 1973).

Picking up from our last blog that featured musicians who died a century ago, in the year 1921, we consider a selection of singers, instrumentalists and composers who were born in that year.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series spotlights a collection of unfortunate musicians who became hostages of war at the outbreak of the First World War and whose story is as inspiring as the music that sustained them.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of 21st-century mallet percussion concertos performed by virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong under Jean Thorel.

Following the 2020 global Beethoven birthday bash, I’m going to run the risk of anniversary fatigue by dwelling on what comes in its wake: 2021 and a collection of milestones marking the centenaries of either the births or deaths of a number of composers and artists.

John Georgiadis, the British violinist, conductor and Naxos artist, has died at the age of 81.

Raymond Bisha introduces a programme of orchestral music by the Pulitzer and Erasmus Prize-winning American composer John Adams.

Choral music formed an important part of Anton Bruckner’s output throughout his career, even though the genre was widely underappreciated by a public more inclined to large-scale symphonic and operatic works.

Czech composer Vitězslav Novák (1870–1949), who was one of Dvořák’s composition students, rose to prominence with a series of increasingly ambitious orchestral works that fused elements of folk music, impressionism and late-Romanticism.

One Christmas carol that has always been on my list of favourites is the Cherry Tree Carol.

Raymond Bisha discusses a release of music by the American composer Bernard Herrmann with Joseph Horowitz, co-founder of PostClassical Ensemble, a group dedicated to stepping across normal repertoire boundaries.

We hope you will enjoy these selections and more from Naxos Records.

Naxos is pleased to announce the worldwide launch of its high-definition and lossless classical music streaming service.

Madison Gate Records recently announced the release in digital form of the soundtrack album for the upcoming, critically-acclaimed feature film, ‘Love is Strange’; the CD follows soon.

On 6 December 2013, artists, engineers and composers from the Naxos distribution family were honoured with 7 GRAMMY nominations for recordings across four labels—Naxos, Dacapo, Dorian Sono Luminus and Ondine.

Naxos Music Library is proud to announce the addition of the Sony Classical label to its streaming audio collection.

Take one farm, add thirty chickens, three lambs, one cat, one dog, a pond to take care of, a lot of grass to mow and a world class, state-of-the-art studio hidden in the barn, and the likelihood is that the man pulling weeds in the distance is one of the most recorded organists of our time.

Peter Breiner’s memory goes back a long way, but music in his life goes further still. Best known as a brilliant and prolific arranger, he is also a composer, conductor, pianist, percussionist (for many years a professional) and voracious musician.

Naxos is delighted to announce that its recording of Shostakovich 10th symphony with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Vasily Petrenko won the Gramophone’s 2011 Orchestral Award.

Naxos Music Library is proud to announce the addition of the EMI Classical and Jazz catalogue to its streaming audio collection.

No man is truly omnivorous. To be so would require a complete lack of discrimination. David Lloyd-Jones, on the other hand, combines remarkable musical gifts with immense sophistication, vast experience and a capacity for enthusiasm and curiosity that have seen him through more repertoire, in more genres, than most conductors ever dream of.

The Association of German Record Critics has awarded Steve Reich “Phase to Face” with the German Record Critics’ Award.

To meet Henning Kraggerud, the foremost Norwegian violinist of his generation, is to meet three-quarters of a string quartet.

Though born and largely domiciled in Poland, and a world-renowned champion of his national musical heritage, Antoni Wit has long been counted among the natural aristocrats of the musical world.

Long among the most admired of chamber groups, the Fine Arts Quartet, though domiciled as quartet-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is familiar all over the world.

In his native England, John Rutter is most famous for his Christmas carols. His prolific, and varied, output, however, reaches far beyond these.

Naxos is delighted to announce an outstanding result at this year’s GRAMMY Awards.

Whatever the period, he seemed at home in it. Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary, you name it.

Proclaimed by Mstislav Rostropovich as ‘the best cellist I have heard since Jacqueline du Pré’, Maria Kliegel is a household name amongst record buyers around the world.

As befits conductors of distinction, Morten Schuldt-Jensen is an all-rounder, his tastes ranging as widely as his approaches to performance. 

Yablonsky’s progress was essentially slow but steady. He reckons it took him about 15 years to really feel at ease in his conductor’s shoes, as it were.

Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838) is one of many talented composers who enjoyed a fine career, but whose achievements after death were largely forgotten because of Beethoven’s overpowering presence in 19th-century music.

Gramophone met up with Klaus Heymann, founder of Naxos, to find out his views of the future of the classical recording business and the role Naxos will play in it.

Naxos, the world’s leading classical music label enters into the Blu-ray Audio market.

Music of The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto is available from HNH International Limited. Full score and parts are available for hire.

Founded in 2005 as the successor of the Cannes Classical Awards, the MIDEM Classical Awards 2010 recognize creativity, innovation of repertoire and artistic excellence in classical music.

To know, that is, to really understand, music, you need to separate the particular characteristics of the music itself, the instrument you play and your own ego.

The Fine Arts Quartet, ‘one of the gold-plated names in chamber music’ (Washington Post), is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy, including several Naxos CDs.

This year Naxos will make a number of new recordings featuring leading artists. Here are some of the exciting highlights from our recording schedule to whet your appetite.

