There have been a couple of recordings of El amor brujo in its original, two-act chamber version of 1915, but this one is as fine as any and just might be the best around. Conductor Angel Gil-Ordóñez chooses ideal tempos, the members of the Perspectives Ensemble play beautifully, and everyone seems genuinely involved in projecting Falla’s characterful instrumental parts with just the right combination of precision and warmth. Cantaora (singer) Esperanza Fernández sings with fervor and her voice, while raw and “popular,” at least remains in tune. She lacks the artistry and sensitivity of more professionally trained singers such as the incomparable Nati Mistrál on Decca, but in these surroundings it hardly matters.

The original version really is a different work: longer, with a slightly different plot that need not concern us, and despite using much of the same music often quite different in sound and texture. You can compare the two in the sound clips below. The revised version for full orchestra sounds more mysterious, more “impressionistic” if you will, while the original is leaner in outline but also definitely more rhythmically persistent and sinister. The only disadvantage to the original, in my opinion, is the generous amount of spoken dialog, which must be irritating even to native speakers when the music is so beautiful. You wish Fernández would offer less talk and more music.

Speaking of talk, Master Peter’s Puppet Show has a plot straight from Cervantes’ Don Quixote, and consists of wonderful musical bits connected by long stretches of recitative narration. The scoring is extremely imaginative, with the chamber ensemble featuring a harpsichord (played by Wanda Landowska at the premiere), and colorful parts for brass and percussion. What singing there is comes off quite well, with Jennifer Zetlan doing her best with the ungrateful part of the narrator. The plot, in case you don’t already know the original, is simplicity itself. At a roadside inn Master Peter puts on a puppet show set in the time of Charlemagne about the rescue of a damsel in distress. Don Quixote becomes thoroughly confused and takes the whole thing rather too seriously. Chaos ensues. That’s it.

Once again the performance is excellent from all concerned, and both pieces are very well recorded. Provided you have time to sit down and follow both not-terribly-long works booklet in hand, in this case thoughtfully containing texts and English translations, this release earns an easy and well-deserved recommendation.

– ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)

Dmitry Kabalevsky found his mature style and achieved international success with his first opera Colas Breugnon, the overture of which was soon picked up as an orchestral showpiece in the West. The Second Symphony was likewise championed by conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, its bittersweet sense of drama and lyricism comparable with Prokofiev. Dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, the First Symphony illustrates progress from oppression to liberation, while the later Pathetique Overture is a rousing and highly effective reminder of Kabalevsky’s skill in orchestration. Founded in 1925, the Malmo Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading major orchestras in Sweden. Performing the full breadth of the symphonic repertoire, the MSO collaborates with prominent international conductors and soloists, including its current chief conductor Marc Soustrot. Since 2015 the MSO has resided in Malmo Live Concert Hall, a state of the art facility known for its world class acoustics.

REVIEWS:

With a dearth of Kabalevsky orchestral recordings in the catalog, this release is particularly welcome. The Malmo Symphony, conducted by Darrell Ang, are in fine form, and the engineers provide a very wide dynamic. Unreservedly recommended.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

More Russian themes and strong motor rhythms make their appearance in the Second Symphony, but this time the development is much more complex if not any more adventurous harmonically. Here, Ang’s conducting is pretty much spot-on, bringing out several salient details in the orchestration and providing a good driving rhythm.

– Arts Music Lounge (Lynn René Bayley)

The area in southeast Europe known as the Balkans has long established folk traditions rich in complex rhythms and evocative melodies. Innovative guitarist Mak Grgic has selected the music of five composers to explore the variety and piquant colors embedded in their compositions. Drawn from his evolving suite called laments, Dances and Lullabies, Miroslav Tadic traces Macedonian folk songs, while each of the other composers brings very personal qualities. Vivid harmonies, vivacious interludes, syncopated rhythms, and a lively, jazz-like feel all combine to create a tapestry of moods and textures. Lauded by The New York Times and The Washington Post, Mak Grgic is emerging as a highly esteemed performer on the international stage. An expansive and adventurous repertoire attests to his versatility and wide-ranging interests, ranging from Baroque and Renaissance to music of the cinema and from ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music.

