Rossini's ceaseless wit and invention are best exemplified in his series of operas. His colorful orchestration and command of both comic and tragic elements can be savored in this second of four volumes of the complete symphonic overtures. Guillaume Tell, with it's overture in four movements, includes a scene for five solo cellos. La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder), one of his most popular pieces, opens with an overture of charm and elan. Volume 1 (8.570933) was described by MusicWeb Internationals "an admirable start to what looks like being a very desirable series".

The genesis of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Études goes back to his first meeting with the Andrés Segovia, at which the legendary guitarist asked for one étude and the composer ended up writing twelve. Andrea Bissoli returns to the original 1928 manuscript, restoring elements lost in later publication and reliving the magic of those times on an instrument almost identical to Segovia’s. The Tarantela was probably also written guitar in hand. For his ‘folk ensemble’ instrumentation of the brightly colored songs of the Guia prático, Bissoli has sought out traces of the guitar in the original and chosen a selection of pieces tailor-made for his instrument. The exciting story of O papagaio do moleque (The Little Boy’s Kite) concludes this third and final volume of the series.

This recording presents the chorale variations for solo viola da gamba by an anonymous 17th-century master, collected in the so-called Berlin Gamba Book. Only the initials of the arranger - 'J.R.' - are known, but this was clearly someone of passion and discernment who transformed hymns into instrumental music which preserves the solemnity and gravitas of the originals. Dietmar Berger's recording of the Manchester Gamba Book (8.572863-64) was acclaimed as 'a considerable achievement by any standard' (Gramophone).

Joseph Marx's distinctive style is characterized in these songs by dazzling, colorful harmonies and a remarkable melodic richness that, coupled with his sensitive setting of the texts, results in some of the composer's finest works for voice and orchestra. Recurring themes of love and longing are encapsulated in one of Marx's earliest songs, 'Hat dich die Liebe beruhrt', and moods of cheerful serenity, profound earnestness and amusing operetta-like lightness are all explored elsewhere. This programme of premiere recordings includes the cycle Verklartes Jahr, a high point in Marx's vocal oeuvre, and the intoxicating expression of his love for Italy in 'Auf der Campagna.'

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.

The tone poems of Richard Strauss's early career represent a remarkable extension of the ideas of Liszt and Wagner, and the autobiographical Ein Heldenleben exceeds it's predecessors in terms of it's demands on the orchestra. Is intricately interwoven sections create a single symphonic movement depicting heroism, love, and ultimately peace. Alberic Magnard became a French national hero when he died defending his home at the outbreak of World War I. The Chant funebre was written in memory of his father. This recording celebrates both the 40th anniversary of the Orchestre National de Lille and the 50th year of it's founder Jean-Claude Casadesus's career.

Palestrina's Fourth Book of Motets was dedicated to his patron Pope Gregory XIII and published in Rome in 1584. He took as his text The Song of Songs (also known as The Song of Solomon). The 29 motets, written in an age of religious tumult and Counter-Reformation, evoke the love of Christ in devotional music of chamber-like refinement and joy. This recording also includes plainchant antiphons related to the texts, and the motets Afferentur Regi and Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui.

Classical Music

Naxos, the world's leading classical music group, is joining the Alzheimer's Association® as a cause marketing strategic partner with the release of a new CD series, PURPLE CLASSICS. The series will contain 10 recordings, each providing approximately 2 hours of classical music. For every CD or album downloaded or sold through June 23, 2017, Naxos will donate $.50 to the Alzheimer's Association with a minimum donation of $25,000. These funds will help to support the Alzheimer's Association in their efforts to advance Alzheimer's research, care and support.Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, and every 66 seconds someone develops the disease. It is the costliest disease in the United States and takes a physical and emotional toll on caregivers.Each recording in the PURPLE CLASSICS series has been taken from the Naxos Records catalog which is one of the largest and deepest classical music catalogs in the world. The result makes PURPLE CLASSICS the perfect foundation for a new classical music fan or for the seasoned listener

Spanish composer Ramon Paus has enjoyed considerable success in the fields of film and theatre music, while his classical works have been performed worldwide. The three viola works on this recording reveal elements of Paus's eclectic musical background, such as the jazz-like moments and colorful drama of Cobalto azul, en transito. They also demonstrate his command of instrumental dialogue in Madera Ocaso with its incandescent melodies and incendiary piano chords. The hauntingly eautiful Elegia primera, la deriva is dedicated to the memory of Edith Maretzki, a violinist friend of the composer.

