k MAGNARD, A.: Orchestral Works - Ouverture / Chant funèbre / Hymne à la justice / Hymne à Vénus (Freiburg Philharmonic, Bollon) (8.574084) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT 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. Full Article
k KRČEK, J.: String Quartets Nos. 1-4 (Czech Philharmonic Quartet) (UP0214) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k KORNGOLD, E.W.: Opera Highlights and Orchestral Works - Das Wunder der Heliane / Märchenbilder / Die tote Stadt (Linz Bruckner Orchestra, C. Richter) (C7350) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k Impressions of China - Winning Works from the 2018 Huang Zi International Chinese Piano Composition Competition (G. Luisi) (8.579070) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT 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. Full Article
k Harp Recital: Plachá, Barbora - KRUMPHOLTZ, J.-B. / DUSSEK, J.L. (Works for Harp) (UP0216) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k HANDEL, G.F.: Messiah (1742 version) (Mields, Schachtner, Kristjánsson, Berndt, Gaechinger Cantorey, Rademann) (ACC-30499) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k GIULIANI, M.: Choix de mes fleurs chéries / Le Giulianate (Le Bouquet Emblématique) (Khouri) (CDS7855) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k GAVRILIN, V.A.: Russian Notebook (The) / Anyuta (excerpts) (Shkirtil, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony, Serov) (8.573883) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Valery Gavrilin was one of the most colourful and significant Russian composers of the second half of the 20th century. He was only 25 when he composed The Russian Notebook, a ‘poem of love and death’ crafted in a new musical language that doesn’t employ folk melodies but does use folkloric texts, and with a virtuosic vocal part. These stylised tunes are combined with rich melodies to form a haunting cycle heard here in a 2018 orchestration. The ten numbers from the ballet Anyuta are lively, melodious and touchingly beautiful. Full Article
k FISCHER-DIESKAU, Dietrich: Lied Edition, Vol. 1 - ZELTER, C.F. / REICHARDT, J.F. / SPOHR, L. / WOLF, H. / PFITZNER, H. (C992205) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k DOHNÁNYI, E.: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (Gülbadamova, Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic, Matiakh) (C5387) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k COUPERIN, F.: Harpsichord Music (L'Unique) (Vinikour) (CDR90000-194) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k CLARKE, N.: Mysteries of the Horizon / Dial 'H' for Hitchcock / Swift Severn's Flood (Vanhoorne, Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Thornton, Clarke, S.Smith) (8.574097) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Nigel Clarke has always been fascinated by virtuosity and timbre—it is the brass band genre that has lent itself most to his passion for musical athleticism. Dial ‘H’ for Hitchcock is an imaginary film score in the film noir vein, complete with classic and chilling sound effects, while the heroic, brooding and violent Swift Severn’s Flood was inspired by a line from Shakespeare. Cornet concerto Mysteries of the Horizon examines the atmosphere of paintings by René Magritte, and Earthrise celebrates one of the most iconic photographs in history and the drama of the Apollo 8 mission. Full Article
k ČIURLIONIS, M.K.: Sea (The) / In the Forest / Kęstutis Overture (Lithuanian National Symphony, Pitrėnas) (ODE1344-2) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k CIPULLO, T.: Parting (The) [Opera] (Strickling, C. Cook, Mayes, Music of Remembrance, Willis) (8.669044) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Heard here in its world premiere recording, The Parting is a daring opera by award-winning composer Tom Cipullo and librettist David Mason that explores the life and art of Miklós Radnóti, one of the most important poetic witnesses to the Holocaust, and one of its tragic victims. Radnóti’s poems express emotions from love and enchantment to absolute loss, and The Parting includes texts found in his jacket pocket after his death. This opera is a profound meditation on what it is about art that outlives us, that enables us to be creative even in the face of unimaginable adversity, and reminds us to guard against hatred and to celebrate what makes us human. Full Article
k Cello, Soprano and Piano Recital: Ruh, Janina / Kusnezow, Boris - POULENC, F. / DEBUSSY, C. / FRANCK, C. (Dialogues) (SWR19030CD) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k BRUCKNER, A.: Symphony No. 4, `Romantic` (1886 version, ed. L. Nowak) (Bavarian Radio Symphony, M. Jansons) (900187) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k BEETHOVEN, L. van: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Kord) (CDAccordACD075) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k BEETHOVEN, L. van: Mass in C Major / Vestas Feuer / Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt (Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, Turku Philharmonic, Segerstam) (8.574017) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT 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. Full Article