Alexander Moyzes, one of the leading Slovakian composers of his generation, created a nationally inspired style that also assimilated trends aligning his music with contemporaries such as Shostakovich. The Eleventh Symphony builds on the success of the Tenth, intensifying it's emotional impact and developing sophisticated cycles of transformation and variation. Simpler and more concise than preceding works, the Twelfth Symphony was Moyzes' final orchestral statement and his 'diary in music.' He said it 'also seeks to express my attitude to life... We have to take life as it is, with all it's digressions, demands, and haste.' The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra was established in 1929 as the first professional symphony orchestra in Slovakia. The orchestra is currently led by conductor Mario Kosik.

With 27 symphonies to his name, Nikolay Myaskovsky is known as the 'father of the Soviet symphony,' his legacy placing him in the same line as other great Russian symphonists such as Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Myaskovsky's richly Romantic Symphony No. 1 won him the Glazunov scholarship, and as a graduation work reveals the influence of Tchaikovsky and Scriabin in it's expressive, dramatic impact. The more experimental but also deeply inward-looking and disconsolate Symphony No. 13 is regarded as one of Myaskovsky's most individual statements.

In his vast compositional activity Ferdinand Thieriot manifested himself first and foremost as a worthy representative of the German Romantic movement. The well-known music theorist and critic Hermann Kretzschmar definitively stated in 1895: “… His contribution to Romantic music is characterized by the way it unfolds simply and naturally, by its amicable elegance of mood, and in particular by the unsurpassed clarity of musical form and language.” In 2004 the Amadeus Verlag published his two string trios for violin, viola and violoncello in D major and in A minor. Both works are full of the lyricism so characteristic of Thieriot’s writing, while also manifesting a refined precision of musical language, elegance of form and irreproachable taste. Undoubtedly the two string trios make a valuable addition to the international chamber repertoire. On this album, the works are interpreted by the successful Trio Lubotsky (Mark Lubotsky, Katarina Andreasson and Olga Dowbusch-Lubotsky)

The Iranian conductor and composer Alexander Rahbari grew up with and trained in traditional Persian music with it's most influential maestros. His eight symphonic poems, My Mother Persia, of which this is Volume 1 of 2, are full of melodies, rhythms and improvisations in these traditional styles, brought to life with the colors of modern orchestration. The first of these is an emotional violin concerto in which the soloist plays the role of the Nohe Khan, usually a tenor who sings in traditional Persian style at various religious ceremonies. Mother's Tears refers to a gathering of orphans and to Rahbari's own experiences of tragedy, contrasting with a subtext of mischief in Children's Prayer.

Blessed with a gift for musical invention and structural organization, Johann Stamitz was one of the pioneering figures in symphonic music before the emergence of Haydn. He drove the development of symphonic form via the assimilation of the new operatic overture style resulting in works of brilliance and skillful orchestration. His Op. 3 symphonies, though not composed as a set, showcase why Stamitz was held in such high regard and was so influential: outer movements fizz with energy, and contain virtuosic string writing with frequent dynamic contrasts, while slow movements are intricate and refined.

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is the quintessential national virtuoso showpiece, but other Russian composers have contributed strongly to the genre of works for solo violin and orchestra. Tchaikovsky's student Taneyev, who rose to eminence in Moscow, wrote a memorable Suite de Concert that followed the model of the Baroque suite while infiltrating it with warm lyricism and brilliant variations. Earlier, Rimsky-Korsakov had written a Fantasia on Two Russian Themes that explored virtuoso potential in a concerto form that is both seductive and vibrant.

No instrument can match the violin in its ability to emulate the beauty and subtlety of the human voice. Its design is an acoustic marvel, with tonal qualities that seem limitless, turning violin makers over the centuries, such as Stradivarius and Guarneri, into household names. For the great composer-violinists represented in this programme, including Paganini, Sarasate, and Ysaye, the violin provided the ultimate means of artistic expression. It is capable of reproducing a full range of emotions, from soaring lyricism to guttural passion with nuance and sophistication. This collection brings together some of the best-loved pieces in the violin repertoire.

