When a composer’s work is marked as his or her Opus 100, it surely marks a milestone in their development.

All at the Naxos Music Group were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of pianist/conductor Lars Vogt at the age of 51.

This podcast features Peter Hall in conversation with JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, about her latest release on the Naxos label — a recording of William Walton’s Façades 1 and 2, together with four additional movements.

Labelling Beethoven’s Für Elise a mere trifle might appear insulting to such a household name and piano solo favourite.

Pianist Alon Goldstein, the Fine Arts Quartet and bassist Lizzie Burns recently recorded rare 19th-century chamber versions of Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 19 and 25.

Here’s a small selection of works celebrating August, not as an evocative month approaching Autumn, but as a dedicatee (August Bournonville), a composer’s name (August Baeyens, Friedrich August Belcke), a source of literary inspiration (August von Platen-Hallermünde, August Strindberg), and an arranger (August Eberhard Müller).

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series takes rats as its theme, a topic that, perhaps surprisingly, has caught the attention of composers across the world and down the ages.

It’s maybe too convenient to restrict references to war to big anniversary dates, so this blog presents a small selection of musical works that paint the subject of conflict in tuneful reminders of how wearisome and worthless the daily pursuit is.

All at Naxos were saddened to hear of the passing of American pianist, teacher and author Joseph Banowetz on 3 July, aged 87.

With so many world events defying logic right now, I thought we might escape briefly into a space where words make no attempt to stack up, but merely divert for a while and lighten the spirit. Welcome to the literary worlds of Lewis Carroll, William Brighty Rands, Hilaire Belloc and someone called Mr Traditional.

While most people tend to seek visions of the future—especially where lottery tickets are concerned—this blog cites four works featuring musical visions from the past.

The Violin Channel had the privilege of chatting with Naxos Founder and head, Klaus Heymann.

Although they have their detractors, national and international music competitions continue to stand the test of time.

The oft-adopted adage “pressure makes diamonds” stems from massive pressure and ferocious temperatures combining beneath the Earth’s crust to produce precious stones of enduring value from the single element of carbon: chemistry and physics ultimately give way to craftsmanship and art in achieving the final product.

King Louis XIV of France, the legendary ‘Sun King’ and victim of the awful play on words in the title of this blog, was born in 1638; he ascended to the throne in 1643, four months before his fifth birthday, and died in 1715.

This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series examines how a musical composition can be pampered by alternative wardrobes, when an original is dressed in different presentations of style and instrumentation while retaining its core character.

In 1980, I sat in the Kyiv Opera House enjoying a performance of Verdi’s Il trovatore as one of a handful of British music teachers permitted entry into the USSR under an educational exchange scheme.

Living in the northern hemisphere, we’re at that bubbly time of year when I can look out of the window and gorge my eyes on the colourful spectrum of flowers that the month of April brings.

After a recording hiatus of two years, the Buffalo Philharmonic was very happy to return to the studio to record again for Naxos.

Leading German composer Wolfgang Rihm celebrated his 70th birthday on 13 March.

Raymond Bisha introduces us to the eclectic and exuberant imagination of the American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, whose works are inhabited by a host of influences — musical, historical and personal.

The American composer George Crumb died on 6 February, aged 92.

Raymond Bisha’s podcast focuses on two works by William Bolcom recorded for the Naxos American Classics Series.

Definitions of the word ‘fairy’ as perceived down the ages are wide-ranging, with notions of diminutive enchantresses contrasting with images of grotesque goblins.

Raymond Bisha dips into a Naxos recording of works by Jean Sibelius that have been obscured by the popularity of his symphonies and the violin concerto, including many pieces he wrote to complement stage works. 

One of the items on my bucket list that I’d like to tick off before the great light-switch of life gets flicked is to experience the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis.

Once in a while you hear such incredibly beautiful music for the first time that you just can’t understand why it has remained under wraps for so long.

Naxos artist and internationally renowned conductor Marin Alsop features in The Conductor, an engaging new documentary directed by Bernadette Wegenstein that is currently being screened in cinemas across the US and in Canada.

I live in the city of Canterbury, in the south east of England.

All at Naxos send their congratulations to American composer Kenneth Fuchs on receiving the 3rd Annual Composer Award from the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation.

Fantasy, fairy tales and Maurice Ravel’s flair for orchestral colour are all to the fore in this album featuring two examples of the composer’s music for the stage — the scores for his opera L’Enfant et les sortilèges and his ballet Ma mère l’oye.