Classical Music

Beethoven's secular vocal works, many rarely heard today, were composed for a variety of reasons. Some were written for marriages, to mark the departure of a friend or to celebrate a name day, while others allude to Masonic imagery or set the words of great literary contemporaries, such as Schiller. The larger canvas of Mehrstimmige italienische Ges�nge reflects Beethoven's studies of Italian word-setting with Antonio Salieri, revealing insights into Beethoven's achievements during his early years in Vienna. Viennese chamber choir Cantus Novus Wien draws on an extensive repertoire of Baroque, Classical, and contemporary music, including a cappella choral music, oratorios by Handel and Haydn, and requiems by Mozart, Brahms, Verdi, and Faur�. Contemporary music is one of the choir's focal points, including regular world premieres of commissioned pieces. The choir has been conducted by Thomas Holmes since 2001. Ensemble Tamanial is a vocal quartet based in Vienna, Austria. The ensemble was established to provide a place in which to grow and learn as musicians through undertaking soloist responsibility across a wide variety of musical styles, including Renaissance, Classical, Romantic and also in contemporary works. For these Beethoven recordings the ensemble have been working closely with Thomas Holmes as their musical director and wish to express their deep gratitude.

Composed between 1929 and 1931, Ravel's two piano concertos reflect his enthusiasm for jazz, though one that was thoroughly absorbed into his own idiom. The Concerto in G major, originally conceived as a Basque rhapsody, is lightly scored but sports a vivacious percussion section, galvanizing motor rhythms and a slow movement of astonishing beauty. The Concerto for the Left Hand, commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein who had lost his right arm in the First World War, is a single movement tour de force, as is Tzigane, a gypsy violin showpiece of dazzling virtuosity.

Astor Piazzolla's name is synonymous with Nuevo Tango, an experimental compound of traditional and contemporary influences, and this recording offers a bouquet of his finest music in wholly original arrangements for classical accordion and piano. This selection includes the unforgettable Milonga del angel as well as the evocative suite The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. The Double Concerto 'Hommage a Liege' is one of Piazzolla's most classically orientated works, by turns playful, catchy and lyric, while the examples drawn from his film music are among his most enduring. Geir Draugsvoll is considered to be one of the most versatile musicians on the classical accordion. He has performed with world class orchestras, conductors and musicians such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, and others. He has also released several albums, all to critical acclaim. Mette Rasmussen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and at Artlife International in Paris. She has performed as soloist and chamber musician in Scandinavia, Switzerland, France and China, and has broadcast on radio and TV, as well as appearing at several festivals and important venues.

Music of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Rossini and more!Naxos, the world's leading classical music group, is joining the Alzheimer's Association® as a cause marketing strategic partner with the release of a new CD series, PURPLE CLASSICS. The series will contain 10 recordings, each providing approximately 2 hours of classical music. For every CD or album downloaded or sold through June 23, 2017, Naxos will donate $.50 to the Alzheimer's Association with a minimum donation of $25,000. These funds will help to support the Alzheimer's Association in their efforts to advance Alzheimer's research, care and support.Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, and every 66 seconds someone develops the disease. It is the costliest disease in the United States and takes a physical and emotional toll on caregivers.Each recording in the PURPLE CLASSICS series has been taken from the Naxos Records catalog which is one of the largest and deepest classical music catalogs in the world. The result makes PURPLE CLASSICS the perfect foundation for a new classical music fan or for the seasoned listener