JoAnn Falletta shares her thoughts on several of her Naxos recordings, on working with the Buffalo Philharmonic and why the ‘crisis’ in classical music today is nothing new in this interview with Stephen Schafer.

Gerard Schwarz, Music Director of Seattle Symphony since 1985, Principal Conductor of the Eastern Music Festival, and Conductor Emeritus of New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, boasts an extensive, highly acclaimed and ever-growing discography on Naxos.

Once set aside by retailers as cheap music, the Naxos label now rivals the big guns in quality, writes Sam Olluver

Twice a winner of the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik for her Naxos recordings, Elizabeth Farr is on the faculty of the University of Colorado where she teaches harpsichord and organ, conducts the Early Music Ensemble, and offers classes in performance practices and basso-continuo playing.

For a real treat, watch an exceptional master class run by Maxim Vengerov that includes the acclaimed British violinist Chloë Hanslip, who was only 11-year-old at the time, on YouTube:

British lutenist Nigel North discusses his abiding love of Dowland’s music with Stephen Schafer and mused about what he’d do with a million dollars.

Marin Alsop is recognised as one of today’s leading conductors and boasts a number of outstanding Naxos recordings. She recently shared some thoughts about her career with Stephen Schafer, Editorial Manager for Naxos International Marketing.

On January 10, Naxos releases the 4th and final recording in a series of orchestral transcriptions by Leopold Stokowski led by Stokowski’s protégé, the GRAMMY award-winning conductor and composer José Serebrier, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

José Serebrier’s second volume of Bach-Stokowski Transcriptions is as colourful and wide-ranging as the first.

Sessions for four world première Shostakovich recordings, produced by Beata Jankowska-Burzynska, took place in the Grzegorz Fitelberg Concert Hall, Katowice, Poland in August and September 2008.

Kevin Mallon conducts Toronto Chamber Orchestra in a sparkling new Naxos release with Haydn Symphonies 62, 107 & 108 (8.572130).

American composer, conductor, and music administrator, Dr. Kenneth Fuchs has received numerous awards and honors for his music, including the Charles E. Ives Scholarship from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, grants from Meet The Composer, the ASCAP Foundation, the American Bandmasters Association, and residencies at The MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico.

From June 23 to 24, Chloë Hanslip recorded three violin works by Jenő Hubay with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Mogrelia.

The Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Opera Colorado Chorus, conducted by Marin Alsop, recorded John Adams’ opera Nixon in China for Naxos.

“When the Beijing Olympics open in August, to a heady mixture of sporting celebration and political controversy, music will play a huge part in reinforcing the image and message of the games.”

Earlier this month, Marin Alsop finished her successful six-year tenure as Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

The Staatskapelle Weimar, conducted by Michael Halász, recorded Max Bruch’s Symphony No. 1 in Eb, Op. 28 (1868) and Symphony No. 2 in f, Op. 36 (1870) for the Naxos label.

Most classical musicians no longer adhere to the idea that their genre is somehow superior to all other forms of music.

The Fine Arts Quartet recorded César Franck’s String Quartet in D Major and, together with pianist Cristina Ortiz, his Piano Quintet in F minor.

Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra will collaborate to produce a live recording of their production of John Adams’ acclaimed opera Nixon in China (1987).

Naxos’ recording of Elliott Carter’s String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5 (8.559362), featuring the Pacifica Quartet, is currently the most downloaded classical album on eMusic and tops the eMusic classical music chart.

From March 2 to 6, the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky, recorded two works by Sergey Mikhailovich Lyapunov (1859–1923).

Joachim’s seldom performed violin concertos were recorded for Naxos by the Staatskapelle Weimar under the baton of Michael Halász.

“Peter & the Wolf” – released on DVD by Arthaus Musik – was awarded an OSCAR^® for “Best animated short film”.

Three Symphonies for Wind Ensemble by Alan Hovhaness, Nos. 7, 14 and 23, were recored by the Trinity College of Music Wind Orchestra, conducted by Keith Brion.

As part of an exciting new series of recordings of 19th-century virtuoso violin works, Axel Strauss recorded 24 Caprices by the French-born violinist/composer Pierre Rode.

The first recording in more than 40 years of Ildebrando Pizzetti’s masterpiece Concerto dell’estate (‘Summer Concerto’) took place between the 16th and 21st of January at the Aristotle University Hall, Thessaloniki, performed by the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Myron Michailidis.

From January 8 to 10, conductor James Sinclair and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra recorded a new Ives programme for Naxos.

“DON’T LET HISTORY PASS YOU BY!” proclaims a banner hanging outside Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, in Baltimore.

Recording sessions were completed for eventual CD release as part of the continuing Naxos Deutsche-Lied Edition.

Staatskapelle Weimar, conducted by Antoni Wit, recorded Richard Strauss’ Sinfonia Domestica for Naxos.

On November 9, 10 and 11, the Buffalo Philharmonic under conductor JoAnn Falletta recorded two ‘new’ works by Franz Schubert for Naxos.

Aaron Copland’s score for the documentary film The City, made for the 1939 World’s Fair, was recorded on 15 October 2007 by the PostClassical Ensemble, under the direction of its conductor Angel Gil-Ordoñez.