SCHUMANN, R.: Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 / Fantasie in C Major

Madrid-born TomAs Marco is a multi award-winning and prolific composer whose compact Symphony No 2 is a single 'Espacio cerrado' or 'Closed Space', expressed using a massive orchestra.

Opera's greatest moments, All the opera you'll ever need! The world's most famous arias and choruses from the greatest operas of all time.

C. P. E. Bach was a chamber musician at the court of Frederick the Great for nearly three decades. He was also one of the greatest keyboard players in Europe. His compositional mastery is exemplified by the six 'Prussian' Sonatas of 1742, works of great expression and stylistic interest. His desire to explore 'musical speech' was accompanied by bold contrasts, tremendous dynamism, and acute sensitivity for the shaping of slow movements. These reveal his inventive, forward thinking harmonies that both acknowledge the past but also strike out in vivid new directions. Susan Alexander, Max is recognized internationally as a leading forte pianist and clavichordist specializing in the music of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A featured performer on international radio and television, she is known to festivals, museums, universities and music colleges world wide.

Ince: Symphony No. 3, "Siege of Vienna" - Symphony No. 4, "S

Debussy completed his two books of Preludes in 1910 and 1913 respectively, and they contain some of his most visionary and poetic writing for piano. There are evocations of calm seascapes, delicate wind tracery, and snow-covered landscapes. Some moments are steeped in antiquity, such as La cathedrale engloutie, others in expressive portraiture, as in La fille aux cheveux de lin. There is even a cake-walk. The Preludes are performed here in the subtle and colouristic orchestrations of muchadmired Slovak-born composer Peter Breiner. Throughout it's history, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has played an important part in Scotland's musical life, including performing at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament building in 2004. Jun Merkl has appeared as a guest conductor with the orchestras of Philadelphia, Cleveland, NHK Symphony, Tonhalle Zurich, and the Munich, Oslo and Czech Philharmonics among others, and at the Met, Covent Garden, Vienna State and Dresden Semper Operas.

The Guardian has praised Pietari Inkinen as 'a conductor of bold, sure-footed intelligence' and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as 'a fine, responsive unit'. This third volume in Naxos' new series presents the dramatic and highly popular Symphony No.

The Virgin Queen' Elizabeth I was the focal-point of all England; the subject, dedicatee and audience for much of the music composed and performed throughout her long and now legendary reign.

Evencio Castellanos belonged to the generation of Venezuelan composers who established a new nationalistic style in the first half of the 20th century.

Piano Recital: Kotaro Fukuma

Vivaldi's universally popular Four Seasons has become one of the most recorded pieces of classical music. The four concertos, with their virtuoso part for solo violinist, depict the changing seasons in a pastoral landscape with dazzling variety.

Franz Schubert's gift for songwriting transfers into the lyrical sensitivities in his instrumental music. Composed for himself and friends to play at musical evenings the brilliant Rondo D. 608 shares the musical burden equally between the parts. The Sonata for Piano Duet D. 617 echoes the spirit of Mozart and was written for the daughters of Count Esterh+�zy the Six Grandes Marches et Trios having their place in the ballroom. Of these Nos. 2 and 3 can be found in Vol. 5 (8570354) which was a Gramophone 'Editor's Choice'.

Orlando Gibbons' exquisite tunes and rock-solid bass-lines for the first English hymn-book, Hymnes and Songs of the Church, were written to be sung and played both at home and in church.

The expressive range and versatility of the wind ensemble is exemplified in this program from one of the world's leading ensembles of it's kind, which presents classics of the genre alongside new works. Wayne Oquin's Tower Ascending pulsates with urban power whilst Richard Lorenz explores a web of Latin American music. Michael Tilson Thomas distils old and new perspectives and James Mobberely offers affecting Words of Love. We also hear Copland's indelible Fanfare for the Common Man, Vaughan Williams's intricate Toccata Marziale and Stravinsky's brilliantly virtuosic Concerto.

Praised for his previous choral music albums, British composer and conductor Ronald Corp now makes his Naxos chamber music debut with this disc.