The Naxos Blog

On Christmas Day, 1999, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, together with the Monterverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, embarked on one of the largest performance/recording projects undertaken. The plan was to perform and record all 200+ cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach in one year, each on their proper day in the church calendar. This project gave some lucky audiences a chance to hear incredible live performances of these cantatas. It gave the rest of us incredible performances of every Bach cantata. Album details... Catalogue No.: Soli Deo Gloria SDG165

Pianist Philip Edward Fisher talks about his new Naxos recording of the first four "Great Keyboard Suites" by George Frideric Handel. In this podcast, Fisher describes some of the challenges in preparing this music, about playing it on the piano rather than the harpsichord for which it was likely composed, and about why the music of J.S. Bach has become such a regular part of the piano repertoire, while Handel's music is often forgetten. Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.572197

A feature interview with violinist Gil Shaham as he talks about his new recording of Joseph Haydn's Violin Concertos 1 and 2, and Felix Mendelssohn's famous Octet for strings. His fellow musicians on this CD are the Sejong Soloists, an ensemble with whom Shaham clearly loves to work. Album details... Catalogue No.: Canary Classics CC08  

A feature interview with American choral composer Julian Wachner, to go with the release of the first Naxos CD of his choral music, part of the Naxos American Classics series. Besides his work as a composer, he is also Music Director of the Washington Chorus, and a Professor of Music at McGill University in Montreal. The featured artists on this CD, and in this podcast, are the Elora Festival Singers, organist Michael Bloss, conducted by Noel Edison.   Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.559607

Polish-born Paul Kletzki started out as one of the most promising composers of the early 20th century - both Arturo Toscanini and Wilhelm Furtwangler were big supporters, and ended up as one of its more important conductors. In between those two, he was displaced by three dictators: Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin and survived the Holocaust, but lost his family. This podcast looks at his Piano Concerto, and solo piano pieces, in performances with Joseph Banowetz and the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Sanderling - music that provides an intriguing look at what he might have become, had he not stopped composing during the 1940's. Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.572190

Heitor Villa-Lobos was one of the most prolific composers in Brazilian history ... in fact, one of the most prolific composers period. His music, with its influences of Johann Sebastian Bach, Brazilian folk music, and the urban music he heard in Brazil's cities, came to influence an entire generation of pop musicians in Brazil. In this podcast, pianist Sonia Rubinsky talks about her project to record eight CDs of his piano music, including many pieces that have never before been recorded. Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.508013

An interview with baritone Gerald Finley about his new Chandos CD titled Great Opera Arias. This CD includes arias from two roles he helped create as the first person to sing the lead roles: Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams' Dr. Atomic, and Harry in Mark Anthony Turnage's The Silver Tassie. Other composers featured on this disc include Tchaikowsky, Weber, Verdi, Bizet, Puccini, Donezetti, Wagner and Mozart. In this recording, Gerald Finley is accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner. Album details... Catalogue No.: Chandos CHAN 3167

The Vienna Philharmonic was founded in 1842, only 33 years after the death of Franz Joseph Haydn. Since that time, they have given more than 7,000 concerts, surely a record among orchestras. In this special box set on the Vienna Philharmonic's own CD label, they present seven Haydn Symphonies, conducted by five of the world's greatest conductors: Christoph von Dohnanyi, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Franz Welser-Most, Zubin Mehta and Pierre Boulez. Album details... Catalogue No.: Vienna Philharmonic WPH-L-H-2009

When Jenny Lin launched her CD "Preludes to a Revolution", the New York Times wrote "No one who has heard the latest recording by the pianist Jenny Lin - "Preludes to a Revolution," a series of predominantly lyrical effusions from the pre-Soviet and early Soviet era, on Hänssler Classic - will need to be told that Ms. Lin has a gift for melodic flow...". That, along with her formidable technique and dedication to contemporary music have made her one of the most interesting and compelling pianists of our time. In this feature interview, she talks about the joys of working with living composers. Album details... Catalogue No.: Hanssler Classic CD98.229

Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg is one of the most dynamic composers working today. As the music in this podcast shows, he is also a master of orchestral colour. This podcast looks at a CD of two recent large-scale works: Graffiti for orchestra and choir, and Seht die Sonne for orchestra. This CD, on Finland's renowned Ondine label, features the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Chamber Choir conducted by Sakari Oramo.   Album details... Catalogue No.: Ondine ODE1157-2

An interview with British composer James Whitbourn about a new Naxos CD of his choral music with Commotio choir, soloists Christopher Gillett, Levine Andrade, Steffan Jones, Andrew Ker, Henry Parkes and special narrator Desmond Tutu, all conducted by Matthew Berry. The texts used in Whitbourn's music are as varied as the performers as he draws on The Bible, Issac of Nineveh, Julian of Norwich, Buddhist mystic Ryonen and Desmond Tutu.   Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.572103

American composer William Schuman, born 100 years ago, was one of the best-known composers of his day. He was also an arts administrator of great skill who was at various times President of The Julliard School and President of Lincoln Centre. In this podcast, Dr. Joseph Polisi, current President of Julliard and Schuman's friend and biographer, talks about Schuman and his music. The music featured in this podcast comes from a new CD on the Naxos American Classics series featuring the Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz playing Schuman's Symphony No. 8, Night Music, and Schuman's arrangement of Charles Ives' "Variations on America". Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.559651

Maestro Leonard Slatkin talks about Sergei Rachmaninov's music, his Symphony No. 2 in E minor, and his new recording of this piece with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he is now Music Director. In this podcast, Leonard Slatkin talks about what Rachmaninov does that allows this hour-long symphony hold together, and what challenges it presents to the performing orchestra. Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.572458

Roy Harris, along with colleagues such as Aaron Copland and Roger Sessions, were among the leading American symphonists in the first half of the 20th century. Collectively, they helped to create an "American" symphonic sound. In this podcast, conductor Marin Alsop talks about the music of Roy Harris, and his Symphonies 5 and 6 which are featured on this new recording with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.   Album details... Catalogue No.: Naxos 8.559609

On Christmas Day 1999, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, together with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, embarked on one of the most remarkable musical projects ever undertaken. The began their "Bach Cantata Pilgrimage" in which they performed all 200 Bach Cantatas, each on the feast day for which they were composed, in one year. Out of that project came recordings of every cantata, and a new record label, SDG, to release them. This podcast looks at the project, and Eternal Fire, a collection of choruses from the cantata project. Album details... Catalogue No.: Soli Deo Gloria SDG177