k BEETHOVEN, L. van: Chamber Music - Piano Quartet, Op. 16 / Minuets and Dances (Sofia Kim, Kroh, Segal, Sarid, IU Wind Ensemble, Dorsey) (8.574040-41) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT In his first decade in Vienna, Beethoven seems to have been preoccupied with music for wind instruments. The best-known example is his Quintet in E flat major, Op. 16, which he arranged at the same time for piano quartet. He also wrote music for dances and settings of folk songs, and reflected the public’s interest in automata by writing for musical clock. The Napoleonic wars were mirrored in Beethoven’s music of the period, especially in his military compositions such as a series of Marches and the Equali, scored for trombones, which were later played at his funeral. Full Article
k BALADA, L.: Clarinet Works - Caprichos Nos. 6 and 7 / Double Concerto (Ivanov, Rominski, Polaczyk, Eryılmaz, Larson) (8.579056) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Barcelona native Leonardo Balada’s creative style has been labelled ‘Dalí’s surrealism in music’—an aspect of his work explored in this programme through the technique of ‘sound transformation’ in which abstract musical materials become familiar melody. Fusing traditional and contemporary elements, Caprichos Nos. 6 and 7 engage intimately with Spanish culture and history, while the virtuoso Double Concerto, heard here in an arrangement for flute, clarinet and piano, blends well-known Mexican folk tunes with the composer’s distinctive avant-garde style. Full Article
k ADÈS, T.: Piano Solo Works (Han Chen) (8.574109) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès has been described by The New York Times as ‘among the most accomplished all-round musicians of his generation’. His Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face reflects the glamour of the opera’s subject in the grand manner of Liszt or Busoni, while Still Sorrowing and Darknesse Visible explore John Dowland’s haunting lute works. Heard here in its world premiere recording, competition piece Blanca Variations is lyrical and flowing in character, and Traced Overhead is a vivid description of ascent and flight. Adès captures and transforms Polish style in his Mazurkas, and the spirit of Satie and Ravel in a Souvenir from the film Colette. Full Article
k Violin Sonatas (American) - SCHOENFELD, P. / STUCKY, S. / HARBISON, J. (Three American Sonatas) (Cho-Liang Lin, J.K. Parker) (8.559888) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT The three sonatas on this recording were written at the behest of violinist Cho-Liang Lin, who worked closely with each composer at their premiere performance. Paul Schoenfeld’s Violin Sonata references literary influences and the composer’s past as well as his Jewish heritage in the work’s final Freilach or “joyous dance”. Steven Stucky acknowledged Debussy as the source of inspiration in his work, while the alchemy of John Harbison’s style creates music that is simultaneously abstract and narrative. Wryly introduced as “crazy modern music”, Bernstein’s brief Canon for Aaron was composed for Copland’s 70th birthday celebrations. Full Article
k VERDI, G.: Attila [Opera] (I. D'Arcangelo, Monastyrska, S. La Colla, G. Petean, Bavarian Radio Chorus, Munich Radio Orchestra, Repušić) (900330) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Sacred Choral Works - Vesper Service / Hymn in honour of SS Cyril and Methodius (Latvian Radio Choir, Kļava) (ODE1352-2) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k SKORYK, M.: Violin Concertos (Complete), Vol. 2 - Nos. 5-9 (Bielow, Ukraine National Symphony, Sirenko) (8.574089) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Myroslav Skoryk is one of Ukraine’s leading composers and teachers, with a portfolio of works that include opera, a symphonic transcription of Paganini’s Caprices, and a cycle of nine violin concertos written over a 45-year span (Volume 1 is on 8.574088). Concerto No. 5 utilises jazz elements and a vivid fugato, while Concerto No. 6 explores the use of sensual moods and provocative dance rhythms. Syncopation and lyricism suffuse Concerto No. 7, while No. 9 is both touching and dramatic. Concerto No. 8 offers a representation of events in Chopin’s life through quotations, in combination with Skoryk’s own distinctive musical voice. Full Article
k SINIGAGLIA, L.: String Quartet Works (Complete), Vol. 1 - String Quartet, Op. 27 / Brahms Variations / Hora Mystica (Archos Quartet) (8.574183) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT The renowned Italian composer and mountaineer Leone Sinigaglia wrote a fascinating series of pieces for string quartet that reflect his powers of characterisation and elegance. Flowing melodies can be heard throughout, not least in the Concert-Étude, Op. 5, while the more substantial Variations on a Theme of Brahms, Op. 22 display his technical skill and expressive variety, whether reflective, sombre or exuberant. His String Quartet in D major, Op. 27 exemplifies his dual inheritance: a commanding central European facility, combined with a natural Italian lyricism. Full Article
