NAXOS | 8556835 | CD | 730099683524
The Best of Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Fantasia on Greensleeves and other works
Various Performers

49th Parallel - Prelude (RTE Concert Orchestra, Andrew Penny), Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Judd), Linden Lea (Roderick Williams (baritone), Iain Burnside (piano)), First movement from Symphony No 2 ‘London’ (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kees Bakels), The Wasps Overture (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kees Bakels), Silent Noon (Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor), Graham Johnson (piano)), Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus (extract) (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones), On the Beach at Night, alone from Symphony No 1, ‘A Sea Symphony’ (Christopher Maltman (baritone) Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Paul Daniel), Fantasia on Greensleeves (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Judd), The Lark Ascending (David Greed (violin), English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones)

NAXOS | 8556836 | CD | 730099683623
The Best of Finzi
Excerpts from Clarinet Concerto, Dies Natalis, Eclogue, Cello Concerto, Let Us Garlands Bring
Various Performers

Allegro vigoroso from Clarinet Concerto Op 31 (Robert Plane (clarinet), Northern Sinfonia, Howard Griffiths), Come away death from Let us garlands bring Op 18 (Roderick Williams (baritone), Iain Burnside (piano)), Clear and gentle stream from Seven Unaccompanied Partsongs Op 17 (Choir of St John’s College Cambridge, Christopher Robinson), Then sing ye Birds sing from Intimations of Immortality Op 29 (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, David Hill), A Young Man’s Exhortation (John Mark Ainsley (tenor), Iain Burnside (piano)), Intrada from Dies natalis Op 8 (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Hill), Rollicum-Rorum from Earth and Air and Rain Op 15 (Roderick Williams (baritone), Iain Burnside (piano)), It never looks like summer here from Till Earth Outwears Op 19 (John Mark Ainsley (tenor), Iain Burnside (piano)), Eclogue for Piano and Strings Op 10 (Peter Donohoe (piano), Northern Sinfonia, Howard Griffiths), Prelude (Royal Ballet Sinfonia, David Lloyd-Jones), God is Gone Up (Choir of St John’s College Cambridge, Christopher Robinson), The Fall of the Leaf (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David Hill), Delightful Goddess in whose fashionings from For St Cecilia Op. 30 (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, David Hill), Andante from Cello Concerto in A minor Op 40 (Tim Hugh (cello), Northern Sinfonia, Howard Griffiths)

NAXOS | 8556837 | CD | 730099683722
The Best of Delius
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Walk to the Paradise Gardens, excerpts from Florida Suite and more
Various Performers

On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring , Summer Night on the River (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones), Irmelin Prelude (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Myer Fredman), By the River from Florida Suite (English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones), Aquarelles Nos 1 and 2 (Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Richard Studt), Scherzo (English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones), Fantastic Dance (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones), The Walk to the Paradise Garden (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones), Winter Night (Sleigh Ride) (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones), Idylle Printemps (English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones), La Calinda and Act II Closing Scene from Koanga (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Myer Fredman; Susannah Glanville, Susan Lees, Irene Evans (sopranos), Sandra Francis, Sue Pearce, Shirley Thomas (mezzo-sopranos), English Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones)

NAXOS | 8556838 | CD | 730099683821
The Best of Britten
A Hymn to St Cecilia, excerpts from Four Sea Interludes, Rejoice in the Lamb, Sinfonia da Requiem, War Requiem and more
Various Performers

Hymn to St Cecilia (Choir of St John’s College Cambridge, Christopher Robinson), Sunday Morning and Storm from Four Sea Interludes (London Symphony Orchestra, Steuart Bedford), Rejoice in God O ye Tongues from Rejoice in the Lamb (Choir of St John’s College Cambridge, Christopher Robinson), Lacrymosa from Sinfonia da Requiem (London Symphony Orchestra, Steuart Bedford), Theme and Fugue from The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (London Symphony Orchestra, Steuart Bedford), Elegy from Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (Philip Langridge, Frank Lloyd, English Chamber Orchestra, Steuart Bedford), Gloriana Moritura from Gloriana Symphonic Suite (London Symphony Orchestra, Steuart Bedford), Playful Pizzicato from Simple Symphony (Northern Sinfonia, Steuart Bedford), I. Cakes and Ale from Suite on English Folk Tunes (Northern Sinfonia, Steuart Bedford), Fugue and Finale from Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (English Chamber Orchestra, Steuart Bedford),Tell me the truth about love (Della Jones (mezzo-soprano), Steuart Bedford (piano)), Requiem aeternam from War Requiem (Lynda Russell, Thomas Randle, Michael Volle, Scottish Festival Chorus, BBC Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins), A Hymn to the Virgin (Choir of St John’s College Cambridge, Christopher Robinson)

