ar GÓRECKI, H.M.: String Quartets (Complete), Vol. 2 - No. 3 / Sonata for 2 Violins (Tippett Quartet) (8.574110) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT The Sonata for Two Violins is one of Henryk Górecki’s earliest acknowledged works—its contrasts, instrumental rivalries and sophisticated technique a worthy rounding-off of his formative period. The Third String Quartet with its evocative subtitle ‘…songs are sung’ represents a culmination of Górecki’s preoccupations with elaborate and emotive melodic shapes and closely intertwined harmonies, its final minutes recalling the beauty and poignancy of the composer’s Third Symphony (Naxos 8.550822). The First and Second String Quartets can be heard on Naxos 8.573919, ‘a recording deserving of the very highest recommendation’ (Gramophone). Full Article
ar FARRENC, L.: Symphony No. 1 / Overtures Nos. 1-2 / Grand Variations on a theme by Count Gallenberg (J. Muller, Solistes Européens, Luxembourg, König) (8.574094) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Louise Farrenc was renowned in her lifetime as a pianist, composer and teacher, but it is only recently that her compositions have emerged from many years of neglect. Symphony No. 1 in C minor—cast in the German tradition—is an exceptionally accomplished work, finely orchestrated, lyrical and fiery, and a substantial contribution to the canon. The Grand Variations on a Theme by Count Gallenberg is a showcase for virtuosic elegance, and the two overtures demonstrate real theatrical drama—Overture No. 2 was admired by no less a figure than Hector Berlioz. Full Article
ar BEETHOVEN, L. van: Ruinen von Athen (Die) (The Ruins of Athens) (Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, Turku Philharmonic, Segerstam) (8.574076) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Die Ruinen von Athen (‘The Ruins of Athens’) was composed to celebrate the opening of the new German theatre in Pest in 1812. Designed to accompany the play of that name by August von Kotzebue, its incidental music is substantial enough to form a kind of one-act Singspiel and is full of attractive arias, duets and choruses and includes the famous Turkish March. Though the work’s theme was rooted in Greek mythology, in reality it was explicitly political in nature, celebrating Pest as ‘the new Athens’. This is the first ever recording of the work with full narration. Full Article
ar ZÁDOR, E.: Sinfonia Technica / Music for Clarinet and Strings / Trombone Concerto (Sólyomi, Fejér, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, Smolij) (8.574108) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT The music of Eugene Zádor is both warmly expressive and colourful. The composer took great delight in writing for overlooked solo instruments, as his Trombone Concerto, garnished with elements of Hungarian folklore, clearly shows. The easy-going, gypsy-influenced Music for Clarinet and Strings is a beautifully proportioned quasi-concerto. The Sinfonia Technica, composed much earlier when he was living in Vienna, and something of a one-off, is an enchanting and exuberantly orchestrated example of ‘industrial music’. Full Article
ar Wind Band Music - MASLANKA, D. / PERRINE, A. / WALCZYK, K. (Freedom from Fear) (University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Popiel) (8.574169) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Contemporary American music for wind band continues to offer a rich combination of colour and variety. David Maslanka was one of the most prolific and admired of all wind band composers, and in Liberation he utilises plainchant in a moving exploration of death, the afterlife and the continuance of hope. Inspired by Walt Whitman, Aaron Perrine’s In the Open Air, In the Silent Lines creates a rich sense of space, while Kevin Walczyk’s moving Symphony No. 5: Freedom from Fear – Images from the Shoreline is unified by its themes of adoption, segregation and immigration. Full Article
ar WEINBERG, M.: Clarinet Music - Clarinet Concerto / Clarinet Sonata / Chamber Symphony No. 4 (Oberaigner, Schöch, Michail Jurowski) (8.574192) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Mieczysław Weinberg was familiar with the clarinet from his youth, given its prominent place in klezmer bands and theatre ensembles, and he wrote three works specifically for the instrument. In the Clarinet Concerto he draws a wide range of textures from the accompanying strings, over which the soloist explores the clarinet’s extremes of register in virtuosic fashion. Despite having been written when Weinberg was still in his mid-twenties, the Clarinet Sonata is a mature work with Romantic and folkloric elements. His last completed work was the Chamber Symphony No. 4, an impassioned piece with a wrenching chorale theme and role for obbligato clarinet. Full Article