The ancient origins of the modern cello came from India and the Far East, arriving in Europe through Arab trade routes. By the time of the instrument’s advanced construction in the mid-18th century, the greater volume of sound and versatility that could be achieved contributed to its development both as a solo and an ensemble instrument. People often cite the cello as their favorite string instrument on account of its similarity to the human voice, the warmth of tone, the dramatic quality of the upper register and the instrument’s directness of communication. All of these unique qualities are represented by the works in this essential collection.

The viola is only slightly larger than the violin but possesses a middle range that is irchly expressive and full of pathos. It has been played by some of the greatest composers, including JS Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvorak- and the rise of virtuoso players in the 19th century encouraged composers to write ever more expressive works for the instrument, not least sonatas and concertos, such as those in this collection. The explosion of pieces written for it in the 20th century has ensured that the viola can now take center stage in the world’s concert halls.

Ali Arango, First Prize winner of the 2018 Tarrega International Guitar Competition, Benicassim, has selected the repertoire for this recital in tribute to his years in Cuba where he learned many of these works. He has chosen Tarrega's brilliant Gran jota, Barrios Mangore's masterpiece, La cathedral and the powerful Sonata No. 1 by his fellow Cuban, the contemporary master Leo Brouwer with whose music Arango is strongly associated. Also included is the guitarist's own Triptico para guitarra, a large-scale work that embraces sarabande-like motifs, polyphony and Afro-Cuban influences.

Ferdinand Ries is remembered as Beethoven's one-time pupil, secretary and copyist, but the discovery of his many compositions showed him to be a forward-looking composer in his own right. The 1799 Cello Sonata in C minor is among the first of it's genre, the 15-year-old Ries already showing remarkable talent in it's 'Sturm und Drang' moods. The Trio, Op. 63 was admired in it's day for it's ingenuity of modulations' and fashionable London society lapped up the exotic themes of works such as Introduction and a Russian Dance and the virtuosic Trois Airs Russes Varies.

Leopold Hofmann was among the most prominent Viennese composers of his generation, his music performed all over Europe. Hofmann's radiant flute concertos follow the conventions of the day with superlative elegance and a deceptive facility. The solo writing has a lightness, grace and agility perfectly suited to the instrument's strengths, particularly in the lovely and often rhapsodic slow movements. It is hardly surprising that musicians and audiences found these concertos so beguiling, and they have lost none of their magic today. The works are performed by award-winning flautist Uwe Grodd and the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice.

Most of the pieces on this album have been designated ‘WoO’ (Works without Opus Number) or bear the numbering from the Hess catalogue of unpublished or unfinished pieces. These include the piano transcription of the topically programmatic Battle Symphony (Wellington’s Victory or The Battle of Vitoria) and the genial variations on Rule Britannia and God Save the King. The Marches, Menuets and Ecossaises derive from a variety of sources, while there is a strangely tragic aspect to the Waltz in C minor.

Though he was known primarily as a symphonist, and despite his large portfolio of piano works, Raff's first love was the violin and his pieces for the instrument were promoted by no less a virtuoso than Sarasate, The Violin Sonata No. 1 is a powerful work teeming with expressive intensity and lyrical beauty- it remained the most performed of his violin sonatas during his lifetime. The large-scale Violin Sonata No. 2 offers his characteristic lyric impulse and virtuoso fireworks. Laurence Kayaleh has performed as a guest soloist with many distinguished orchestras, including the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, the Russian National Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and many others. She has recorded the complete works for violin and piano by Medtner, Honegger and Catoire for Naxos. She plays a 1742 Guarneri which belonged to the eminent violinist and pedagogue Carl Flesch.

Beethoven was commissioned to write his first stage work- a ballet score for Die Geschopfe des Prometheus ('The Creatures of Prometheus')- for the dancer and choreographer Salvatore Vigano, nephew of composer Luigi Boccherini. In the myth, Prometheus is punished by Zeus for stealing fire for the benefit of mankind; in the allegorical ballet, Prometheus brings Enlightenment ideas of art and science to humanity. The overture remains popular and the finale- the theme of which Beethoven was later to use in his 'Eroica' Symphony- offers a heroic conclusion.

