This 28th volume in the series features another selection of Scarlatti’s original, imaginative and colourful works. Pianist Sang Woo Kang is an active chamber musician, concerto soloist and recitalist whose Naxos album of Mozart’s fugues, rondos and fantasias received critical acclaim upon its release in December 2014 (8.573114).

REVIEW:

Paul Chihara has an extensive catalogue of orchestral, choral and chamber works, as well as film and TV scores. Composed in close collaboration with pianist Quynh Nguyen, the lyrical Concerto-Fantasy is inspired by traditional Vietnamese music, and is the main work on an album of delightfully approachable piano works, full of surprises and discoveries.

Naxos was founded in 1987 and has developed from being known primarily as a budget label focusing on standard repertoire into a virtual encyclopaedia of classical music with a catalogue of unparalleled depth and breadth. Innovative strategies for recording exciting new repertoire with exceptional talent have enabled the Naxos label to develop one of the largest and fastest⁠-⁠growing catalogues of unduplicated repertoire. Over 10,000 titles are currently available at affordable prices, recorded in state⁠-⁠of⁠-⁠the⁠-⁠art sound, both in hard format and on digital platforms. Naxos works with artists of the highest calibre and its recordings have been recognised with numerous international honours, including GRAMMY, ICMA, Opus Klassik and Gramophone Editor’s Choice Awards.

The company has also transformed into a global music group that owns, administers and/or distributes a large number of other independent record labels. Some of these labels are listed in this catalogue.

The sheer size of the 2023 catalogue requires it to be divided into three sections for convenient reading. Part 1 includes the Naxos label only, while Part 2 and Part 3 have the catalogues of the affiliated labels in the Naxos Music Group.

The sampler CD includes recordings from the Naxos main label as well as many of the group's global family of affiliates, with performances by Leonard Slatkin, Boris Giltburg, JoAnn Falletta, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Daniel Müller-Schott, Walter Klien, and more.

The English String Festival opens with a Galliard by the lutenist composer John Dowland, a musician who failed to gain a position at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, but won recognition and accumulated debts instead in the service of King Christian IV of Denmark, before returning to serve the new Scottish King, James I of England, in 1612. Dowland matched the spirit of the turn of the century with his most famous composition, the song “Flow my teares”, the epitome of melancholy, the fashionable humour of the day, “Lachrimae” or “Seaven Teares” later became the basis of seven sorrowful pavans, interspersed with livelier contrasting galliards. Dowland himself punned on his name, using for one of the solemn pavans the title “Dowland semper dolens”, Dowland always grieving. In fact he seems to have been a man of remarkably cheerful temperament. The Lachrimae theme was much admired and imitated, both in England and abroad.

Elgar's position as a leading composer of his day, quite in accordance with the continuing Romantic traditions in German-speaking countries, must be clear from the three works included in the present Festival.

Frank Bridge has been the subject of undeserved neglect as a composer, in spite of the attempts of his loyal pupil Benjamin Britten to give him the honour he deserved. Trained as a violinist, he was distinguished as a chamber-music player, serving for a time as violist in the Joachim Quartet and later in the English String Quartet. He appeared frequently as a conductor and wrote a considerable amount of music. His later work, after the war of 1914-1918, was nearer in manner to contemporary music on the continent of Europe. The Lament was written in 1915 in memory of a child drowned in the Lusitania.

Hubert Parry, a product of Eton and Oxford, exerted a powerful influence over music in England, as a teacher, composer and scholar. In the first capacity he combined for some years the positions of Professor of Music at Oxford and Director of the Royal College of Music, while in the second he was prolific, with a particular gift for vocal writing. His scholarship is evident in his study of the music of the 17th century for the old Oxford History of Music and his work on the music of J.S. Bach. An English Suite was published three years after Parry's death, in 1921. It is a charming re-creation of an earlier period of music, in form a Baroque suite. Lady Radnor's Suite, of similar inspiration, was completed in 1894 and published in 1902. It consists of a series of dance movements, a translation of Baroque tradition into a more nearly contemporary idiom, ending with the customary Gigue.

The Capella Istropolitana was founded in 1983 by members of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, at first as a chamber orchestra and then as an orchestra large enough to tackle the standard classical repertoire. Based in Bratislava, its name drawn from the ancient name still preserved in the Academia Istropolitana, the orchestra works in the recording studio and undertakes frequent tours throughout Europe.