ar STRAUSS II, J.: Blindekuh [Operetta] (R. Davidson, Kunkle, Bortolotti, Sofia Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Salvi) (8.660434-35) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Blindekuh (‘Blind Man’s Buff’) was Johann Strauss II’s sixth operetta and his least known. Neglected for well over a century, it was revived by Dario Salvi and the forces on this album in January 2019. The work’s initial lack of success is hard to explain but it may have been caused by a confusing libretto—the music itself is vibrant and captivating with waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, marches and bel canto arias. Performed in a concert version without dialogue, and in accordance with performing traditions, this production restores the work to the status of one of Strauss’s most melodically seductive works. Full Article
ar SCHUMANN, R.: Arrangements for Piano Duet, Vol. 5 (Eckerle Piano Duo) - Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4 (8.572881) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT The insatiable demand for sheet music for domestic use in the 19th century meant that popular works were widely disseminated in piano duet form. Robert Schumann’s own arrangements of the ‘Spring’ Symphony (in collaboration with his wife Clara Schumann) and the Fourth Symphony balance playability and fidelity to the original with tremendous skill. Clara considered the Fourth Symphony to be ‘another work from the innermost depths of Robert’s soul’, a symphony that has become one of the most quintessential of the Romantic era. Full Article
ar SCARLATTI, D.: Keyboard Sonatas (Complete), Vol. 23 (Monteiro) (8.574075) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Domenico Scarlatti’s distinguished career included a royal post in Rome where he competed against Handel, the latter being declared the better organist and Scarlatti the better harpsichordist. Written for his pupil the Infanta Maria Bárbara, Scarlatti’s legacy of hundreds of single-movement keyboard sonatas forms a valuable resource for performers today. This collection includes a wealth of Spanish dances with virtuoso leaps, unusual modulations, flourishes and ornamentation, as well as Scarlatti’s irrepressible verve and energy. Full Article
ar JOLIVET, A.: Flute Works (Complete), Vol. 2 (Boulègue, Tulliez, L. Warnier, Gimeno) (8.574079) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT In this second volume of André Jolivet’s complete works for flute (Volume 1 is on 8.573885), Kobe International Flute Competition winner Hélène Boulègue explores further examples of some of the most individual and important of all 20th-century works for the instrument. The Flute Concerto No. 1 exemplifies Jolivet’s genius for liquid melodic lines and frenetic bravura. The intricately scored Suite en concert for flute and four percussionists is one of the most fascinating in the repertoire, whilst the Sonatine is both trance-like and rhapsodic. Full Article
ar DANIELPOUR, R.: Passion of Yeshua (The) [Oratorio] (UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Falletta) (8.559885-86) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Richard Danielpour’s dramatic oratorio The Passion of Yeshua—a work which has evolved over the last 25 years—is an intensely personal telling of the final hours of Christ on Earth. It incorporates texts from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Gospels inspiring extraordinarily beautiful music that stresses the need for human compassion and forgiveness. Danielpour returns to the scale and majesty of Bach in this oratorio, creating choruses that are intense and powerful, and giving both Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene a central place in a work of glowing spirituality. Conductor JoAnn Falletta considers The Passion of Yeshua to be “a classic for all time.” Full Article
ar Cello and Piano Recital: Smith, Brinton Averil / Chen, Evelyn (Exiles in Paradise - Émigré Composers in Hollywood) (8.579055) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Political crises and rising antisemitism in Europe during the first half of the 20th century prompted many leading musicians to immigrate to America. An influx of refugees formed a flourishing artistic community centred within a few square miles near Hollywood and this exceptional gathering of composers transformed America’s musical landscape. This survey explores their diverse output through music for cello and piano, including arrangements by the composers and their fellow expatriate performers never before heard on the cello. Full Article