k SCRIABIN, A. / PASTERNAK, B.: Piano Works (Samson-Primachenko) (UP0213) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k SCHARWENKA, P.: Piano Trio, Op. 121 / Duo for Violin and Viola / Viola Sonata / 4 Concert Pieces (Breuninger, Berthaud, Triendl) (C5391) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k PROKOFIEV, S.: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 6 (German Radio Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern Philharmonic, Inkinen) (SWR19086CD) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k PROKOFIEV, S.: Songs and Romances (Gritskova, Prinz) (8.574030) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Sergey Prokofiev is acknowledged as one of the 20th century’s greatest composers, and his enduring popularity today rests on a rich legacy of orchestral and chamber works. Less well-known are his songs, which display a lyrical component that suited his liking for clear and simple forms. This can be heard particularly in Five Poems of Anna Akhmatova, but all of these pieces show Prokofiev to be a worthy successor of the great 19th-century tradition of art songs. Margarita Gritskova’s voice was described by Opera News as ‘a spectacular instrument’ in her recording of Russian Songs on Naxos 8.573908. Full Article
k PRADO, J.A.R. de A: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Aurora / Concerto Fribourgeois (Rubinsky, Minas Gerais Philharmonic, Mechetti) (8.574225) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT At the time of his death in 2010, Almeida Prado was one of Brazil’s most internationally admired composers, one who created music of unique sonority and colour, rooted in his native country. In Aurora (‘Dawn’) he employs his newly developed ‘transtonality’ to radiant effect, while the Concerto Fribourgeois features a collage technique. In his Piano Concerto No. 1 Almeida Prado explores a cogent structure in which the soloist opens up, rips apart or transforms the theme and variations, in a work that is both grandiose and luminous. Full Article
k Piano Recital: Choni, Dmytro - DEBUSSY, C. / GINASTERA, A. / LIGETI, G. / PROKOFIEV, S. (8.574136) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT The Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Choni, winner of the 2018 Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competition, has selected a programme that spans the 20th century. The first book of Debussy’s Images offers poetic evocation and virtuoso caprice, whereas Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6, completed in 1940, is the first of his ‘War Sonatas’, characteristically contrasting rhythmic vitality with rich lyricism. Ginastera, too, supplies vivid intensity in his Piano Sonata No. 1 suggesting the sound of the guitar, while Ligeti’s Étude is a Debussyian evocation of a rainbow. Full Article
k PETTIFORD, Oscar: Baden-Baden Karlsruhe (1958-1959) (JAH-419) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k MAYR, J.S.: Due duchesse (Le) [Opera] (M. Schäfer, T.M. Herbert, Bavarian State Opera Chorus, Simon Mayr Choir, Concerto de Bassus, Hauk) (8.660422-23) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT As one of the leading operatic composers of his generation, Johann Simon Mayr nurtured a fascination with the chivalric stories of medieval England. Le due duchesse, an opera semiseria with buffa elements, is set during the reign of the 10th-century King Edgar. Huntsmen’s and Knights’ choruses and troubadour-like songs give great vivacity to a score that is both lyrical and dramatic. Mayr’s compound of Viennese Classicism and Italianate melodic beauty, allied to his ambitious writing and a skilful libretto, produced an important and influential opera couched in his own unmistakable idiom. Full Article
k LISZT, F.: Wanderer Fantasy / SCHUBERT, F.: Piano Sonata No. 13 / BRAHMS, J.: Handel Variations (C. Park, Eschenbach) (C5412) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k LINDBERG, M.: Accused / Two Episodes (A. Komsi, Finnish Radio Symphony, Lintu) (ODE1345-2) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k KENYA Fadhilee Itulya: Kwetu (NXW76125-2) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Kenyan musician Fadhilee Itulya began his professional music career in 2008. He draws inspiration from a style of guitar music called Omutibo from the Luhya people of Western Kenya, which is driving, syncopated, and gets people to dance like nothing else. His music has elements of acoustic folk, pop/dance and world music—making for a melange of good time music that is grounded in culture, community and care for the environment. His debut album Kwetu (meaning ’home’ in Swahili) features ten vibrant songs and also includes four traditional chants with Isukuti percussion, showcasing the roots percussion style of Western Kenya. Full Article
k HAYDN, J.: 6 Original Canzonettas, Books 1 and 2 / Lieder (Britain's Glory) (Horak, R. Fuller) (Gramola99212) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k HARSÁNYI, T.: Piano Works (Complete), Vol. 2 (Koukl) (GP807) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT The Hungarian-born composer Tibor Harsányi is now recognised as an important personality in ‘L’École de Paris’. He had a lifelong interest in modern dance, represented here by the Petite suite and Trois Pièces de danse, and he also embraced jazz, which was part of the Parisian atmosphere of the inter-war period, and other influences, while keeping the Central European rhythms and tonalities of his Hungarian origins. The Trois Pièces lyriques is a rare example of Harsányi expressing torment during the turbulent years of the Second World War. Full Article
