2

WAGNER, R.: Tristan und Isolde [Opera] (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, 2016) (Blu-ray, HD) (752304)




2

MOZART, W.A.: Entführung aus dem Serail (Die) [Opera] (La Scala, 2017) (NTSC) (752008)




2

MOZART, W.A.: Entführung aus dem Serail (Die) [Opera] (La Scala, 2017) (Blu-ray, HD) (752104)




2

BRAHMS, J.: Symphonies (Complete) / The Brahms Code (Documentary, 2019) (Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic, P. Järvi) (NTSC) (734908)




2

BRAHMS, J.: Symphonies (Complete) / The Brahms Code (Documentary, 2019) (Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic, P. Järvi) (Blu-ray, HD) (735004)




2

VERDI, G.: Rigoletto [Opera] (Bregenz Festival, 2019) (NTSC) (751608)




2

VERDI, G.: Rigoletto [Opera] (Bregenz Festival, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (751704)




2

ROSSINI, G.: Cenerentola (La) [Opera] (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, 2016) (NTSC) (752408)




2

ROSSINI, G.: Cenerentola (La) [Opera] (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, 2016) (Blu-ray, HD) (752504)




2

NEUMEIER, J.: Beethoven Project [Ballet] (Hamburg Ballet, 2019) (NTSC) (753608)




2

NEUMEIER, J.: Beethoven Project [Ballet] (Hamburg Ballet, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (753704)




2

OFFENBACH, J.: Contes d'Hoffmann (Les) [Opera] (DNO, 2018) (NTSC) (752808)




2

OFFENBACH, J.: Contes d'Hoffmann (Les) [Opera] (DNO, 2018) (Blu-ray, HD) (752904)




2

BRAHMS, J.: Deutsches Requiem (Ein) (Farcas, Goerne, State Choir Latvija, Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic, P. Järvi) (NTSC) (753208)




2

BRAHMS, J.: Deutsches Requiem (Ein) (Farcas, Goerne, State Choir Latvija, Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic, P. Järvi) (Blu-ray, HD) (753304)




2

WAGNER, R.: Fliegende Holländer (Der) [Opera] (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 2019) (NTSC) (753808)




2

WAGNER, R.: Fliegende Holländer (Der) [Opera] (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (753904)




2

LARCHER, T.: Jagdgewehr (Das) (The Hunting Gun) [Opera] (Bregenz Festival, 2018) (NTSC) (754208)




2

LARCHER, T.: Jagdgewehr (Das) (The Hunting Gun) [Opera] (Bregenz Festival, 2018) (Blu-ray, HD) (754304)




2

VERDI, G.: Trovatore (Il) [Opera] (Arena di Verona, 2019) (NTSC) (754608)




2

VERDI, G.: Trovatore (Il) [Opera] (Arena di Verona, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (754704)




2

Piano Trio and Quartets - ELSNER, J. / SZYMANOWSKA, M. / MOZART, W.A. / LESSEL, F. (Warsaw Music Salon) (Arte dei Suonatori) (CDAccordACD269)




2

Piano Recital: Kim, Honggi - GRANADOS, E. / RAVEL, M. / SÁNCHEZ-VERDÚ, J.M. / SCHUMANN, R. / VINE, C. (8.574232)

Honggi Kim, winner of the 2018 Jaén Prize International Piano Competition, has chosen a fascinating recital programme for his Naxos recording debut. Both Scarbo and Los requiebros are pillars of the piano repertoire, brimming with expressive and technical challenges for any performer, as is Carl Vine’s beautifully written but rarely heard Piano Sonata No. 1. Sánchez-Verdú’s Jardín de espejos (‘Garden of Mirrors’) is influenced by the multiple layers in Islamic art, the ‘mirrors’ of the title lending shape to a tradition of listening, silence and echoes. The programme concludes with Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat major, an outstanding work in the chamber-music literature.