Adrian Leaper studied conducting with Maurice Miles at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was trained also as a horn-player, later appearing with the London Sinfonietta and the English Chamber Orchestra, as well as serving eight years in the Philharmonia Orchestra, five of them as co-principal. At the same time he undertook a variety of conducting engagements with amateur and professional orchestras. He had recently been named Assistant Conductor with the Halle Orchestra at the time of this recording.

REVIEW:

The performances are all quite exciting as well as thoughtful, and with Naxos you get the Field Fantasy and the Piano-Duet concerto as well. Phillip Dyson and Kevin Sargent make beautiful music together, and Dyson penetrates the depths of the Fantasy. However, the glory of the CD lies in the collaboration among soloists, orchestra and conductor. Highly recommended.

-- Classical Net

Argentine composer Alberto Williams studied in Paris during the 1880s, and his violin sonatas draw comparisons with his teacher César Franck. Williams has been described as ‘the grand old man of Argentine music’ and is recognised as one of the founders of an independent musical language for his native country. Making their Naxos debut, DUO AM are the Brazilian musicians Alejandro Aldana (violin) and Fabio Martino (piano). Two albums of Williams's piano music can be heard on Marco Polo 8.223799 and 8.223800.

Known more widely as a composer of operas, Franco Alfano also composed a body of chamber music including the three string quartets heard here in world premiere recordings.

String Quartet No. 1 in D major was composed during the First World War between 1914 and 1918. The String Quartet No. 2 in C major In Tre Tempi Collegati, composed in 1925–26, is a smaller scale work than the first, and mostly much more tonal in harmonic structure. The String Quartet No. 3 in G minor was written in 1945 and premiered in Rome on 28 November 1947.

The Quartet comprises violinists Elmira Darvarova and Mary Ann Mumm, violist Craig Mumm and cellist Samuel Magill. The same ensemble can also be heard on the acclaimed Naxos album of Alfano’s Violin Sonata and Piano Quintet (8.572753). Alfano's Cello Sonata and Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano can be heard on 8.570928.

REVIEW:

The first two quartets date from a period that reached from the Great War to the mid-1920s. The opening of the String Quartet No. 1 is a Vivacissimo but the word stands feebly in the face of the torrid, angular tumult that is the first movement. An implacably melodious and fluently flowing Calmo was written as a memorial to his son who died while serving in the Italian military. It is followed by a Largo-Allegro Deciso. The first particle of this movement is a short extension of the mood of its predecessor but soon says a dry-eyed farewell with writing that is, at first, long on a tungsten determination. This is clearly relished by these four players. The music ends with a noble determination that seems to speak of a will to hold it together.

The tonality of the String Quartet No. 2 is placed under less stress than the First Quartet although it is by no means facile listening. It feels inventive. The second movement is marked ‘like a children’s song’. It is a delicate Thumbelina dance of a blossom. The final ‘danse villageoise’ accelerates all the way through.

The 1940s dealt blows to Alfano: much of his music was destroyed in the bombing of Turin and his wife died in 1943. It comes as little surprise that the writing of the first movement of the Third Quartet pierces a path into melancholy. Misty-eyed happiness is recalled but clearly it is not to be experienced again. Joy of a sort is grasped in the next movement, tipping over into the melodic complexity of the powerful Allegro finale. Alfano’s final String Quartet had a Rome premiere in 1947.

The CD’s notes could hardly be more needful – and incidentally meeting that need – when the music is otherwise unknown to all but a few. They are by the disc’s cellist, Samuel Magill. The performances are wondrously fervent, hot-house products. The sound is at your throat, heated and upon you with tiger-like ferocity.

-- MusicWeb International (Rob Barnett)

The folk music of Greece is the ‘topos’ shared by the four composers on this album, part of Naxos’s Greek Classics series. Greek-Cypriot composer Solon Michaelides’s evocative Dawn at the Parthenon is infused with impressionist elements whereas Manolis Kalomiris, the leading figure in Greek national music, turns more to the voluptuous richness of Rimsky-Korsakov in his Island Pictures. Yannis Constantinidis’s two suites are notable for their subtle dance rhythms and expert orchestration while Nikos Skalkottas’s ingenious Greek Dances, one of his most popular works, are heard here in Walter Goehr's edition for string orchestra.

This latest entry in Naxos' Spanish Classics series is also the ninth and final volume in the Albéniz piano music series. The focus here is on Albéniz’s compositional evolution and his use of inspired folk-based melodies, Hispanic nostalgia and vivid dance rhythms, encapsulated by the intoxicating Chants d’Espagne. The album also includes five works heard in exciting new arrangements for two pianos made expressly for this recording. Miguel Ángel R. Laiz is joined by Santiago L. Sacristán in the works for two pianos.