ar BROUWER, L.: Guitar Music, Vol. 5 - Danzas Rituales y Festivas, Vol. 2 / Guitar Sonatas Nos. 3, 4, 5 (P.M. González) (8.574016) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Leo Brouwer is universally acclaimed as an innovative composer, and this fifth volume of his complete guitar works contains some of his longest and most ambitious pieces. Danzas Rituales y Festivas Vol. 2 covers the gamut of virtuosic techniques and includes a movement dedicated to Pedro Mateo González, while Brouwer considers the Sonata del Pensador to be ‘one of my most valuable pieces’. Rich in Cuban rhythms, introspection and astonishing virtuosity, Brouwer’s work is the result of a lifetime of musical exploration alongside a passion for music of the past. Full Article
ar BRETÓN, T.: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 3 (Bretón String Quartet) (8.573037) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Tomás Bretón’s distinguished career as an opera composer and leading figure in Madrid’s musical life at the turn of the 20th century has tended to overshadow the significant contribution he made to Spanish chamber music. He remained true to the historic roots of the string quartet genre—his First String Quartet being a tribute to the Viennese tradition in its Classical poise. The Third String Quartet exudes Mendelssohnian inspiration in its first movement with overtly Spanish idioms, the Allegro no mucho third movement also having been turned into a version for piano trio as the Scherzo andalou. This is the first of two albums of the complete string quartets. Full Article
ar WEILAND, D.: String Quartets Nos. 4 and 5 (Melbourne Quartet) (8.574028) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT British composer Douglas Weiland has long been acclaimed as one of contemporary music’s most outstanding composers for the string quartet medium, and his evolving cycle has won much admiration. Composed between 2011 and 2012 the Fourth and Fifth Quartets show him at the height of his artistic powers, where he seeks connections across time, and shows a Classical commitment to form, invention and melodic beauty. His conceptions can be Schubertian in scale and scope, while also displaying the influence of Haydn and Bartók. Full Article
ar HARDY, T.: Two on a Tower (Unabridged) (NA0400) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT Deep in the grounds of Welland House lies an ancient memorial tower, surrounded by a prehistoric wilderness that isolates it from the rest of the land. When one day Viviette Constantine, the wife of the estate’s owner, investigates the tower, she there discovers Swithin St Cleeve, a young astronomer who introduces her to the majesty and wonders of the night sky. Instantly drawn to Swithin, and with her husband abroad, Viviette offers him use of the tower and becomes a kind of apprentice to him, and then, eventually, a lover. Guarded by the tower’s safe seclusion, the two star-crossed lovers ‘sweep the heavens’ and create their own private world, away from the judgement of society… Will they keep their secret, and escape the forces set to drive them apart? Full Article
ar LEBLANC, M.: Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar (Unabridged) (NA0411) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT The first of Maurice Leblanc’s collections about his devilish, debonair rogue, Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar presents eight dazzling short stories that display some of Lupin’s greatest thefts and escapes. Lupin robs from within prison, leaves its walls with ease, steals priceless diamonds from the rich and outwits the greatest detective of all: Sherlock Holmes. Witty, cunning and taunting, Lupin is a genius on the wrong side of the law, although his noble code of ethics and Robin-Hood-like ways often see him use his talents for good. Full Article
ar COLLINS, W.: Armadale (Unabridged) (NA0409) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT Two young men linked by a familial murder mystery, a beautiful yet wicked governess who spins a web of deceit, and five individuals named Allan Armadale: Wilkie Collins’s follow-up to The Woman in White and No Name is an innovative take on mistaken identity, the nature of evil and the dark underbelly of Victorian England. The story concerns two distant cousins, both named Allan Armadale, and the impact of a family tragedy, which makes one of them a target of the murderous Lydia Gwilt, a vicious and malevolent charmer determined to get her hands on the Armadale fortune. Will the real Allan Armadale be revealed, and will he survive the plot against his life? Full Article