2

Piano Recital: Józsa, Peter - HAYDN, J. / SCHUBERT, F. / CHOPIN, F. / LISZT, F. / BRAHMS, J. (Portrait) (Gramola99213)




2

Piano Music (Norwegian) - TVEITT, G. / GRIEG, E. / KJERULF, H. / BACKER GRØNDAHL, A. (Nordic Light) (Soboń-Wakarecy) (CDAccordACD267)




2

MOÓR, E.: Concerto for 2 Cellos / Suite for 4 Cellos / Cello Sonata (S. Hess, D. Stromberg, Nuremberg Symphony, Piehlmayer) (OC1704)




2

MICHL, J.C.W.: Quartets Nos. 1-6 for Bassoon, 2 Violins and Cello (Hoadley, The Hall String Trio) (8.574054)

Upon hearing a chamber piece by Joseph Michl in Munich in 1772 the English composer and music historian Charles Burney wrote, ‘I hardly ever heard a composition that discovered more genius and invention.’ Even though Michl achieved success writing for the operatic stage and his contemporary reputation rested on his sacred works, the Bassoon Quartets present the epitome of urbane sophistication—elegantly constructed and full of imaginative detail—and at times resembling miniature concertos.




2

MAGNARD, A.: Orchestral Works - Ouverture / Chant funèbre / Hymne à la justice / Hymne à Vénus (Freiburg Philharmonic, Bollon) (8.574084)

Although Albéric Magnard’s oeuvre is relatively small, the uncompromising perfectionism with which he worked created a catalogue that is filled with expansive, complex and beautifully crafted music. Composed while he was still a student of Vincent d’Indy, the Suite d’orchestre dans le style ancien follows 18th-century models and is simultaneously solemn and joyful in mood, while the Chant funèbre is seen as his first true masterpiece. The importance of justice in Magnard’s life is expressed in the Hymne à la justice, while the Hymne à Vénus reflects every aspect of love, from tenderness to elation.




2

KRČEK, J.: String Quartets Nos. 1-4 (Czech Philharmonic Quartet) (UP0214)




2

KORNGOLD, E.W.: Opera Highlights and Orchestral Works - Das Wunder der Heliane / Märchenbilder / Die tote Stadt (Linz Bruckner Orchestra, C. Richter) (C7350)




2

Impressions of China - Winning Works from the 2018 Huang Zi International Chinese Piano Composition Competition (G. Luisi) (8.579070)

All of the works in this programme were prize winners in the hotly contested 2018 Huang Zi International Chinese Piano Composition Competition, an event marking the 80th anniversary of the death of this influential composer and educator. Themes explored include the charm and unpredictability of China’s landscape, alongside elements of Chinese musical and theatrical aesthetics. Joint First Prize winners were Emile Naoumoff, whose Celestial Parade describes the composer’s wonderful experiences while in Shanghai, and Zhiliang Zhang, whose Qiao Ling Liu Dan portrays six widely differing ‘Dan’ or female characters in Sichuanese opera.




2

HERNÁNDEZ, S.: Piano Music Initiation to the Shadow / Terra Santa / Fantasia for Piano / Don't Forget About That (S. Hernández) (8.579072)

The distinguished Spanish composer and pianist Sira Hernández is known especially for her involvement with multi-discipline arts projects at major international festivals and cultural events. Many of her works are inspired by Italian artists as can be heard on this album. Minimalist techniques and the significance of tonality and timbre in communicating darkness and light are heard in Iniciación a la sombra and the sewing-machine ostinatos of Fantasía para piano. The presence of God amidst the bleak spaces of madness are expressed in Terra Santa, and the intensity of Don’t Forget About That invites us to resist oblivion.




