The first volume of the Naxos selection of operatic excerpts includes music ranging from Mozart to Puccini. The first of these composers is represented by the famous aria of the Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute. Mozart had settled in Vienna, independent of a patron and of his father's guidance, in 1781. Ten years later, after variable successes, his fortunes seemed about to take a turn for the better. In 1791, the year of his death, he w rote two operas, the coronation opera La clemenza di Tito for Prague and the German Singspiel Die Zauberfl�te (The Magic Flute) for a suburban theatre in Vienna. The latter was still running at the time of his death in early December. The opera, imbued with Masonic symbolism and with a libretto by the actor-manager Emanuel Schikaneder, who took a leading comic role in the work, deals with the ordeals and initiation of Tamino and his earthier companion, the bird-catcher Papageno, into the mysteries of enlightenment and his final union with Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night. In the first act of the opera the latter appears to Tamino, seeking his help in the rescue of her daughter from Sarastro, whom she brands as evil, although it later transpires that he is the leader of the enlightened band into which Tamino is eventually admitted. In Der H�lle Rache she declares, in brilliant coloratura, her enmity to her former consort Sarastro.

Schubert set the poetry of over 115 writers to music. He selected poems from classical Greece, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, from eighteenth-century German authors, early Romantics, Biedermeier poets, and Heine.

Brian Current: Airline Icarus

Schubert set the poetry of over 115 writers to music. He selected poems from classical Greece, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, from eighteenth-century German authors, early Romantics, Biedermeier poets, and Heine.

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Vol. 1

HOWELLS: Requiem / Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing

Premiered in Vienna for the celebration of his artistic golden jubilee in 1893, Strauss' Princess Ninetta enjoyed seventy-six performances and critical approval: "The libretto was a success in the true sense of the word.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies began work on his parodic opera Resurrection while studying at Princeton in the early 1960s, finishing it some two decades later. Its violent diversity takes aim at a series of targets (state, church and media) and is expressed in a dazzling but masque-like succession of scenes, and through the blackly comic pastiche of hymn tunes, marching bands, saccharine waltzes, and banal T.V. advertisements.

Mayr's opera buffa Amore non soffre opposizioni was first performed in Venice in 1810 and owes something to the increasingly popular genre of the "sentimental drama". Conforming to Neapolitan practice in having no recitatives, it reflects precisely those qualities that aroused such enthusiasm for his music in Mayr's contemporaries: beautiful, expressive melodies, a natural vocal style, stimulating harmonies, and sophisticated instrumentation. The restoration of Mayr's music in modern performance has been largely due to the critically acclaimed conductor on this recording, Franz Hauk.

Bach: Overtures (Suites) Nos. 1-4

The last of Erkel's nine completed operas, Istvan kiraly is a tale of passionate emotions, love, jealousy, power struggles and murder in which King Stephen, the founder of the Hungarian state and its first Christian ruler, is portrayed as a saint amidst the clash of pagan and Christian worlds. This is the first recording to restore the opera to its original, uncut form. The 19th century Hungarian composer Ferenc Erkel is considered the father of grand opera in Hungary.

It's well known that the vast majority of what have come down to us as Bach's Harpsichord Concertos were originally written for violin, oboe, oboe d'amore, or some combination of the two. The originals have all disappeared, but reconstructions are possible within a very small margin of error, particularly in the case of the Double Concerto BWV 1060, which has been performed and enjoyed in its original form for violin and oboe (or oboe d'amore) for more than half a century. Naxos' complete edition of Bach's orchestral music properly includes the most famous of all the reconstructions, the violin version of the Harpsichord Concerto in D minor BWV 1052, in the violin concerto volume of this series, leaving this disc to the double concerto noted above, as well as four oboe/oboe d'amore works. Soloists Christian Hummel and Lisa Stewart offer attractive, tastefully ornamented, sweet-toned performances on modern instruments that take into account period performance practice. For anyone who enjoys Bach's orchestral music or the more familiar harpsichord versions of these works, this disc is self-recommending. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

BRAHMS: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115 / String Quartet No. 3

Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 132 and Hess 34

The Great Classics series from Naxos is the perfect introduction to myriad genres of classical music. Comprising both complete and compiled selections from the greatest works in the repertoire, the boxes are bursting with wonderful pieces of music, both recognizable and unfamiliar. The boxes take the listener on a thrilling tour of some of the world's most dramatic musical media, encompassing music from six centuries and featuring sensational performers. All boxes come with a fascinating booklet with detailed information on the genre itself, chronological placement of each work, and a comprehensive study of the music. A fitting celebration of 25 years of superb music from Naxos, the world's favourite classical label.