ar WHARTON, E.: Ethan Frome (Unabridged) (NA0421) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Set deep in the remote countryside of Massachusetts, New England, in a world of small-town prejudice, pettiness and rural poverty, the story of Ethan Frome explores the crippling marriage of a young man to an older woman and his love for her vibrant young cousin, Mattie, who lives as a dependent in the Frome household. His feelings lead to a day of explosive emotions with tragic consequences. Published in 1911, two years before Wharton divorced her husband, the novel integrates the raw experiences of the author’s own life to create a powerful tale of the tragic destruction of innocent love, in a stark, compressed and unified form. Over time, the book has gained the reputation of being Edith Wharton’s best work. Full Article
ar Podcast: Ludwig van Beethoven. Works from his middle years. (Feb 28, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Celebrate Beethoven – Music from His Middle Compositional Period 9.30206 Raymond Bisha presents an overview of works written by Beethoven during his middle years period. It’s a companion resource to the latest release in Naxos’ monthly digital album series featuring the music of Beethoven in this 250th anniversary year of his birth. February’s compilation album (9.30206) presents a programme of wo ...more Full Article
ar Podcast: Write It – Reflections on Sanctuary Road (Jan 10, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 10 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT MORAVEC, P.: Sanctuary Road Laquita Mitchell, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Joshua Blue, Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dashon Burton, Oratorio Society of New York, Kent Tritle 8.559884 WQXR radio host Terrance McKnight introduces the world premiere recording of an oratorio by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell. It’s a deeply moving tribute to the men and women of the Underground Railroad and to one heroic man in ...more Full Article
ar In the Studio with Kenneth Fuchs and the United States Coast Guard Band (Jan 18, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 18 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT Kenneth Fuchs, the GRAMMY Award-winning American composer, is no stranger to followers of our burgeoning American Classics Series, in which he is represented by six fine releases, including the GRAMMY-winning album with “Spiritualist” piano concerto from last year’s award ceremony. His next recording, a programme of music for wind band, will be available in August 2020. As part of the preparations for that release, Kenneth has been working on a couple of video pre ...more Full Article
ar Sounds Interesting. A Magnificent Seven (Mar 06, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 06 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series spotlights the contributions of seven composers who made significant, but neglected contributions to the heritage of American symphonic music. The presenter is Richard Kennedy. Listen to the podcast Listen to more podcasts on the Naxos Blog ...more Full Article
ar Podcast: Richard Danielpour’s oratorio The Passion of Yeshua (Mar 13, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 13 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT DANIELPOUR, R.: Passion of Yeshua (The) [Oratorio] UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta 8.559885-86 Raymond Bisha introduces Richard Danielpour’s oratorio The Passion of Yeshua, a 105-minute work for large chorus, six soloists and orchestra that takes the listener back to Jesus’ final day on earth, removing as much as possible the accretions of history since that moment in ...more Full Article
ar From the Naxos Blog: Six Sounds of Shakespeare (Mar 20, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 20 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Source: Hogarth Shakespeare March 21 marks the European Day of Early Music. By way of a slightly contorted response to the occasion, I thought we might take a look at William Shakespeare’s influence on composers, not through the contemporary contributions they made to performances of his plays (he lived from 1564 to 1616), but by taking stock of how The Bard has inspired and permeated the output of generations of composers since his day. ...more Full Article
ar Podcast: Ludwig van Beethoven–the concertos (Mar 27, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT BEETHOVEN, L. van: Celebrate Beethoven - Concertos 9.30210 Beethoven’s concertos enjoy the spotlight in this podcast from Raymond Bisha. It serves as a companion resource to the latest digital album in our series marking the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The technical and musical demands Beethoven makes of his concerto soloists shine centre-stage in this compilation of wonderful performances of movements from his ...more Full Article
