In December of 2019, the NKB (Neat Kitamura’s Bank celebrated their 10th anniversary. To preemptively celebrate this achievement, a concert was held on October 20th, wherein Mr. Noriaki Kitamura conducted the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra and Choir as they performed Beethoven’s Leonore Overture, and his unforgettable Symphony No. 9. NKB is a nonprofit organization established with the aim of collecting and owning works of music, which they later produce and make available to the public. The purpose is to leave these works of art as true to their original versions as possible, and present them widely. Noriaki Kitamura comes from a family of musicians- his father is a conductor of an amateur chorus group, and he has two uncles who are also conductors. He studied first as a flute player at the Kyoto Municipal University of Art, and afterward studied conducting with Prof. Kazuwo Yamada. His performances, even from a young age, have always shown maturity and high quality of art.

The "Eroica" has been revived. The excited anticipation that abounds in this album is the hope toward the beginning of a new era that a young Beethoven, who composed this symphony, entrusted in Napoleon. This symphony, which was composed using Baroque and classical styles, begins in an aggressive Allegro, presents praise for the past and hope for the future in the Marcia funebre, rings out courageously through horns in the Scherzo, and reaches the most beautiful chorale in the Finale. "Spring's Voices" by Strauss presents the beautiful spring of the future that was anticipated in the "Eroica." This album contains renditions that thoroughly present the beauty of these various scenes. Noriaki Kitamura brilliantly leads the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra through these works.

This recording, unlike the previous two albums, was made in the newly renovated Slovak Philharmonic Hall. Reflecting the bright and festive atmosphere of this hall, this performance changes the heavy impression of anguished "Destiny" which has prevailed until now. The progression of this symphony, starting with the first movement which inspires violent anxiety, to a reversal in the warm and friendly second movement, to the wrenching third movement, and finishing with the strong resoluteness of the fourth movement, is testimony to the lifetime of Beethoven. The two works of Johann Strauss let you enjoy the good old Vienna atmosphere, appropriate to the home of this orchestra. Without aggressive pressure, with a characteristic generous and spacious tempo, this performance dispels the stern image which tends to follow this work around.

This recording was made at the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, famous as the venue for the International Chopin Piano Competitions. The wonderful richness of the sound evokes the rich tradition and history of both the orchestra and the hall. You can enjoy the immense dynamic range of the orchestra, from the smallest sounds to the loudest, hall-shaking fortissimos. In silence, one can hear things like the chirping and birds and the quiet of night, which cannot be heard in other recordings. The excitement of the final stage, building up from "dawn" to the "chorale," is simply astounding. "Romeo and Juliet" is performed in a way that brings the scenes to life in front of your eyes. The depth of love between two people expressed here evokes feelings of sympathy in the audience. The polonaise played by a Polish orchestra is full of animation indeed. The phrasing and harmony there has a unique something, conveying the unique accents of music by Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky in a tasteful manner. Especially in "Romeo and Juliet," treatment of the minor harmonies reminds one of the Polish orchestral tradition, making one feel a painfully nostalgic mood. The veteran conducting of Noriaki Kitamura (born 1949) let's the orchestra play around freely, while at the same time, bringing them together at key points.

The Warsaw Philharmonic lives up to a program that expects much from it's sophisticated performance techniques, resulting in a great performance. Conductor Noriaki Kitamura writes: "The sound has a sense of transparency, and the detailed ensemble work is superb. The Faun dream drifting within the silence is beautiful, just like an impressionist painting. The force and freshness of the sound, which is inspired by Hokusai prints, reflects the expressions of the real sea itself. Pomp and envy in the Viennese court is recounted in "La Valse." The "Coppelia," one of the classic songs of French ballet, features Polish mazurkas rendered by a true Polish orchestra. The music making by Kitamura and the Warsaw Philharmonic is solid, without any kind of deception. It can be used as a reference for evaluation of acoustics."