2

Harp Recital: Plachá, Barbora - KRUMPHOLTZ, J.-B. / DUSSEK, J.L. (Works for Harp) (UP0216)




2

HANDEL, G.F.: Messiah (1742 version) (Mields, Schachtner, Kristjánsson, Berndt, Gaechinger Cantorey, Rademann) (ACC-30499)




2

Guitar Recital: Egholm, Jonas - BERGNER, Y.L. / CHRISTENSEN, J.J. / FRANDSEN, J. / GLERUP, R. / HEGAARD, L. / HOLMEN, J. / NIELSEN, M. (Educate-S) (8.226615)




2

Guitar Recital: Aguiar, Pedro - PEREIRA, M. / GNATTALI, R. / REIS, D. / GAROTO / GUINGA / GARCÍA AGUILERA, J. de D. / VILLA-LOBOS, H. / ASSAD, S. (8.574069)

Rooted in European music, native folk traditions and often infused by jazz, Brazilian music encompasses a huge variety of dance forms and songs. Prize-winning guitarist Pedro Aguiar has selected a panoramic recital to illustrate these elements which include the choro and music rich in melody and rhythmic vitality. From Villa-Lobos, whose Choros No. 1 is one of the most popular guitar solos ever written, through to the work of the revered Dilermando Reis, and on to contemporary examples of the genre, this is music of dazzling virtuosity and finesse.




2

GIULIANI, M.: Choix de mes fleurs chéries / Le Giulianate (Le Bouquet Emblématique) (Khouri) (CDS7855)




2

FISCHER-DIESKAU, Dietrich: Lied Edition, Vol. 1 - ZELTER, C.F. / REICHARDT, J.F. / SPOHR, L. / WOLF, H. / PFITZNER, H. (C992205)




2

DOHNÁNYI, E.: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (Gülbadamova, Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic, Matiakh) (C5387)




2

COLOMBIA Son Real Orchestra: Salsa (EUCD2900)




2

ČIURLIONIS, M.K.: Sea (The) / In the Forest / Kęstutis Overture (Lithuanian National Symphony, Pitrėnas) (ODE1344-2)




2

CHOPIN, F.: Scherzos Nos. 1-4 / Impromptus Nos. 1-3 / Fantasy-Impromptu / Allegro de concert (Mao Fujita) (8.574052)

Chopin turned the Scherzo into a new form of piano composition: an independent virtuoso work which he laced with drama, Polish folk song, tranquillity and nuance. With their rhythmic lilt and filigree ornamentation the Impromptus are infused with Romantic freedom, while the Allegro de concert, Op. 46 was originally conceived as a movement for a projected piano concerto but was instead revised for solo piano.




2

CHINA / SYRIA Gao Hong / Issam Rafea: From Our World to Yours (EUCD2899)




2

BRAHMS, J.: Piano Concerto No. 2 / Handel Variations (Vogt, Royal Northern Sinfonia) (ODE1346-2)




2

BOLIVIA Ruphay (Los): Music of the Andes - Jach'a Uru (The Great Day) (EUCD2893)




2

BEETHOVEN, L. van: Symphonies (Complete) (Stuttgart Radio Symphony, Norrington) (SWR19525CD)




2

BEETHOVEN, L. van: String Quartets Nos. 13 and 15 / Grosse Fuge (Tetzlaff Quartet) (ODE1347-2D)




2

BEETHOVEN, L. van: Mass in C Major / Vestas Feuer / Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt (Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, Turku Philharmonic, Segerstam) (8.574017)

The custom of marking the name-day of Princess Esterházy with a newly composed Mass began in the 1790s and for many years was carried out by Joseph Haydn. In 1807 Beethoven was commissioned and responded with his Mass in C major. Coolly received at court, it is a celebratory work of large-scale brilliance. The cantata Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt is set to Goethe’s poems and contrasts calm with exuberance. In 1803 Beethoven set two numbers from Vestas Feuer, written by Emanuel Schikaneder, the librettist of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.




2

BEETHOVEN, L. van: Celebrate Beethoven - Music from His Late Compositional Period (c.1815–1827) (9.30207)




2

BEETHOVEN, L. van: 30 of the Best (8.578350-52)

Beethoven is regarded by many to be the greatest composer who ever lived, and this collection presents 30 essential recordings of his most well-known works. From the beautiful moods of lamentation in the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata to the amorous sophistication of Für Elise, and from the heroism of Fidelio to the mighty finale of the ‘Choral’ Symphony, every significant facet of Beethoven’s monumental achievement is represented in this collection of exemplary performances from the Naxos catalogue.