NAXOS | 8557794 | CD | 747313279425
Kabalevsky Piano Concerto No 3, Rhapsodie Op 75
Rimsky-Korsakov Piano Concerto Op 30
Hsin-Ni Liu (piano), Gnesin Academy Chorus, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitri Yablonsky (conductor)

Kabalevsky’s most lasting achievement was in the field of music education, notably his development in later years of a program for music in schools. His Third Piano Concerto, ‘Dedicated to Soviet Youth’, completes the trilogy of instrumental concertos for young people, preceded by his Violin Concerto and his First Cello Concerto (Naxos 8553788). Like the Third Piano Concerto, the Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, based on the composer’s own song, School Years, is an optimistic, uncomplicated work depicting scenes of happy childhood. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Piano Concerto, built on a Russian folk-song collected by Balakirev, is an inventive and virtuoso work whose single unbroken movement structure is modelled on Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto.

NAXOS | 8559269 | CD | 636943926925
Ives Songs Vol 1
including '1, 2, 3', Aeschylus and Sophocles, Because of You, At the River, The Cage, The Camp Meeting, Christmas Carol
Various Performers

When, in 1922, Charles Ives published a volume entitled 114 Songs, he was likely drawing attention to the fact that the genre had played a central part in his output. 85 years on and, for all that his wider reputation may now rest on his orchestral, chamber and piano music, it is the songs that represent the heart of his creative thinking. Nor was that initial volume at all comprehensive; Ives having written almost two hundred songs, of which this new edition from Naxos will include all of those he completed.

NAXOS | 8559336 | CD | 636943933626
Hovhaness Guitar Concerto No 2, Symphony No 63
Javier Calderon (guitar), Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stewart Robertson (conductor)

Alan Hovhaness was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. He stood alone among composers who were otherwise writing according to the flow of modern thinking, opposed to melody and emotion, and dismissing classical form and contrapuntal writing. Fanfare for the New Atlantis is a symphonic celebration of the rebirth of the legendary island of Atlantis. The Guitar Concerto No 2 is full of lively dance-like music and rapidly changing rhythmic patterns. Symphony No 63 ‘Loon Lake’ is full of nostalgia for the New Hampshire countryside of Hovhaness’s youth. It was commissioned by the New Hampshire Music Festival in conjunction with the Loon Preservation Society, who specifically requested the sound of the loon cry to be in the symphony. All three works are world premere recordings.

NAXOS | 8559357 | CD | 636943935729
Anderson Orchestral Works Vol 3
includes Sleigh Ride, The Typewriter, Plink Plank Plunk!, The Syncopated Clock
BBC Concert Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin

Leroy Anderson etched out his own unique place in American music – a composer rigorously trained in the classical tradition whose records topped the pop charts, a meticulous arranger of music whose own melodies were crafted with inventive precision. Here, in the first complete cycle of Anderson’s orchestral music, the Anderson family has made available several pieces that the composer did not release, with some first recordings scattered among the familiar and not-so-familiar titles. Volume Three includes the notorious musical gem The Typewriter, in which the machine is transformed into a relentlessly busy percussion instrument, the tasteful and soul-satisfying Suite of Carols for Brass Choir, and Anderson’s biggest hit, Sleigh Ride.

NAXOS | 8570442 | CD | 747313044276
Tavener Piano Music
Zodiacs (1997), Ypakoe (1997), Palin (1977), Mandoodles (1982), Pratirupa (2003), In Memory of Two Cats (1986)
Ralph van Raat (piano)

John Tavener’s piano works are less well known than his large orchestral, vocal and choral works, yet at times seem to mark his stylistic and spiritual development on a more personal level. Tavener’s first piano work, Palin, foreshadows his search for a spirituality beyond the sophisticated, technical manipulation of musical material. The loss of his cats inspired Tavener to write Mandoodles, depicting short scenes from the life of his cat Mandu, and the bell-like In Memory of Two Cats. Ypakoe, with passages in Greek or Middle Eastern style, is a contemplative meditation on the passion and resurrection of Christ. Pratirupa, Sanskrit for 'reflection', is the composer’s largest work so far for piano solo. In the words of the composer, in this work 'a series of self-reflecting harmonies, melodies and rhythms attempt to reflect the most beautiful, the Divine Presence which resides in every human being'.