Following on from their widely acclaimed recording of Halka (8.660485-86), the Poznań Opera presents this new recording of Moniuszko’s last opera, Paria, conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk. Although Paria was misunderstood by critics at its premiere, the moving themes of exclusion and the power of social rules now make it an opera for our times.

Chinese Romance presents a selection of recent guitar compositions by three Chinese composers who were all born in the 1980s. These poetic and lyrical pieces explore the guitar’s delicate timbres with nuance and subtle detail, expressing a universal range of emotions. Xianji Liu is the first ever Chinese-born winner of the Franciso Tárrega International Guitar Competition, Benicàssim.

Building upon the critically acclaimed cycles of complete symphonies by Beethoven (8.505251) and Brahms (8.574465-67), stellar Hungarian conductor Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra turn their attention to Haydn’s late symphonies. In an effort to address Haydn’s lack of popularity when compared to Mozart and Beethoven, Fischer and his Danish forces presents these works in the most exciting and colourful way possible, with a dynamic and powerfully passionate style of playing unique to this orchestra.

This album focuses on Enescu’s early chamber music composed during the turn of the 20th century, much of which has only recently been discovered. The Fine Arts Quartet, one of the world’s leading quartets, is joined by the Witkowski Piano Duo and double bassist Alexander Bickard in works that include an arrangement of Enescu’s popular Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 for piano and string quintet.

REVIEW:

The Fine Arts Quartet is at the core of this program. Its members as well as the two pianists on the program bring great spirit to these youthful works, and the label’s recorded sound is fine. The program notes are informative as well. This is a very attractive disc.

— Fanfare

Upon hearing a chamber piece by Joseph Michl in Munich in 1772 the English composer and music historian Charles Burney wrote, ‘I hardly ever heard a composition that discovered more genius and invention.’ Even though Michl achieved success writing for the operatic stage and his contemporary reputation rested on his sacred works, the Bassoon Quartets present the epitome of urbane sophistication – elegantly constructed and full of imaginative detail – and at times resembling miniature concertos.

Ben Hoadley is one of Australasia’s finest bassoonists, performing on modern and historical instruments. He is also an award-winning composer whose works are performed and recorded internationally. Hoadley has appeared frequently as guest principal with many of the professional orchestras in both Australia and New Zealand, and as a recital and concerto soloist and chamber musician. His special interest in music by New Zealand composers has led to many collaborations in the creation of new music for bassoon. The Hall String Trio (Lara, Amalia and Callum Hall) are siblings from Auckland, New Zealand who have performed together extensively since childhood, primarily as a string quartet with their brother Elroy. Continued performances together have included duos, trios and collaborations with non-family members.

REVIEWS:

Hoadley tosses it all off flawlessly without any sense of strain, and always mindful of the prime directive to produce a smooth, seamless, and beautiful tone.

…Hoadley is companioned by three sibling Halls—Laura and Amalia, violins, and Callum, cello—who know their place in these works and play with deference to the bassoon. I would very much like to hear them in works composed for string trio, for their modest contributions in these bassoon quartets hint at an ensemble of string players that would really shine on their own.

-- Fanfare

Learn more about this release on the Naxos Classical Spotlight podcast!

Duo Duel, a concerto for 2 percussion and orchestra, is dedicated to the two percussionists who inspired it, Svet Stoyanov and Matthew Strauss. The work is in one continuous movement, but the pacing of the individual sections is: slow, fast, slow, fast-cadenza (one of the fastest cadenzas ever written for percussionists), fast (with dueling timpani).

The soloists sometimes play together, and sometimes they “duel” their way through the music. There is some seriously high-speed playing in this concerto, so don’t blink – you might miss something!

The Concerto for Orchestra is truly a concerto in that it requires virtuosity from the principal players, the individual sections and the entire orchestra. The first movement was the last to be composed. It took writing the other four movements to create a clear picture of what was needed to start this virtuosic tour-de-force. The second movement was written next, inspired by the string sound of The Philadelphia Orchestra. The third movement was written first, and it is this movement that allows each principal player a solo, before moving into section solos. The fourth movement is a tribute to rhythm, and the percussion section of the orchestra. The fifth movement, which begins with the entrance of the violins, highlights the entire orchestra.