ar Naxos among ICMA 2020 winners – wins Recording of the Year Award (May 02, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 02 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Naxos was among the winners of this year’s International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), announced on 30 April. Ondine, one of Naxos’ affiliated labels, was also the recipient of an award. Of the nineteen citations in the audio and video categories, Naxos received two awards, both of which went to its box set of Beethoven’s complete symphonies, featuring the Danish Chamber Orchestra under Adam Fischer. The collection won the Symphonic Music category and was also na ...more Full Article
ar SUK, J.: Asrael (Bavarian Radio Symphony, Hruša) (900188) By Published On :: May 2020 Review by Richard Whitehouse Gramophone, May 2020 Full Article
ar Piano Recital: Gulda, Friedrich - BEETHOVEN, L. van / BACH, J.S. / SCHUBERT, F. / COUPERIN, F. (The Stuttgart Solo Recitals) (1966-1979) (SWR19081CD) By Published On :: May 2020 International Piano, May 2020 View PDF Full Article
ar Piano Concertos - MOZART, W.A. / BEETHOVEN, L. van / HAYDN, J. (Gulda, Keilberth, Müller-Kray, Rosbaud) (1959-1962) (SWR19088CD) By Published On :: May 2020 International Piano, May 2020 View PDF Full Article
ar NIELSEN, C.: Flute Concerto / IBERT, J.: Flute Concerto / ARNOLD, M.: Flute Concerto No. 1 (Andrada, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, J. Martín) (ODE1340-2) By Published On :: May 2020 Review by Christian Hoskins Gramophone, May 2020 Full Article
ar GOULD, G.: String Quartet / GULDA, F.: String Quartet in F-Sharp Minor (Acies Quartett) (Gramola99028) By Published On :: May 2020 Review by Guy Rickards Gramophone, May 2020 Full Article
ar GÓRECKI, H.M.: String Quartets (Complete), Vol. 2 - No. 3 / Sonata for 2 Violins (Tippett Quartet) (8.574110) By Published On :: May 2020 Review by Ivan Moody Gramophone, May 2020 Full Article
ar DEBARGUE, Lucas: To Music (Documentary, 2017) (NTSC) (2.110639) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar DEBARGUE, Lucas: To Music (Documentary, 2017) (Blu-ray, HD) (NBD0101V) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar MARTHALER, C. / ENGEL, T. / VIEBROCK, A.: Universe, Incomplete (after C. Ives) / The Unanswered Ives (Documentary, 2018) (NTSC) (ACC-20434) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar RESPIGHI, O.: Bella dormente nel bosco (La) [Opera] (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2017) (NTSC) (2.110655) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar RESPIGHI, O.: Bella dormente nel bosco (La) [Opera] (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2017) (Blu-ray, HD) (NBD0106V) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar MOZART, W.A.: Mass No. 18, `Great` / MOZART, L.: Litaniae Lauretanae de BVM (Salzburg Bach Choir, Camerata Salzburg, Manze) (NTSC) (BVE08057) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar MOZART, W.A.: Mass No. 18, `Great` / MOZART, L.: Litaniae Lauretanae de BVM (Salzburg Bach Choir, Camerata Salzburg, Manze) (Blu-ray, HD) (BVE08058) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar EXHIBITION ON SCREEN - LEONARDO: The Works (Art Documentary, 2019) (NTSC) (SEV207) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar STRAVINSKY, I.: Rake's Progress (The) [Opera] (Equilibrium Young Artists, 2018) / HANNIGAN, Barbara: Taking Risks (Documentary, 2018) (NTSC) (ACC-20420) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar PURCELL, H.: King Arthur [Opera] (Sung in English with German dialogue) (Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2017) (NTSC) (2.110658) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar PURCELL, H.: King Arthur [Opera] (Sung in English with German dialogue) (Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2017) (Blu-ray, HD) (NBD0109V) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar MAHLER, G.: Symphony No. 5 / TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Live aus der Elbphilharmonie) (SoRyang, Yutaka Sado) (NTSC) (Gramola20004) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar SHAKESPEARE, W.: Romeo and Juliet (Royal Shakespeare Company, 2018) (NTSC) (OA1291D) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar SHAKESPEARE, W.: Merry Wives of Windsor (The) (Royal Shakespeare Company, 2018) (NTSC) (OA1293D) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Tue, 01 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar SHAKESPEARE, W.: Globe Collection (The) (Shakespeare's Globe, 2009-2015) (23-DVD Box Set) (NTSC) (OA1301BD) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Tue, 01 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar SHAKESPEARE, W.: Shakespeare Trilogy - Julius Caesar / Henry IV / The Tempest (Donmar Warehouse, 2016) (4-DVD Box Set) (NTSC) (OA1297BD) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
ar ENRICO CECCHETTI DIPLOMA (THE) (Dance Documentary, 2019) (NTSC + Blu-ray, HD) (OASP4102BD) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
