This album brings together all of Kodaly's extant pieces for organ, plus works by his contemporaries. They are performed on the Chancel Organ at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Atlanta by the acclaimed Welsh organist Iain Quinn, professor of organ at Florida State University.

REVIEW:

The disc opens with Ernő Dohnányi’s quite substantial Fantasie in C minor which is listed as a world premiere recording. As is my preference when encountering unknown music, I listen before I read any of the detail, so my surprise as to why this work should sound so unlike this composer’s other music is easily explained, as it is a student work by a fifteen year old. For sure, there is talent and confidence and no little skill but this does sound rather like a test or exercise piece where some Bachian passages jostle with imposing hymn-like melodies and some rather broad-brush Romantic gestures.

Sandwiched between music by familiar composers are a couple of pieces by less well-known names. Bedřich Antonín Wiedermann's Pastorale dorico is another modest, rather unassuming work with a conservative outlook that belies its 1942 composition.

Kodály's set of nine Epigrammák are in fact transcriptions for solo organ made by Gábor Trajtler of songs by Kodály written originally in 1954. These are consciously unaffected and simple pieces. As a sequence they come across as a bit unvaried, but I cannot imagine a better case being made for them than here by Iain Quinn

Just in time the work around which the whole disc was planned arrives. This is Kodály’s quite wonderful Csendes mise. There is an immediate substance and stature to the music here. There is a variety of expressive and musical style that makes for a compelling experience – and this is most definitely a work that benefits from being heard complete.

The disc is completed by another unfamiliar name and work: Miloš Sokola’s Passacaglia quasi toccata na téma B-A-C-H. Dating from 1963 this work makes for an interesting and energetic ‘recessional’ piece for this program

— MusicWeb International

Marco Enrico Bossi was a renowned Italian composer and organ virtuoso admired by Verdi and Puccini. The two violin sonatas heard on this programme reveal a composer whose chamber music stands equal to the most renowned works produced in the late 19th century.

This recording of Corigliano's chamber arrangement of Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan featuring soprano Laura Hynes, is coupled with Vincent Ho's virtuosic and mystical Gryphon Realms for piano trio. World premiere recordings. Corigliano's orchestration of Mr. Tambourine Man can be heard on 8.559331.

I had always heard, by reputation, of the high regard accorded the folk-ballad singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. But I was so engaged in developing my orchestral technique during the years when Dylan was heard by the rest of the world that I had never heard his songs. So I bought a collection of his texts, and found many of them to be every bit as beautiful and as immediate as I had heard – and surprisingly well-suited to my own musical language.

I chose seven poems for what became a thirty-five minute cycle. A Prelude: Mr. Tambourine Man, in a fantastic and exuberant manner, precedes five searching and reflective monologues that form the core of the piece; and Postlude: Forever Young makes a kind of folk-song benediction after the cycle’s close. Dramatically, the inner five songs trace a journey of emotional and civic maturation, from the innocence of Clothes Line through the beginnings of awareness of a wider world (Blowin’ in the Wind), through the political fury of Masters of War, to a premonition of an apocalyptic future (All Along the Watchtower), culminating in a vision of a victory of ideas (Chimes of Freedom). Several years after composing the vocal/piano score I orchestrated the work, and some years later transcribed it for Pierrot ensemble, a chamber group. This is the first recording of the chamber version. - John Corigliano

Gryphon Realms is a three-movement work, inspired by gryphon mythology, that explores the coloristic, virtuosic and expressive possibilities of the piano trio while highlighting my more personal musical language. - Vincent Ho

Lithuanian composer Vytautas Bacevicius spent the latter part of his life in exile in the US. The two piano concertos heard here interweave Lithuanian folk songs into the musical fabric, while Symphony No. 3 strikes a positive and optimistic tone. Includes two world premiere recordings. Volume 1, featuring Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4, can be heard on 8.573282.

Albert Dietrich - a composer and friend of the Schumanns and Brahms - has largely been forgotten since his death in 1908. However, the Symphony in D minor heard here was one of the most performed symphonies of it's day. Albanian violinist Klaidi Sahatci is the soloist in the Violin Concerto in D minor. Christoph Konig conducts the acclaimed ensemble Solistes Europeens, Luxembourg.

Stellar Moldovan-Israeli violinist Janna Gandelman presents a programme of original violin pieces by Catalan composers alongside transcriptions by luminaries such as Fritz Kreisler and Joseph Szigeti. She is accompanied by the Spanish pianist Laia Martin.

The latest instalment in this popular series turns to the life and times of George Frideric Handel. Written by Davinia Caddy, narrated by Nicholas Boulton and featuring excerpts from Handel's most popular works culled from the Naxos label and it's affiliates.