The beginning of a new calendar year also marks the Christian Feast of the Epiphany as embodied in the journey of the Three Wise Men seeking the new-born Jesus, led by a star.

In this week’s podcast, Raymond Bisha introduces the 4-CD collection of the complete piano works of Mieczysław Weinberg — from teenage mazurkas written in his native Poland through to his last works for the instrument composed in Moscow.

Naxos sends its congratulations to Catalan composer Leonardo Balada, who has won this year’s XVIII SGAE Prize for Ibero-American Music ‘Tomás Luis de Victoria’. Organised by the SGAE Foundation, the award recognises Balada’s substantial contribution to the enrichment of the musical heritage of Ibero-American communities through his creative work and “for the universality of his musical language.”

The human voice, Nature’s ‘instrument’, is a flexible piece of equipment. Men singing in the female sex’s natural register or ‘modal voice’ is usually referred to as a counter-tenor, sometimes a male soprano.

Although city centres and shopping complexes have for some weeks been ringing with the sound of musical Christmas jollies, this blog presents the reverse side of the coin, with a small selection of works that reflect a less traditional side of the month of December.

Whatever the instrument, mastery of performance technique is a daunting challenge. But spare a thought for string players who probably suffer at the hands of exploitation more than others.

The nearest I’ve ever got to a gnome is by eyeing its dictionary definition

Recordings from Naxos and its affiliated labels were among the recently announced nominations for the 2022 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

This podcast features Marin Alsop in conversation with Raymond Bisha following the release of her first album for Naxos as chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Zemlinsky, the Austrian composer, conductor and teacher.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series introduces a selection of classical music items associated with natural disasters, from Biblical times to modern eras.

Violinist Tianwa Yang marks her fifteenth year as one of Naxos’ leading artists with a new album featuring Prokofiev’s two violin concertos.

I recently registered with my local library and duly received a plastic card that gives me borrowing rights.

An introduction to the Symphonies and Dances of composer Malcolm Arnold featuring conductor Andrew Penny who recorded all these works for Naxos.

Amid the busy world news scene last month, the announcement of the passing of the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis on 2 September at the age of 96 escaped my attention.

Raymond Bisha presents an overview of Boris Giltburg’s project to learn and record all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, which are now released in a 9-CD boxed set edition following their inception as critically acclaimed digital releases.

I’ve always found it intriguing how a quality composition is seemingly indestructible when it’s pressed into new clothes by skilled arrangers.

Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a brilliant swordsman, athlete, violin virtuoso and gifted composer, with a claim to being the most talented figure in an age of remarkable individuals.

If there’s a man for all seasons, is there a music for all days? The answer seems to be ‘yes’, so off we go.

Raymond Bisha introduces the second volume of string quartets by the Lithuanian composer Jurgis Karnavičius (1884–1941), recorded by the Vilnius String Quartet on the Ondine label.

It might seem improbable that something as solid and stolid as a mountain could be inspirational to composers.

Significantly influenced by his experience of playing in some of the earliest Soviet jazz bands, Nikolai Kapustin trained as a pianist at the Moscow Conservatory but subsequently devoted himself to composition.

Western composers uniformly embraced the system of tonality for some two centuries, until it found itself challenged by a radical alternative system called atonality around the year 1900.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series introduces a selection of classical music items associated with male personal grooming experts, either by profession or name.

Raymond Bisha prefaces his latest podcast with this introduction: “Heitor Villa-Lobos, the prolific Brazilian composer of some 2,000 works, conductor, cellist, guitarist and music educationalist, wrote his three violin sonatas between 1912 and 1920.

French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) is remembered as someone who could spin melodies as easily as he breathed.

In July of 2021, I finally met with an all-star cast at the Virginia Arts Festival to work on a pandemic delayed project—the first complete recording of the Walton Facade, including the appendix of four poems that had never been captured on recording.

Long before Madonna’s lucrative three-word ‘Like a Virgin’ spin-offs, Albert Ketèlbey had his own attention-grabbing four-word version: In a Chinese Temple Garden, In a Monastery Garden and my favourite of all, In a Persian Market.

With multiple GRAMMY nominations and wide critical acclaim to her credit, Joan Tower’s latest album in the Naxos American Classics series demonstrates why she is so often performed, and why she is such a respected person among American composers.

We reach the final instalment of our alphabetical collection of composers whose music has been somewhat neglected as the years have rolled by, with this blog casting a spotlight on Galina Ustvolskaya, Francesco Maria Veracini, Peter von Winter, Iannis Xenakis, Isang Yun and Joaquim Zamacóis.