NAXOS | 8570447 | CD | 747313044771
Russian Guitar Music
Biktashev Orpheus Poem, Orekhov Troika Variations, Rudnev The Old Lime Tree, Koshkin The Prince’s Toys Suite
Artyom Dervoed (Guitar Laureate, 2006 Michele Pittaluga Competition)

Winner of several important international competitions, including the 2006 Michele Pittaluga Guitar Competition, Alessandria, Italy, Artyom Dervoed started playing guitar at the age of six. He has since enjoyed a career that has taken him to the United States and many European cities. This recital features works by contemporary composers from the Russian Federation, including Valery Biktashev’s masterpiece Orpheus, based on the Orpheus and Eurydice story, and Sergei Orekhov’s virtuoso The Troika Variations, closely influenced by Russian gypsy music.

NAXOS | 8570567 | CD | 747313056774
Pasculli Operatic Fantasias for Oboe and Piano
Fantasia sull’opera Poliuto di Donizetti, Concerto sopra motivi dell’opera La favorita di Donizetti, Gran Concerto su temi dell’opera I vespri siciliani di Verdi, Fantasia sull’opera Les Huguenots di Meyerbeer, Ricordo di Napoli: Scherzo brillante
Ivan Paisov (oboe), Natalia Scherbakova (piano)

Antonio Pasculli was among the most distinguished oboists of his generation. In 1860 he was made professor of oboe and cor anglais at the Palermo Conservatory at the age of eighteen. His phenomenal ability as a performer is displayed in the dazzling operatic fantasias he wrote for his instrument, weaving melodies of well known operas into compositions that call for challenging feats of virtuosity. IvanPaisov joined the famous Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra as a principal oboist in 1992 and since then has not only toured with this orchestra but has given solo recitals and concerts with other leading orchestras in Russia and abroad.

NAXOS | 8570569 | CD | 747313056972
Ginastera Complete Music for Cello and Piano
Pampeana No 2 (Rhapsody for cello and piano) Op 21, Cinco canciones populares argentinas Op 10, Punena No 2 Op 45, 'Hommage a Paul Sacher',Cello Sonata Op 49
Mark Kosower (cello), Jee-Won Oh (piano)

One of the most important South American composers of the 20th century, Alberto Ginastera embraced both old and new in the creation of an original style rooted in Argentine folk and popular music while incorporating increasingly modernist techniques. The works on this recording span Ginastera’s entire compositional output. The Cinco canciones populares argentinas are derived directly from folk-music but in Pampeana No. 2 the use of folk-music is more symbolic. Punena No 2 is a tour de force for solo cello that explores all registers of the instrument as well as a wide range of extended techniques. Ginastera himself wrote of the Sonata Op 49, one of his last works from his Neo-Expressionist period: 'Strong rhythms, lyrical singing, and a mysterious atmosphere are, I think, the characteristics of this work consisting of four movements'.

NAXOS | 8570580 | CD | 747313058075
Buxtehude Harpsichord Music Vol 2
Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpsichord)

Having been born half a century after Heinrich Schutz, the ‘father of German musicians’, and a little less than half a century before JS Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude was a living link between the founder of Protestant Baroque music and its greatest master. While Buxtehude’s organ music is comparatively well known, his harpsichord music has not yet found the reputation it deserves. In this second volume of his Harpsichord Music (Vol 1 is available on Naxos 8570579) we are treated to a range of compositional styles and moods, from the domestic intimacy of the Suites in G minor and E minor, to the student drinking-song used for the More Palatino variations, and the lilting arrangement of the chorale Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren.

NAXOS | 8570582 | CD | 747313058273
Enescu Cello Sonatas
Laura Buruiana (cello), Martin Tchiba (piano)

Chamber music was a prominent feature of Enescu’s music from his earliest years. Though separated by almost four decades, the two Cello Sonatas were not published until 1935. The First is indebted in many respects to Brahms and to Enescu’s French contemporaries, but the Second, dedicated to Pablo Casals, could only be by Enescu in its density of thought and subtlety of expression. The finale is marked 'a la roumaine', which aptly describes the work’s overall character and the profile of its material.

