This month brings you another bumper crop of great reviews from the leading music magazines, quality dailies and online review sites. There’s no doubt about it: Naxos releases and distributes some of the best music and audiovisual albums!
‘Erotic, unsettling and at times extreme, it’s absolutely riveting and quite genuinely unforgettable.’
– Gramophone
‘After being an admirable Jenůfa, Karita Mattila dons the black clothes of Kostelnička and sets Janáček’s masterpiece on fire.’
– ResMusica.com
‘Asmik Grigorian, dark, slim, her movements small and tight as if she hardly wants to be seen, still manages to be the centre of our world: each phrase, each interaction means something.’
– ClassicsToday.com
‘In a strong field of new organ recordings, Tom Winpenny’s complete Elgar stands out.’
– Gramophone
‘The Oberlin Trio’s playing of these works is nothing short of fetching. Felicity, finesse, and good cheer are hallmarks of these performances…’
– Fanfare
‘Buscemi’s nimble fingers release bursts of energy from the guitar amid lively passagework, and one can only try not to mourn that Malipiero did not write more for the guitar!’
– American Record Guide
‘These are the go-to performances of an important and forward-looking set of sonatas from the glory of the French court’s instrumental music history.’
– Fanfare
‘Shugaev plays the work with aggressive exuberance. It left me with the impression that this music was both fun and rewarding to play.’
– WTJU
‘Can her music not simply be allowed to speak and sing? It is here, on a fine set of recordings…under the baton of John Jeter, a champion of Price’s… there are the Concert Overtures Nos 1 and 2, the blowsy, restless – and strikingly poignant – The Oak and the swirling, almost Viennese Colonial Dance.’
– The Sunday Times, London
‘The Arabella Quartet does a wonderful job here. A fine job all around, excellent performance of extremely interesting and delightful works.’
– Fanfare
‘Jun Märkl applies himself to the music, its momentum, its colours, and its dramatic content with unerring sensitivity.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘Jun Märkl’s baton is as magical as Saint-Saëns’ pen, and his wholehearted advocacy for these scores draws some sparkling performances brimming with beguiling melodies and exquisite harmonies.’
– Classical Music Daily
‘Once again [Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra] demonstrate their feel for the music of their homeland, enriched here with influences from Bach and Brahms.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘Sparkling, sparkling, rousing and catchy.’
– Opera Lounge
‘The music is sensationally and fulsomely recorded.’
– MusicWeb International
‘…this is the most conveniently comprehensive of the collections of this music… The American performances are engaged and engaging.’
– MusicWeb International
‘This is a very characteristic performance of a masterpiece of vocal literature, technically [and] splendidly recorded.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘This admirably refined performance offers a superb alternative to the recording…conducted by Volodymyr Sirenko.’
– Diapason
‘One of the greatest masterpieces of our century gets the recording it deserves. Essential.’
– MusicWeb International
‘With a stellar line-up of performers and crystal-clear recording quality, this is a profoundly arresting album.’
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★
‘Cornelius Meister conducts both pieces buoyantly and with a good sense of their character. The singers sing and play impeccably.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘Exciting, otherworldly, glistening, and unique…This is a phenomenally inventive disc, in which each and every composer stimulates, with faultless performances from Velasco.’
– Fanfare
‘The performances and recordings are exemplary… It is impossible to know how they could be improved.’
– MusicWeb International
‘This is music that thrives on really good sound, and Dacapo’s engineers have understood that too. The recordings simply sound very good. ’
– Kulturdelen ★★★★★
‘…superbly performed and recorded, by Dacapo.’
– Gramophone
‘Gathering is a magnificent collection, and as the songs were written over a span of thirty years, it also offers a superb overview.’
– Textura, Top 20 Classical (Vocal) of 2022: #7
‘Xiaoya Liu’s strong and delineated performances capture the works’ energetic momentum and highlight their extremes of dynamic and mood.’
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★
‘It all adds up to a surprisingly tasty dish.’
– MusicWeb International
‘…very imaginative and imaginatively composed. Gottlieb Wallisch plays these works with equal spirit and spontaneity.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘Throughout, the Polyphonia Ensemble Berlin play with ideal elegance and emotion. No one interested in these three pieces should hesitate to explore this rewarding release.’
– Gramophone
‘…very enjoyable listening: music with a smile.’
– MusicWeb International
‘[The ensemble] delightfully exploit the liveliness and different sound worlds of music with their joy of playing.’
– Pizzicato
‘Throughout, Kuusisto demonstrates an intuitive feel for the work’s enchanting rusticity… Tomas Nuñez traces the music’s emotional contours with compelling immediacy.’
– The Strad
‘London’s voice was massive, focused and dark, with an exciting and secure top. In these recordings he never blusters, and he sings with verbal acuity, noble tone and dramatic verve… The remastered sound is excellent.’
– Opera Now ★★★★★
‘This is a masterclass in great operatic singing—a must-hear!’
– Classical Explorer
‘…the Rudersdal Chamber Players attest in wonderfully lucid accounts of all three works…’
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★
‘Two Sides is likely the first time many listeners outside Iceland will have had the chance to hear the group in action. That’s certainly one reason to recommend the release, but it’s the playing by Barokkbandið Brák that tops the list.’
– Textura
‘A very desirable tribute to the Alfvén celebrations.’
– MusicWeb International
‘The various colours of this truly magnetic score – from surreal to fantastic, to comedic and burlesque – are painted with inviting warmth.’
– ConcertoNet.com
‘For a present to myself…the possibilities opened up by the Barenboim/Tcherniakov Tristan – and by Mike Ashman’s scrutiny of it – promise lasting rewards.’
– Gramophone
‘[Andreas Schager’s] tenor is tireless. He really can just keep going and his blend of physicality and vocal strength is astonishing. Anja Kampe’s Isolde is a more subtle being, loving and tender and her soprano’s soft grain is appropriate.’
– Opera Now
‘Everyone is good, there are too many to single out with one perhaps exception…artist Justin Vivian Bond, who belts out their lines with a mix of anger and celebratory gusto.’
– Opera Now
‘Barenboim’s Beethoven is generous and a firm embrace of the composer.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘[Cobbett] wrote about his travels and tirades with punch and panache, recalling his youth and never at a loss for a sharp observation. Peter Wickham conveys all his vigour, explaining why he was such a thorn in the side of England’s rulers.’
– The Times (London)