k HANDEL, G.F. / GLUCK, C.W.: Opera Arias for Soprano (Care Pupille) (Mariño, Halle Handel Festival Orchestra, Hofstetter) (C998201) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k GROVEN, E.: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 (Kristiansand Symphony, Szilvay) (8.573871) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Many interwar Norwegian composers tried to create a new national music by combining elements of authentic folk music with new techniques. Eivind Groven was considered one of the most innovative composers in this quest, integrating the structure of folk dances from his rural upbringing into familiar formal principles. Both symphonies make use of techniques of so-called ‘progressive transformation’, which led fellow composer Arne Nordheim to declare: ‘While others made instrumentations of folk tunes, Groven created sounds, for example in his [two] symphonies which, in my opinion, are quite unique.’ Full Article
k FRANCK, C.: Psyché (version for choir and orchestra) / Le Chasseur maudit / Les Éolides (RCS Voices, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Tingaud) (8.573955) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT César Franck was a childhood prodigy who gained later renown as an organist and teacher. His compositions received scant attention until the success of Le Chasseur maudit, a symphonic morality tale that vividly portrays the ‘accursed huntsman’ from his defiance of the Sabbath to a dramatic chase and a horrific fate. Les Éolides is infused with Wagnerian colours and depicts the mythological Aeolids as they reawaken nature with their song. Franck’s lushly orchestrated final symphonic poem Psyché expresses the power of love in dreams and a passionate union. Full Article
k Flute Music - CASTALDI, P. / COSMI, G. / DAVISMOON, S. / FANTICINI, F. / MORRICONE, E. / PROCK, S. / TACCANI, G.C. (Flute XXI) (Fabbriciani) (TC980090) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k DOPPLER, F. and K.: Flute Music (Complete), Vol. 10 (Arimany) (C5304) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k DAUGHERTY, M.: This Land Sings: Inspired by the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie (Socolofsky, J. Daugherty, Dogs of Desire, D.A. Miller) (8.559889) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT In This Land Sings, GRAMMY Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty has created an original musical tribute to the singer-songwriter and political activist Woody Guthrie (1912–1967). Traveling the backroads of America from coast to coast with a guitar and harmonica, Woody Guthrie performed folk songs of love, wandering and social justice during the Great Depression and the Second World War. Daugherty has composed his own original songs and instrumental interludes that give haunting expression, ironic wit and contemporary relevance to political, social and environmental themes from Guthrie’s era. Under the baton of GRAMMY Award-winning conductor David Alan Miller, the Albany Symphony’s new music ensemble Dogs of Desire, joined by soprano Annika Socolofsky and baritone John Daugherty, give a poignant and rousing performance. Full Article
k CHINA Folk Music of China, Vol. 6: Folk Songs of China's Tajik and Russian Minorities (NXW76093-2) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT This album features folk songs from the Tajik and Russian ethnic minority groups living in the western and northwestern areas of Xinjiang, China. These folk songs have an earthy beauty that is theirs alone. Many of the Tajik songs featured here are accompanied by the Rewap—an ancient stringed instrument made from mulberry trunks. The sound is similar to that of an acoustic guitar, but the tone is brighter and more elastic. Many of the Russian songs feature the Bayan (a type of accordion) and the Balalaika. Full Article
k CELTIC Brian Ó hEadhra / Fiona Mackenzie: TÌR - Highland Life and Lore (NXW76115-2) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k Cello Quartet Recital: Kolophonistinnen (Die) - BRAMBÖCK, F. / STRAUSS I, J. / STRAUSS II, J. / SHOSTAKOVICH, D. / TANSMAN, A. (Heldinnenleben) (Gramola99218) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k BURHANS, C.: Evensong [Bonus Tracks Version] (Burhans) (CA-21094A) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
k BERSA, B.: Piano Works (Complete), Vol. 2 (Filipec) (GP832) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT As with the first volume in this series (GP767), Blagoje Bersa’s piano works are organised according to their character and tonality rather than chronologically. They include elements of transcription drawing on Mozart and Beethoven but also characterful barcarolles that evoke Italian music, a taut and witty Bizarre Serenade, a simple but affecting Mélancolie, and an invitation to a Viennese ballroom in the Valzer, Op. 3. Full Article