NAXOS | 8570710 | CD | 747313071074
Kuhlau Piano Sonatas Op 55, Op 88
Jeno Jando (piano)

Born in Germany, Friedrich Kuhlau established himself in Copenhagen as a pianist, composer and teacher. His Piano Sonatinas seem to have been intended either for teaching purposes or otherwise for the amateur market, combining a certain charm with clarity of texture and classical form. This collection forms a companion to Naxos 8570709, which comprises the Sonatas Op 59 and Sonatinas Op 20.

NAXOS | 8570738 | CD | 747313073870
Nielsen Symphonies Nos 2, 3
Dam-Jensen, Elming, Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Schonwandt

The most important Danish composer of the first third of the twentieth century, Carl Nielsen was prolific in almost all genres. Dissociating himself strongly from Late Romanticism, Nielsen orientated himself increasingly towards the new currents in European music without at any time abandoning his very personal and idiosyncratic style. The Six Symphonies, which become increasingly adventurous as the cycle progresses, are essentially tonal, emotionally direct works, which alternate long lines of melody with passages of blazing energy. The idea of writing a symphony based on the Four Temperaments - The Choleric, The Sanguine, The Melancholic and The Phlegmatic - came to Nielsen when he saw a primitive peasant painting in a village inn. The title of the Third Symphony, Sinfonia espansiva, an afterthought, has been explained as an expansion of the scope of the mind and of the life that comes with it.

NAXOS | 8570757 | CD | 747313075775
Casablancas Piano Music
Three Divertimenti (for piano duet) (2006), Two Piano Pieces (1978), Album Leaf (1993), A Childhood Triptych (2001–2003), Three Piano Pieces (1986), Scherzo (2000), Three Aphorisms (1996–2003), Tombeau (2005), Seven Epigrams (2000–2003), Prelude and Fugue
Jordi Maso, Miquel Villalba (piano)

Benet Casablancas is one of the leading Spanish composers of his generation. His music, though firmly rooted in the great classical tradition, in particular the Second Viennese School, is notable for its great individuality, structural complexity and extraordinary richness of textural detail. This recording brings together almost all the piano works of Casablancas, from the early Prelude and Fugue in C, followed ten years later by the richly polyphonic triptych, Three Pieces for piano, to the Three Bagatelles, which balance brilliant virtuosity with the sonorous delicacy of impressionistic inspiration, to the composer’s most recent work, written especially for this recording, Tre Divertimenti for piano for four hands.

NAXOS | 8570777 | CD | 747313077779
Reinecke From the Cradle to the Grave
Wind Octet Op 216, From the Cradle to the Grave Op 202, Wind Sextet Op 271
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Chamber music purely for wind ensembles was largely overlooked by Romantic composers and as a result Carl Reinecke's genial Sextet and Octet for wind loom rather large in a sparse landscape. They are substantial, handsomely crafted works in which Reinecke's skill for scoring yields sonorities at once rich, noble and beautifully balanced. Reinecke's cycle of sixteen piano pieces 'From the Cradle to the Grave', here arranged for flute and piano by Ernesto Koehler, is a homage to his contemporary Robert Schumann yet loses nothing of the composer's originality and vitality.

NAXOS | 8570946 | CD | 747313094677
Urban Requiem
Lindroth Spin Cycle, Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo-Capriccioso for Flute, Clarinet and Wind Orchestra, Whitacre October, Colgrass Urban Requiem for Four Saxophones and Wind Orchestra, Shostakovich Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Songs, Sousa Nob
Youngstown State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Stephen Gage (conductor)

Pulitzer Prize winning composer Michael Colgrass’s Urban Requiem headlines this recording. This nearly half hour work explores the technical and expressive qualities of the saxophone quartet, as well as providing an aural experience that vividly describes life in the Big Apple. Scott Lindroth’s exciting Spin Cycle explores a variety of timbral and rhythmic aesthetics and is reflective of many of the technically exhilarating works currently being written for wind band. Lee Brooks’s transcription of Saint-Saens’s popular Introduction and Rondo- Capriccioso gives this exciting work a new and fresh perspective. October demonstrates Eric Whitacre’s exceptional melodic gift as well as his use of the sonorities of wind and percussion instruments. Guy Duker’s setting of Shostakovich’s powerful Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Songs is an invigorating and challenging contribution to the repertoire. Finally, the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine by the American March King, John Philip Sousa, reminds us of the magic of his exceptional compositional talents and of the tradition of the wind band in the 21st century American music scene.