Anne-Louise Brillon de Jouy ran one of the finest salons in pre-revolution Paris.

All at Naxos send their warmest congratulations to Julian Lloyd Webber following his inclusion in The Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours List on the 11th of June.

Recordings from the Naxos label are among the recently announced nominations for the 2021 OPUS Klassik Awards, Germany’s most prestigious awards body for classical music.

From composer to transcriber to performer — less instantaneous than modern transmissions, but it’s how many works first came to be known by music lovers before the dawn of the age of technology.

Continuing our alphabetical spotlighting of less well-known composers and their works, this week’s blog visits Italy, Poland and Guatemala and presents music from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (1782–1871) was one of the most famous composers of the 19th century.

Karłowicz, Lipiński, Magnard, Nepomuceno, Ohzawa. These are the composers who give us our next alphabetical tranche of unfamiliar names and neglected outputs that deserve a more frequent airing.

Raymond Bisha introduces Spanish guitarist Mabel Millán in her debut album for Naxos.

This is the second instalment in our alphabetical sifting through composers whose profiles are sadly more obscure than their quality compositions often deserve.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series focuses on Mahler’s wife, Alma.

In this podcast, Raymond Bisha takes us on a journey across South America, making musical stops in the countries of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Colombia.

This is the start of a 5-part series highlighting the distinctly engaging music of less well-known composers.

Raymond Bisha’s latest podcast finds him in conversation with world-renowned guitarist and lutenist Richard Savino who introduces his debut recording for Naxos that also features his renowned ensemble El Mundo.

Places of Christian worship the world over will be marking the Easter Story at this time, no doubt with many performances of sacred music that vividly portray the central scenes of Jesus’ execution on the cross, his entombment, and his subsequent resurrection.

Naxos is pleased to relate the announcement that Marin Alsop, one of the label’s major recording artists, has been named Classical Woman of the Year by Performance Today, the popular American classical music radio programme.

Described as having ‘natural genius’, John Abraham Fisher was a significant figure in London during the second half of the 18th century.

A fanfare is a flourish of trumpets or other similar instruments, used for military or ceremonial purposes, or music that conveys this impression.

Naxos is delighted to be among the recipients of this year’s GRAMMY Awards, announced on 14 March.

Aram Il’yich Khachaturian once described how he “grew up in an atmosphere rich in folk music, popular festivals, rites joyous and sad, events in the lives of people always accompanied by music… deeply engraved in my memory, that determined my musical thinking.”

Do you recall hearing a particularly affecting piece of music for the first time, maybe as a younger newcomer to the world of classical music?

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of choral transcriptions by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) that forms part of Naxos’ Music of Brazil series.

The young British composer Alexander Campkin has already received over 90 commissions from organisations such as The Royal Opera House, The London Mozart Players, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Aldeburgh Music and The BBC Performing Arts Fund.

There are as many interpretations of pieces of classical music as there are pairs of ears – that’s inner ears for conductors, and physical ears for audiences.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of orchestral works by Žibouklé Martinaityté (b. 1973).

Picking up from our last blog that featured musicians who died a century ago, in the year 1921, we consider a selection of singers, instrumentalists and composers who were born in that year.

This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series spotlights a collection of unfortunate musicians who became hostages of war at the outbreak of the First World War and whose story is as inspiring as the music that sustained them.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of 21st-century mallet percussion concertos performed by virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong under Jean Thorel.

Following the 2020 global Beethoven birthday bash, I’m going to run the risk of anniversary fatigue by dwelling on what comes in its wake: 2021 and a collection of milestones marking the centenaries of either the births or deaths of a number of composers and artists.

John Georgiadis, the British violinist, conductor and Naxos artist, has died at the age of 81.

Raymond Bisha introduces a programme of orchestral music by the Pulitzer and Erasmus Prize-winning American composer John Adams.

Choral music formed an important part of Anton Bruckner’s output throughout his career, even though the genre was widely underappreciated by a public more inclined to large-scale symphonic and operatic works.

Czech composer Vitězslav Novák (1870–1949), who was one of Dvořák’s composition students, rose to prominence with a series of increasingly ambitious orchestral works that fused elements of folk music, impressionism and late-Romanticism.

One Christmas carol that has always been on my list of favourites is the Cherry Tree Carol.

Raymond Bisha discusses a release of music by the American composer Bernard Herrmann with Joseph Horowitz, co-founder of PostClassical Ensemble, a group dedicated to stepping across normal repertoire boundaries.