Franscisco Mignone was a leading figure in the Brazilian music scene during the 20th century. The concertos and concertinos heard here all share a Brazilian nationalist idiom. Neil Thompson and Giancarlo Guerrero conduct the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra with featured soloists Ovanir Buosi, Alexandre Silverio, Emmanuele Baldini and Fabio Zanon. Includes two world premiere recordings.

Part of the British Music Society series, this work presents Grace Williams’ songs and folk-song arrangements in world premiere recordings. The acclaimed Welsh baritone Jeremy Huw Williams is accompanied by the Australian pianist and composer Wendy Hiscocks.

A product of Samaras's operatic maturity, Tigra, heard here in a faithfully orchestrated version by Byron Fidetzis, is a ravishing love story set in medieval Venice. With it's innovative harmonic language, musical Orientalism and Franco-Italian influences it helped pave the way for the emerging Greek National School. Epinikeia is reminiscent of Samaras's famous Olympic Anthem of 1896, whilst Chitarrata is a youthful work composed in Paris. World premiere recordings.

Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 99 in E flat major was his first ever symphony to use clarinets; No. 100 in G major gained it's 'Military' appellation due to it's grand second movement featuring cymbals and triangle; and No. 101 in D major has long been nicknamed 'The Clock' due to the ticking rhythm in the second movement for plucked strings and bassoons. Previous volumes in the series are available on 8.574516 and 8.574517.

Alberto Franchetti and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari shared a dual heritage, and all three of the works on this album were written while the composers were respectively in Germany. Late Romantic and cast in the German symphonic tradition, Franchetti's Symphony in E minor is a colourful, evocative and majestic work, heard here alongside Nella Foresta nera, which was inspired by the wild beauty of the forests of the Rhine valley. Wolf-Ferrari's expansive Sinfonia da camera rounds out the programme.

Sergey Taneyev's supreme mastery of European classical technique placed him outside the more nationalist trends of the day. The Violin Sonata in A minor is neo-Classical in its reserved and often song-like moods and expressions, and contrasts dramatically with the grand scale of the Piano Quintet in G minor.

REVIEW:

In the Violin Sonata, the players add some piquant touches to the occasionally dissonant harmonies and bring a degree of charm to the composer’s rustic-sounding rhythms and melodies. The Piano Quintet receives a fantastic performance, really capturing the gripping tension and turmoil the music whips up.

— Fanfare

Eugene Zador's delightful concerto for the accordion - which he called an 'underprivileged' instrument - is tonal, but coloured by a communicative, contemporary vocabulary, and he finds glorious sonority and colour in the Suite for Brass Instruments. The evocative smaller pieces have been arranged by Mariusz Smolij, as has the characterful and wide-ranging Piano Quintet of 1933, all heard here in world premiere recordings.

Award-winning composer and educator Wenchen Qin's unique musical language is influenced by his multicultural background, integrating Eastern and Western elements. All the works on this release are infused with literature, mythology and a fascination with nature. The Cloud River revitalises the sheng - an ancient Chinese instrument - with new playing techniques. With the sheng also playing a leading role, Poetry of the Land ruminates on how the land provides great inspiration.

Mostly dating from Erich J. Wolff's final decade, the songs in this selection range from the charming children's cycle Vier Kinderlieder nach Richard Dehmel to the incomparably profound cemetery scene of Friedhof. The recital concludes with the radiant Mein Meister, Op. 33, No. 10, one of Wolff's very last songs. Volume 1 of this complete edition (8.574451) was released in April 2024. Volume 3 (8.574558) is scheduled for release in November.

This second volume of George Walker's piano music joins its predecessor on Naxos 8.559916 (April 2024), together forming a unique complete piano works edition. On this new release, Steinway Artist Alexandre Dossin performs the cyclical Fourth Piano Sonata, which alternates between sections of virtuoso muscularity and lyrical repose, and the Piano Concerto, which integrates expansive Classical forms with inspiration derived from songs by Duke Ellington, something also cleverly hidden in Guido's Hand. The album closes with Walker's passionate Fifth Piano Sonata.

REVIEW:

Dossin makes much of the alternately moody and energetic first movement of the Piano Sonata No. 4. His ability to grasp the long line of Walker’s music is a really big factor in one’s enjoyment of his performances. The pianist's ability to use “space” in his interpretations makes these performances fascinating and ultimately rewarding.

— Art Music Lounge

East meets West offers a series of geographical and musical connections that bind the music of composers Ian Krouse and Ronald Pearl. The album includes the first recording of Krouse's Roderick Usher's 'Phantasmion' (in it's 2009 revision), as well as the eloquent tone poem La Petite Fille aux Allumettes("The Little Match Girl"), and his version of a Hassidic song. Pearl: My Name is Red is inspired by Orhan Pamuk's novel and reveals a range of Islamic influences.