This new installment in the Naxos Lifestyle Series is titled Music for Book Lovers: Classical Music for Reading. This is an ideal special edition for book lovers. Nestle into your favorite reading spot and experience how this music speaks volumes as the perfect accompaniment to your page-turning. Works include pieces from composers like Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Boulanger, Ravel, Godowsky, and more. (Naxos)

Paul Juon's musical education provided him with a direct link to the German Romantic style of Mendelssohn and Schumann, and he has even been called the 'Russian Brahms.' These three violin sonatas represent an important artistic statement by this neglected master, also showing his artistic evolution. The First Sonata is reminiscent of Tchaikovsky in it's melodic beauty, the Second Sonata enriched with Scandinavian flavor in it's mercurial character and chromatic intensity. The masterful and dramatic Third Sonata evokes an epic imagined landscape full of natural and supernatural beings.

There are plenty of studies that show the benefits of classical music. Listening while studying can improve focus, help beat stress and anxiety, improve mood, and even aid in memorization. Let the calming music of J.S. Bach set the tone for a productive work day. They may say that work and play don't mix, but tracking a genius such as Bach proves that they do, both as a prelude to your labors and for a sustaining accompaniment throughout the day.

Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber’s music radiates both his amiable personality and the Parisian elegance of his times. The huge success of his operas resulted in a popularity for these overtures that rivaled that of Rossini, who was an early influence. Auber’s brilliant and energetic style infuses tales of romance both rustic and aristocratic, with moods ranging from dramatic heroism to dashing ballroom dances- all portrayed with the signature charm that made him a standard bearer of musical stylishness and good taste. Auber’s opera La Sirene can be found on the Naxos label as well. This is the first volume of a project to record all the overtures to his 31 operas-comiques, seven operas, three drames lyriques and seven other stage works.

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REVIEW:

The present disc covers Auber's early period from 1813 to 1826, and, with the exception of La Neige, ou Nouvel Eginard, all are receiving their World Premiere Recording. So we open the disc with Le Macon from 1825, and by far his most successful of that era, remaining on French and German stages for the next hundred years. From one extreme to the other with Le Timide, ou Le Nouveau Seducteur that had just a handful of performances before descending into oblivion. As you go through the sixteen tracks you will find pleasing music played with a suitable elegance, the performances using the bouncy tempos requested in Auber’s metronome markings. That we have these performing scores, I gather we owe a debt of gratitude to the conductor, Dario Salvi, who also obtains neat performances from his Czech orchestra.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

Moscow-born Nikita Koshkin won international fame for his 1980 score The Prince’s Toys and has since established himself as one of the greatest creative composers for the contemporary guitar. His 24 Preludes and Fugues for Solo Guitar, of which this is the first volume, is a compendium of musical styles, colors and effects. It is both a virtuosic tour de force and an expressively complex undertaking that demands unremitting technical command and absolute interpretative clarity from the performer. Asya Selyutina represents the new generation of the Russian classical guitarists. She appears regularly as a soloist, in chamber music ensembles, with orchestras and as a juror at prestigious competitions.

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REVIEW:

You enjoy the guitar, you want to hear something new, but not some off-the-wall, out-there experiment in how much abuse a guitar string (or the guitar itself) can take (attention-getting but not usually pleasant listening). Nor are you looking for yet another go at Recuerdos de la Alhambra or Asturias. What do you do? Well, I suggest you look no further than this extraordinary recital from Russian guitarist Asya Selyutina, performing a set of pieces that you’ve probably never heard of–it’s a world-premiere recording–but that I promise you will play over and over, in the background, the foreground, and whenever you just want to hear guitar music (and playing) that’s always engaging, never harsh, that’s clever, not cute, that’s expertly crafted and both easy on the ear and stimulating to the musical mind.

Bach’s monumental tribute to tonality, the Well-Tempered Clavier, inspired numerous imitations and re-imaginings, among the most notable and perhaps the closest to the master’s in ingenuity and pure keyboard craft, is Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes & Fugues–and although not nearly as extensive or complex in invention and development, fellow Russian Nikita Koshkin’s creations for guitar are equally varied, while stylistically sophisticated, and–absolutely essential–unfailingly idiomatic to the guitar, comfortably inhabiting the instrument’s (non-gimmicky) expressive realm yet consistently challenging the player’s virtuosic technique.