NAXOS | 8570959 | CD | 747313095971
Jackson Choral Works
Behold a Great Priest (1980), Mass for a Saint’s Day (1966), Toccata (Organ solo), Tantum ergo (2005), Requiem (1976-2006) and other works
Soloists, David Goode, Jeremy Filsell (organ), The Rodolfus Choir, Ralph Allwood (conductor)

Nicholas Jackson has pursued a career as an organist, harpsichordist and composer. Mass for a Saint’s Day, his first choral work, achieved great success and remains in the repertoire of many church choirs all over the English-speaking world. Jackson’s Requiem, an enlargement of the composer’s Missa cum Jubilo, incorporates plainsong in the style of Durufle. The shorter works on this disc are The Rood (1982), Magnificat (1975), Nunc Dimittis (1975), I will give thanks (1981), Salve Regina (1983), Magnificat in the Lydian mode (1975), Nunc Dimittis in the Lydian mode (1975), Te Deum (1984) and Jubilate (1984).

NAXOS | 855790001 | CD2 | 747313290024
Mozart Complete Songs
Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Lothar Odinius (tenor), Ulrich Eisenlohr (piano), Ariane Lorch (mandolin)

Mozart loved the human voice, which he used as an instrument of musical expression throughout his compositional career from the age of six or seven. His Lieder, written largely in response to requests and commissions from acquaintances, friends and publishers deal with everyday subjects such as friendship and romance but also with social and political occasions such as the Emperor Joseph II’s Turkish campaign. Some were written in connection with Mozart’s activities as a freemason. Only one, the bitter-sweet Das Veilchen (The Violet) is set to the words of a major poet, Goethe. The many miniature masterpieces to be heard on this recording include Komm, liebe Zither, komm (Come, dear Zither), a musical precursor, with mandolin accompaniment, of Don Giovanni’s serenade Deh vieni alla finestra, the idyllic Der Zauberer (The Sorcerer) and the dramatically graphic Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte (When Louisa burned the letters of her unfaithful lover).

NAXOS | 866023334 | CD2 | 730099623322
Rossini L'inganno felice
Kenneth Tarver, Corinna Mologni, Lorenzo Regazzo, Marco Vinco, Czech Chamber Soloists, Alberto Zedda (conductor)

Rossini’s ‘rescue opera’ L’inganno felice (The Happy Deception) won immediate contemporary popularity after its first performance in 1812. One of the composer’s most inventive and sparkling scores, with soprano, tenor and bass arias of great beauty, it is today by far the least well-known and least often performed of his five farse written for Venice. The drama concerns the attempt of Isabella, wrongly rejected by her husband the Duke, and her protector, the miner Tarabotto, who had rescued her, half dead, from the sea, to bring to justice the Duke’s villainous confidant Ormondo and his henchman Batone, and to reconcile Isabella with her husband, an end happily achieved, the guilty punished and the innocent triumphant.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 387312 | CD3 | 9789626348734
Stories from Shakespeare 3
read by Juliet Stevenson and Simon Russell Beale

Two leading English classical actors, Juliet Stevenson and Simon Russell Beale, open the doors to eight important plays, including Much Ado About Nothing, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale, Measure For Measure and All's Well That Ends Well. These newly written introductions by David Timson have proved useful for young audiences coming to Shakespeare for the first time. Explained clearly, the introductions also feature numerous excerpts from the plays themselves. This is the only recording on audiobook of these great stories.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 387412 | CD3 | 9789626348741
The Sword in the Stone (abridged)
by T H White
read by Neville Jason

This abridgement of the first novel in The Once and Future King, the tale of King Arthur and the rise and fall of Camelot, is specifically aimed at 7-12 year olds. It concentrates on the early years of Arthur leading to his proclamation as king. White elaborated imaginatively on the legend giving strong personalities to the main characters, as well as the animals. Neville Jason, who read the unabridged War And Peace for Naxos AudioBooks, gives another strong reading. This is the only recording of the abridged version on audiobook.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 487012 | CD5 | 9789626348703
The History of the Olympics
by John Goodbody
read by Barry Davies