We hope you will enjoy these selections and more from Naxos Records.

Naxos is pleased to announce the worldwide launch of its high-definition and lossless classical music streaming service.

Madison Gate Records recently announced the release in digital form of the soundtrack album for the upcoming, critically-acclaimed feature film, ‘Love is Strange’; the CD follows soon.

On 6 December 2013, artists, engineers and composers from the Naxos distribution family were honoured with 7 GRAMMY nominations for recordings across four labels—Naxos, Dacapo, Dorian Sono Luminus and Ondine.

Naxos Music Library is proud to announce the addition of the Sony Classical label to its streaming audio collection.

Take one farm, add thirty chickens, three lambs, one cat, one dog, a pond to take care of, a lot of grass to mow and a world class, state-of-the-art studio hidden in the barn, and the likelihood is that the man pulling weeds in the distance is one of the most recorded organists of our time.

Peter Breiner’s memory goes back a long way, but music in his life goes further still. Best known as a brilliant and prolific arranger, he is also a composer, conductor, pianist, percussionist (for many years a professional) and voracious musician.

Naxos is delighted to announce that its recording of Shostakovich 10th symphony with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Vasily Petrenko won the Gramophone’s 2011 Orchestral Award.

Naxos Music Library is proud to announce the addition of the EMI Classical and Jazz catalogue to its streaming audio collection.

No man is truly omnivorous. To be so would require a complete lack of discrimination. David Lloyd-Jones, on the other hand, combines remarkable musical gifts with immense sophistication, vast experience and a capacity for enthusiasm and curiosity that have seen him through more repertoire, in more genres, than most conductors ever dream of.

The Association of German Record Critics has awarded Steve Reich “Phase to Face” with the German Record Critics’ Award.

To meet Henning Kraggerud, the foremost Norwegian violinist of his generation, is to meet three-quarters of a string quartet.

Though born and largely domiciled in Poland, and a world-renowned champion of his national musical heritage, Antoni Wit has long been counted among the natural aristocrats of the musical world.

In his native England, John Rutter is most famous for his Christmas carols. His prolific, and varied, output, however, reaches far beyond these.

Naxos is delighted to announce an outstanding result at this year’s GRAMMY Awards.

Whatever the period, he seemed at home in it. Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary, you name it.

Proclaimed by Mstislav Rostropovich as ‘the best cellist I have heard since Jacqueline du Pré’, Maria Kliegel is a household name amongst record buyers around the world.

As befits conductors of distinction, Morten Schuldt-Jensen is an all-rounder, his tastes ranging as widely as his approaches to performance. 

Yablonsky’s progress was essentially slow but steady. He reckons it took him about 15 years to really feel at ease in his conductor’s shoes, as it were.

Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838) is one of many talented composers who enjoyed a fine career, but whose achievements after death were largely forgotten because of Beethoven’s overpowering presence in 19th-century music.

Gramophone met up with Klaus Heymann, founder of Naxos, to find out his views of the future of the classical recording business and the role Naxos will play in it.

Naxos, the world’s leading classical music label enters into the Blu-ray Audio market.

Music of The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto is available from HNH International Limited. Full score and parts are available for hire.

Founded in 2005 as the successor of the Cannes Classical Awards, the MIDEM Classical Awards 2010 recognize creativity, innovation of repertoire and artistic excellence in classical music.

To know, that is, to really understand, music, you need to separate the particular characteristics of the music itself, the instrument you play and your own ego.

The Fine Arts Quartet, ‘one of the gold-plated names in chamber music’ (Washington Post), is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy, including several Naxos CDs.

This year Naxos will make a number of new recordings featuring leading artists. Here are some of the exciting highlights from our recording schedule to whet your appetite.

JoAnn Falletta shares her thoughts on several of her Naxos recordings, on working with the Buffalo Philharmonic and why the ‘crisis’ in classical music today is nothing new in this interview with Stephen Schafer.

Gerard Schwarz, Music Director of Seattle Symphony since 1985, Principal Conductor of the Eastern Music Festival, and Conductor Emeritus of New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, boasts an extensive, highly acclaimed and ever-growing discography on Naxos.

Once set aside by retailers as cheap music, the Naxos label now rivals the big guns in quality, writes Sam Olluver

Twice a winner of the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik for her Naxos recordings, Elizabeth Farr is on the faculty of the University of Colorado where she teaches harpsichord and organ, conducts the Early Music Ensemble, and offers classes in performance practices and basso-continuo playing.