Click here to listen to the Naxos podcast interview with Paul Jacobs about this release.

This release features organ concertos by some of America's finest contemporary composers: Horatio Parker's 'imposing and brilliant' piece is heard alongside Christopher Rouse's concerto of contrasting light and dark sonorities, which is dedicated to album soloist Paul Jacobs, and Wayne Oquin's Resilience reflects the human capacity for tenacity and perseverance. The program ends with Ives' Variations on 'America' for solo organ.

Beethoven's Sonatas for Piano and Cello, Op. 5 are revolutionary works, with neither instrument subservient and the piano fully independent. This release also features his vivacious variations on 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen' and 'Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fu�hlen' from Mozart's Die Zauberflote. Volume 2 is scheduled for release on 8.574530 in November.

Astor Piazzolla's Tango Suite, for two guitars, is one of the finest duo works in the repertoire, offering fireworks and percussive effects as well as exquisite melancholy. Yuri Liberzon has arranged the much-loved Oblivion for guitar, while Leo Brouwer's arrangement of La muerte del angel is full of vivacity and colour. Cinco piezas was Piazzolla's first work for classical guitar; the Tango-etudes, originally for flute, shows the guitar's range and versatility in Manuel Barrueco's arrangement. Tango No. 2 from Tango Suite will be pre-released as a digital single on 9.50323 on 30 August.

The fourth volume in this series explores a pivotal decade in Claudio Santoro's compositions, traversing his move from serialism towards nationalism. The release starts with the transitional, reflective Canto de Amor e Paz and continues with Symphony No. 4, one of his most accessible and influential works, and his brief Symphony No. 6 of 1958. The concertante works for saxophone and violin show his command of dance rhythms, colourful lyricism and virtuosity.

Franz Liszt's Weihnachtsbaum ('Christmas Tree') is an all-embracing impression of Christmas that includes traditional carols alongside childhood and adult views of the season. The dark chromaticism of Die Trauergondel II is a tribute to Wagner, contrasting with the brighter range and yearning lyrical lines of the Wiegenlied. Many of these works remained unpublished in Liszt's lifetime, and are genuine rarities even today.

ChromaDuo (Tracy Anne smith and Rob MacDonald) is one of the world's greatest guitar duos. The works recorded here were all composed within the last 20 years, and four of the five works are dedicated to ChromaDuo. World premiere recordings.

Richard Strauss is considered to be both the last 'Classical' composer and a champion of modernity. His wide-ranging output stands as a monument to one of the most successful and influential composers of the 20th century. His spirited and compact First Horn Concerto was the product of his teenage years, while the Second Horn Concerto came six decades later, echoing the expressively lyrical and dynamic character of it's youthful predecessor. Both of these concertos share the chamber orchestra character of the Four Last Songs in it's arrangement by Eberhard Klokes. The Andante in C major and Alphorn in E flat major, originally composed with piano accompaniment, are heard here in arrangements with chamber orchestra by Lars Opfermann.

This album of Gurney's songs, Volume 24 in the English Song series, presents a wide selection of his works. Featuring several masterpieces - among them Sleep and Severn Meadows - this collection also includes twelve world premiere recordings. Snow is performed here in it's corrected edition. Prize-winning baritone Marcus Farnsworth is accompanied by Eric McElroy.

At the invitation of Respighi’s great nieces, conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio has restored and edited the Berceuse and Lamento d’Arianna. His completion of the orchestration for the Tre Liriche is heard here in a premiere recording. Di Vittorio conducts the Chamber Orchestra of New York with the mezzo-soprano Alessandra Visentin as soloist.

REVIEW:

Alessandra Visentin’s contralto voice acts as a perfect bridge between the 18th and 20th centuries and therefore becomes an ideal voice for this project. The orchestral colors bloom wide and iridescent. Salvatore Di Vittorio more than capably holds the reins, reconciling the voice with the opalescence of the instruments.

— Il Trillo Parlante (Fabio Tranchida)

Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra continue their ground-breaking survey of Haydn's late symphonies. This fourth volume presents Haydn's final three London symphonies performed with the same excitement and energy that can be found in Volumes 1-3 of this critically acclaimed series.

Xiaogang Ye's interest in mysterious and beautiful plants has led him to write many pieces inspired by subtropical flora - The Faint Gingko, the oldest tree species in the world, represents an expression of Ye's care and concern for nature. Heard here in a version without words, Song of Farewell is an opera with exquisite textures, beautiful melodies and refined orchestration. World premiere recordings.

Romain Descharmes is one of the foremost French pianists of his generation. This album of concertante works includes Poulenc's alluring and seductive Piano Concerto and Faure's Ballade in F sharp minor. Descharmes is also the soloist in the complete Saint-Saens Piano Concertos on 8.573476-78.