An unusual release on audiobook! The 2008 Beijing Olympics take place in August. John Goodbody, for many years chief sports writer for The Times, has covered every Olympic Games since 1964. In this entertaining and informative account, he tells the main stories of each of the modern Olympics. Here are some of the heroes and heroines who have made sporting history, as well as the main disasters and scandals that attend the world's greatest sporting event. This great Naxos AudioBook will remain an important reference long after this year's Olympic Games have been held.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 487212 | CD4 | 9789626348727
Sons and Lovers (abridged)
by D H Lawrence
ready by Paul Slack

Sons And Lovers, Lawrence's third published novel, was written at the height of his literary powers. The story of class differences (the relationship between a woman of middle-class family and a miner) in the tough world of coal mining, it brought a refreshing realism to English literature. It remains a challenging text and is still studied widely. Lawrence's most widely read novel is particularly effective on audiobook as read by Paul Slack, who comes from Nottinghamshire, Lawrence's own county. This is the only audiobook version of this classic novel.

NAXOS AUDIOBOOKS | 687112 | CD6 | 9789626348710
Nostromo (abridged)
by Joseph Conrad
read by Nigel Anthony

Set in the fictional South American country of Costaguana, Nostromo explores the volatile politics and crippling greed surrounding the San Tome silver mine. The story of power, love, revolutions, loyalty and reward is told with richly evocative description and brilliantly realised characters. But Nostromo is more than an adventure story; it is also a profoundly dark moral fable. Its language is as compellingly resonant as the sea itself; the characters absorbing and complex. It was Conrad's masterwork, a forerunner of literary Modernism, and one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century. Outstandingly read by Nigel Anthony, this is the only audiobook recording available.

NAXOS BOOKS | 9781843792376 | PUB | 9781843792376
Discover Music of the Twentieth Century
by David McCleery


Even today, at the beginning of the 'new millennium', the words 'twentieth-century music' often inspire apprehension in audiences despite the fact that some of this music is already a century old! While composers such as Debussy, Vaughan Williams, Shostakovich and Stravinsky have become concert-hall favourites, others such as Schoenberg, Boulez and Takemitsu are too often regarded as strange and unapproachable. Discover Music of the Twentieth Century is a comprehensive and easily digestible guide, leading the reader and listener (via online access to more than 2 1/2 hours of musical extracts by Ravel, Schoenberg, Ives, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Messiaen, Britten, Reich, John williams and others) through the diverse, innovative and controversial musical history of this era. By describing the many different musical styles that flourished in the 20th Century and putting the music in its historical and social context, this book demystifies the whole subject of modern music. It is an ideal introduction for people of all ages. ALSO AVAILABLE Discover Music of...the Baroque Era (9781843792345), the Classical Era (9781843792352), the Romantic Era (9781843792369) and Discover Early Music (978184372338).

NAXOS DVD | 2110230 | DVD | 747313523054
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bare Mountain
Wagner Die Meistersinger Overture, Bizet Farandole from l'Arlesiene Suite No 2
Carole Farley (soprano), National Youth Orchestra of Spain, Jose Serebrier (conductor)

Filmed in Chester Cathedral during the National Youth Orchestra of Spain’s 2007 European tour, this concert features Leopold Stokowski’s inimitable and colourful transcriptions of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhbition and A Night on Bare Mountain, the latter made famous by its inclusion in the 1940 Walt Disney film Fantasia. Jose Serebrier’s 'Symphonie mystique', for strings, was written in the space of just one week in 2003. Serebrier’s earlier recording of this work (Naxos CD 8559183) was hailed by FonoForum magazine as 'a vital, elegant masterwork...a shimmering prism of tone...clearly formed and with a sure hand for reaching great heights of ecstasy'.

NAXOS DVD | 211023435 | DVD2 | 747313523450
Wolf-Ferrari La Vedova Scaltra
Soloists, Teatro La Fenice Orchestra, Martin

Wolf-Ferrari’s comic opera La Vedova Scaltra (The Cunning Widow), is among the works he based on plays by Goldoni. It matches closely the conventions of 18th-century opera buffa in its witty if sceptical look at the mechanisms governing the interplay of human relations. Four hopeful suitors, English, French, Spanish and Italian, vie for the hand of Rosaura, the cunning widow of the title, who disguises herself to meet each wooer, eventually choosing the only one who can demonstrate his sincerity. This production, filmed live at the Teatro La Fenice in February 2007 in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Goldoni in Venice in 1707, is the first to appear on DVD.

NAXOS EDUCATIONAL | 855820607 | CD2 | 636943820629
Discover Chamber Music
Various Performers