For a real treat, watch an exceptional master class run by Maxim Vengerov that includes the acclaimed British violinist Chloë Hanslip, who was only 11-year-old at the time, on YouTube:

British lutenist Nigel North discusses his abiding love of Dowland’s music with Stephen Schafer and mused about what he’d do with a million dollars.

Marin Alsop is recognised as one of today’s leading conductors and boasts a number of outstanding Naxos recordings. She recently shared some thoughts about her career with Stephen Schafer, Editorial Manager for Naxos International Marketing.

On January 10, Naxos releases the 4th and final recording in a series of orchestral transcriptions by Leopold Stokowski led by Stokowski’s protégé, the GRAMMY award-winning conductor and composer José Serebrier, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

José Serebrier’s second volume of Bach-Stokowski Transcriptions is as colourful and wide-ranging as the first.

Sessions for four world première Shostakovich recordings, produced by Beata Jankowska-Burzynska, took place in the Grzegorz Fitelberg Concert Hall, Katowice, Poland in August and September 2008.

Kevin Mallon conducts Toronto Chamber Orchestra in a sparkling new Naxos release with Haydn Symphonies 62, 107 & 108 (8.572130).

American composer, conductor, and music administrator, Dr. Kenneth Fuchs has received numerous awards and honors for his music, including the Charles E. Ives Scholarship from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, grants from Meet The Composer, the ASCAP Foundation, the American Bandmasters Association, and residencies at The MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico.

From June 23 to 24, Chloë Hanslip recorded three violin works by Jenő Hubay with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Mogrelia.

The Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Opera Colorado Chorus, conducted by Marin Alsop, recorded John Adams’ opera Nixon in China for Naxos.

“When the Beijing Olympics open in August, to a heady mixture of sporting celebration and political controversy, music will play a huge part in reinforcing the image and message of the games.”

Earlier this month, Marin Alsop finished her successful six-year tenure as Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

The Staatskapelle Weimar, conducted by Michael Halász, recorded Max Bruch’s Symphony No. 1 in Eb, Op. 28 (1868) and Symphony No. 2 in f, Op. 36 (1870) for the Naxos label.

Most classical musicians no longer adhere to the idea that their genre is somehow superior to all other forms of music.

The Fine Arts Quartet recorded César Franck’s String Quartet in D Major and, together with pianist Cristina Ortiz, his Piano Quintet in F minor.

Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra will collaborate to produce a live recording of their production of John Adams’ acclaimed opera Nixon in China (1987).

Naxos’ recording of Elliott Carter’s String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5 (8.559362), featuring the Pacifica Quartet, is currently the most downloaded classical album on eMusic and tops the eMusic classical music chart.

From March 2 to 6, the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky, recorded two works by Sergey Mikhailovich Lyapunov (1859–1923).

Joachim’s seldom performed violin concertos were recorded for Naxos by the Staatskapelle Weimar under the baton of Michael Halász.

“Peter & the Wolf” – released on DVD by Arthaus Musik – was awarded an OSCAR^® for “Best animated short film”.

Three Symphonies for Wind Ensemble by Alan Hovhaness, Nos. 7, 14 and 23, were recored by the Trinity College of Music Wind Orchestra, conducted by Keith Brion.

As part of an exciting new series of recordings of 19th-century virtuoso violin works, Axel Strauss recorded 24 Caprices by the French-born violinist/composer Pierre Rode.

The first recording in more than 40 years of Ildebrando Pizzetti’s masterpiece Concerto dell’estate (‘Summer Concerto’) took place between the 16th and 21st of January at the Aristotle University Hall, Thessaloniki, performed by the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Myron Michailidis.

From January 8 to 10, conductor James Sinclair and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra recorded a new Ives programme for Naxos.

“DON’T LET HISTORY PASS YOU BY!” proclaims a banner hanging outside Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, in Baltimore.

Recording sessions were completed for eventual CD release as part of the continuing Naxos Deutsche-Lied Edition.

Staatskapelle Weimar, conducted by Antoni Wit, recorded Richard Strauss’ Sinfonia Domestica for Naxos.

On November 9, 10 and 11, the Buffalo Philharmonic under conductor JoAnn Falletta recorded two ‘new’ works by Franz Schubert for Naxos.

Aaron Copland’s score for the documentary film The City, made for the 1939 World’s Fair, was recorded on 15 October 2007 by the PostClassical Ensemble, under the direction of its conductor Angel Gil-Ordoñez.