Frederick Delius had a strong champion in the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham, who praised the composer as "the last great apostle of romantic beauty in music".

The outstanding English composer working in the mid-20th century, Benjamin Britten won a significant international reputation, whilst remaining thoroughly English in inspiration.

Classical Music

Way ahead of his time, misunderstood, and a rebel. It is difficult to believe, as we hail Beethoven's achievements, that the great German composer had only been dead three years when Berlioz wrote the erotic Symphonie Fantastique. It was not progress, it was a quantum leap forward for music. Yet he was often shunned, the size and scope of such operas as The Trojans totally alien to those who were still trying to come to terms with the comparative conservatism of Beethoven's Fidelio. Just imagine Brahms was not yet born! This disc is the ideal way to appreciate just how great and significant was his music. From the boisterous Roman Carnival Overture, to the chilling March to the Scaffold, here is the very best of Berlioz. It is presented in outstanding performances, many from the partial cycle of Berlioz made for Naxos by the virtuoso orchestra from San Diego. And it even contains a novelty to titillate those who think they know a lot about Berlioz, with the R�verie et Caprice, a work of stunning beauty for violin and orchestra.

Classical Music

Alexander Glazunov (1866-1936) lived long enough to see modernism take root throughout Europe, including Russia where his greatest student, Dmitri Shostakovich, was already making a name for himself. But it never affected Glazunov's own music. He remained a 19th century Russian Romantic until the day he died. This collection takes bits and pieces from various releases in Naxos' Glazunov series and structures them in such a way as to provide a good hour's worth of listening. Glazunov's showstoppers are here, mostly in three tasty excerpts from The Seasons (including the brilliant "Autumn") as well as the allegro from the Violin Concerto (the soloist is Ilya Kaler, the orchestra the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, all of whom are excellent). Also here are three selections from Glazunov's underrated Raymonda, a Scheherazade-like ballet full of memorable melodies. The disc opens, however, with an excerpt from Finnish Sketches ("Solemn Procession") that should be better known. Excerpts are also here from two symphonies, the Second and the Fourth. All of the performances are topnotch and the recorded sound is lush and richly colored. This is music that seems almost impossible to get wrong. If you're new to Glazunov, start here. --Paul Cook, ClassicsToday.com

Erik Nordgren, whose compositions include major concertos and chamber music, wrote seventeen film scores for Ingmar Bergman. The finest examples of their close collaboration can be heard on this recording. They include the symphonically proportioned Waiting Women, the suggestive and mysterious score for Wild Strawberries and the exceptional economy of The Face. Conductor Adriano has prepared the scores directly from manuscripts and copies of the films, where available.

• This is a reissue of a Marco Polo disc, 8.223682.
• On its original appearance Gramophone wrote “Performances and recording are among the best in this interesting series”.

Classical Music

Includes work(s) by various composers. Soloist: Alain Trudel.

Oboe (The Art Of The) - Famous Oboe Concertos

BAROQUE TRUMPET (THE ART OF THE), Vol. 2

BAROQUE TRUMPET (THE ART OF THE), Vol. 3

The Kennedy harpsichord on this selection is modeled after one by Mietke from 1704.

If you've never heard of the Flemish early music vocal group Capilla Flamenca and you're inclined to listen to music by composers such as Josquin Desprez, Jean Mouton, Pierre de la Rue, Heinrich Isaac, or Adrian Willaert, be reassured: you will love this recording. Naxos has "discovered" yet another world-class ensemble that owns a particular repertoire niche and performs it as well as or better than many "big-name" outfits. These eight singers exhibit exceptionally rich tone, ideal blend and balance, and, thanks to the two fine, rock-solid basses, a purity of intonation that every choral group strives for but few attain. Capilla Flamenca (the name comes from the group of court musicians brought from the Low Countries to Spain by Charles V in 1517) is joined on this recording by La Caccia, whose viols, lute, and various wind instruments are used both to accompany voices on some selections and to perform a handful of purely instrumental pieces. The program consists primarily of both sacred and secular works by the abovementioned composers and a few more obscure names, including "anonymous". The selections are drawn from the beautifully copied illuminated manuscripts of the great 16th century music calligrapher known as Petrus Alamire. Not only did these collections contain music by the most important polyphonists of the period, but they were highly valued in the courts and noble-houses of Europe as works of high art. And high art is what we get here--a thoughtful and exemplary program in every respect. --David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Vanhal: Symphonies, Vol. 1