The Naxos Blog

This month’s new Naxos High Definition Audio Disc features the recently-restored Cavaillé-Coll organ which is now housed in the Lyon Auditorium. It’s played here by Vincent Warnier in an all-Saint-Saëns programme. Dating back to 1878, this huge instrument was relocated, re-built and then lovingly restored to its original glory in 2013. Saint-Saëns enjoyed a long and loyal relationship with the Cavaillé-Coll firm and its organs. An organist himself, he wrote skilfully for the instrument, as witnessed here in the three featured works – both for solo organ and with orchestra. In this podcast Rick Phillips takes us through a virtuosic transcription of the Danse Macabre, Cyprès et Lauriers (Cypresses and Laurels) and the great Symphony No. 3, known as the “Organ Symphony.” The Orchestre National de Lyon is conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Album details Catalogue No.: NBD0045

The music of the Spanish-American composer Leonardo Balada defies categorisation, switching between styles with an easy confidence that continually surprises and delights. Rick Phillips takes us on a tour of this latest Naxos disc of Balada's music, which visits soldiers and steelworkers alike in their vivid sound worlds. Album details... Catalogue No.: 8.573298

Raymond Bisha introduces the first instalment of the Naxos series of flute concertos by François Devienne, the 18th-century composer-performer who laid the foundations of the French school of flute playing. Performed and directed by fellow Frenchman Patrick Gallois, these two illustrious musicians hold hands across the centuries in a celebration of the true French spirit of music-making.   Album details... Catalogue No. 8.573230

This month's release in the Naxos Canadian Classics series focuses on the string chamber music of Jacques Hétu (1938-2010). The theme of past and present links composer and performers, as Raymond Bisha surveys Hétu's works dating from the 1960s (when the original Orford String Quartet was formed) to music written a few years before his death, coincidentally the time of the formation of the New Orford String Quartet, who perform here with distinguished guest players. Album details... Naxos 8.573395

In this week's podcast, Raymond Bisha explores works by the Italian musical adventurer Gian Francesco Malipiero, the fascinating 20th-century composer who trod his own prolific path, often defying tradition with his idiosyncratic flair. Album details... Naxos 8.573291  

Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra bring their brilliant cycle of the Shostakovich symphonies to a stupendous conclusion with the release of the Thirteenth Symphony, Babi Yar. It’s a work the Russian conductor has inhabited since his teenage years, when he first recorded it as a member of the male chorus. In conversation with Edward Seckerson, Petrenko reveals his insights into a work that simultaneously courted controversy and attracted fame for the composer.

Richard Strauss, Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi are all remembered as famed composers of operatic masterpieces. But they also contributed to the string quartet repertoire with a handful of works that are immediately attractive, yet relatively unknown. Raymond Bisha unveils these skilfully crafted rarities. Album details… Catalogue No.: 8.573108

A new release this month from JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents a lesser known side to the Hungarian nationalist composer Béla Bartók. Serving as his passport to the vast new world of orchestral music prevailing at the beginning of the 20th century, all the works on the disc reveal a young composer on the threshold of greatness. The romantic spirit is felt both in the inspiration Bartók took from Richard Strauss' ground-breaking tone poems, and in the real-life romantic ups and downs the composer was experiencing at the time. Peter Hall discusses here this largely neglected period in the life of one of the 20th-century's greatest composers with conductor JoAnn Falletta. Album details… Catalogue No.: 8.573307

Myroslav Skoryk holds the title of People’s Artist of Ukraine and is one of his country’s outstanding composers. Anyone encountering his music for the first time becomes instantly hooked. Raymond Bisha introduces the release of a new disc that presents a varied and highly colourful programme of Skoryk's works, reaffirming his status both as a national artist and an internationally acclaimed musical voice for his country. Album Details... Cat. No.: 8.573333

One of the most wide-ranging of composers was the Russian, Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977). He toured the globe as a concert pianist, living in various cities and absorbing other cultures like a sponge. As a result, his music is eclectic and multicultural. Although he composed for all the major musical genres, he’s known today primarily for his piano music. The Grand Piano label, distributed world-wide by Naxos, has been recording the complete piano music by Tcherepnin with pianist Giorgio Koukl. In this podcast, Rick Phillips surveys the first seven volumes of the series, and provides a hint of what's to come in Vol. 8, the final installment, to be released in September 2014. Album details... Catalogue No.: GP658

Ralph Vaughan Williams is not especially remembered for his chamber music, being much more popular for his nine symphonies and works for voice and chorus. But the chamber music he composed throughout his long career is now becoming properly appreciated. This new Naxos release featuring the London Soloists Ensemble includes several early chamber works that saw the light of day only during the 1990s, when the composer’s widow finally allowed them to be performed after decades of embargo. They beautifully illustrate the early influences on the budding, talented composer, and his increasing love for the English folk song. Album details… Catalogue No.: 8.573132

At its première in June 1969 Shostakovich described his Symphony No. 14, in effect a symphonic song cycle, as ‘a fight for the liberation of humanity... a great protest against death, a reminder to live one’s life honestly, decently, nobly...’ Originally intending to write an oratorio, Shostakovich set eleven poems on the theme of mortality, and in particular early or unjust death, for two solo singers accompanied by strings and percussion. In this podcast, conductor Vasily Petrenko talks with Edward Seckerson about the penultimate release in his Shostakovich symphony cycle. Album details… Catalogue No.: 8.573132

Although Reinhold Glière's Symphony No. 3, subtitled Il'ya Muromets, is rarely performed or recorded, this new Naxos recording confirms that the work deserves the attention of a much wider audience. Performed by the Buffalo Philharmonic and conducted by JoAnn Falletta, the work is presented here uncut as completed by the composer in 1911. The Glière Third is a monumental work for huge orchestra depicting four of the legends of the ancient Russian folk hero, Il'ya Muromets, at times almost cinematic in its portrayal. In this podcast Rick Phillips traces the path of the symphony and its central character, from hopeful beginning to tragic end. Album details... Catalogue No.: 8.573161

If the purpose of an opera overture is to prepare the audience for the mood and emotions of the opera that follows, Rossini was a master. And yet, the overture was almost an after-thought to him. Rossini usually composed it last – often just before the opera’s opening night. In this podcast, Rick Phillips dips into all four volumes of the Naxos complete Rossini Overtures series, offering insight and background. Album Details... Catalogue No.: 8.572735

Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s symphonies are recognised today as having made a substantial contribution to the continuation of the Russian tradition. Rick Phillips here surveys his Twelfth Symphony, written in the style and spirit of Shostakovich in response to the death in August 1975 of his great friend and supporter of 32 years. Album details… Catalogue No.: 8.573085