And the Moscow-based guitarist Asya Selyutina is a superb soloist, displaying an enviably smooth legato while delineating contrapuntal lines with uncanny, and uncommon, clarity. She seems to relish the rare moments of “special effects” (rapping on the guitar body; harmonics), and charges into rapid passages without inhibition. She’s not only a renowned teacher in her home city, but also has a successful performing career mostly in Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East (she even created the painting featured on the disc cover). Perhaps following this project, Selyutina will be deservedly better-known around the world.

Oh, and never heard of Nikita Koshkin, you say? The 64-year-old composer is well-known to guitar fans for his suite The Prince’s Toys and Usher-Waltz (after Edgar Allan Poe) from the 1980s; he’s an accomplished guitarist himself, which explains his master’s grasp of what’s possible in creating these terrific pieces; his artistic inventor’s mind takes care of the rest, making it all interesting and musically satisfying. And we can happily look forward to another 12 preludes and fugues in Volume 2. Don’t miss this.

– ClassicsToday (David Vernier)

Tony Banks, the renowned founder member and keyboard maven of the rock band Genesis, continues his acclaimed series of orchestral compositions with Five. The suite opens with Prelude to a Million Years, originally commissioned for and performed at the Cheltenham Music Festival. Banks’ signature melodic gifts and feel for cinematic scale are all in evidence in Five, just as they were in Six (8.572986) and Seven (8.557466), ‘a work of stirring beauty’ (ProgSheet). First released by BMG Records in February 2018, Naxos is proud to present this recording which is described by Stage and Cinema as 'gorgeous, transporting music sounds exactly like a soaring soundtrack'. CrypticRock gave this recording 5 out of 5 stars: ‘Five is therefore no different from what one would expect from this artist: stunning, evocative, beautifully-orchestrated, and timeless. With five marvelous pieces of brilliance, Five is a shining gem of sonic beauty that is truly deserving of your attention and a round of emphatic applause.’

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REVIEW:

If you enjoy wide-screen film music then you will most certainly want this disc, which is sumptuous in sound and extended in dynamic impact.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

The string quartets of Beethoven are among the greatest works of their kind, but he composed other works for quartet which have been neglected. This album is dedicated to these intriguing rarities. Alongside the wild and monumental Grosse Fuge, in many ways the culmination of Beethoven’s achievements in the string quartet genre, this recording further displays his mastery of counterpoint by bringing to light brilliant yet forgotten original versions of his quartets Op. 18, No. 1 and Op. 131, plus six virtually unknown miniatures, including his Preludes and Fugues.

The Sonata for Two Violins is one of Henryk Gorecki’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 Gorecki’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. The First and Second String Quartets can be heard on Naxos as well: “a recording deserving of the very highest recommendation.” (Gramophone).

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.

This new release is part of the Best Loved series, covering a substantial selection of iconic and entertaining works from the Naxos catalogue. This series will be accompanied by supplementary online playlists. Includes Beethoven’s Für Elise, Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor, and works by John Field and Schumann, taken from top recordings such as Idil Biret’s acclaimed Chopin edition, Jeno Jandó’s Schubert Impromptus (8.550260), and Boris Giltburg’s Beethoven Sonatas (8.573400).

Myroslav Skoryk, a postgraduate student of Dmitry Kabalevsky, is one of Ukraine’s leading composers and teachers. His works range from opera and ballet, a symphonic transcription of Paganini’s 24 Caprices, and his cycle of nine Violin Concertos written over a 45-year span. They draw on elements of Carpathian folklore and are saturated in expressive dialogues, lyricism and elegy while also exuding powerful intensity. Skoryk’s sensual writing is frequently contrasted with syncopated motifs, cadenzas, fugal episodes and march rhythms. This is the first of two volumes.

This new release is part of the Best Loved series, covering a substantial selection of iconic and entertaining works from the Naxos catalogue. This series will be accompanied by supplementary online playlists. Awesome Organ includes tracks from popular releases such as Eric Lebrun’s recordings of Jehan Alain’s organ works, (Vol. 1, 8.553632), Wolfgang Rübsam’s Pachelbel series (8.554380) and Dupré’s Variations sur un Noël from Ji-Yoen Choi’s debut recording (8.555367).