Holst Christmas Day, Rutter What Sweeter Music, Vaughan Williams Folk Songs of the Four Seasons 'Winter', Finzi In Terra Pax Christmas Scene, Howells Here Is The Little Door, A Spotless Rose, Warlock Three Carols, Leighton A Hymn of the Nativity, Gardner

Performances of carols both ancient and modern have become central to the celebration of Christmas. The choral music on this disc includes Holst’s surprisingly neglected Christmas Day, as well as music by Leighton, Joubert, Mathias, Gardner and Rutter. The nostalgic mood of Howells’s evergreen carol anthems is echoed in Finzi’s In terra pax, which recalls the pealing of bells at midnight on a frosty Christmas Eve. The City of London Choir, which enjoys an enviable reputation as a ‘leader among nonprofessional choruses’ (The Times), makes its Naxos début with this delightful recording.

The Wasp, English Folk Song Suite

The popular overture from Vaughan Williams’s incidental music for Aristophanes’s The Wasps introduces a suite whose mischievously witty, noble and farcical movements underline the play’s satire of the Athenian legal system. A similar vivacity characterises his English Folksong Suite and The Running Set, where Vaughan Williams relishes setting tunes such as Barrack Hill, Irish Reel, The Blackthorn Stick and Cock o’ the North. Folksong-like melodies also feature in his magnificent Piano Concerto, in which the magisterial influence of Bach and Busoni may also be heard.

25 blissful, easy-listening classical pieces, including beautiful selections of music by Albinoni, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Hummel and more. Like the best-selling Adagio Volume 1 (857001516), this new compilation offers almost 2 ½ hours of music specially programmed to create a relaxing atmosphere and soothe your soul.

Regina Coeli, Lysistrata Overture, Alcott Music from the opera Little Women

Acclaimed as ‘one of the best opera composers of the moment’, American composer-librettist Mark Adamo has also ventured into symphonic composition and other fields in each of which his theatrical sensitivity, political commitment and musical mastery are equally evident. The vivacity of his Overture to Lysistrata accentuates the play’s anti-war theme, while Alcott Music rethinks the music from his hit opera Little Women. Regina Coeli pays tribute to the Queen of Heaven and Late Victorians is dedicated both to the memory of those who have died and to those who have survived AIDS.

Prayer in a Time of War, New England Triptych

‘Whatever meaning my life has is to be found in the music itself’, declared William Schuman of his extraordinary career as a composer and artistic catalyst in the fertile and evolving environment of 20th-century America. His single-movement Symphony No. 6 stands as one of his most intense and integrated, its somberness enlivened with intricate rhythms and startling counterpoint. Prayer in a Time of War and New England Triptych highlight Schuman’s abiding sense of patriotism, the former written soon after America’s entry into World War II, the latter based on hymns from the time of the American Revolution.

Schwarz Rudolf and Jeanette

American composer and pianist Paul Schoenfield is at the keyboard for two searing, heart-piercing works commissioned by Music of Remembrance. Schoenfield gives voice to the words of two brilliant poets—one a Holocaust survivor, one murdered—and the range of their emotions through rage, bitter humor, tenderness and fragile hope. This first English-language recording of his Camp Songs (a 2003 Pulitzer Prize finalist) joins his newest song cycle Ghetto Songs—transporting listeners from the horrors of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin to life in the Kraków Ghetto. Gerard Schwarz’s Rudolf and Jeanette is a haunting, romantic chamber orchestra work evoking the life and love of the composer’s Viennese grandparents, who were killed by the Nazis. Produced by Music of Remembrance, a Seattle-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the precious cultural legacy of works created by musicians during the Holocaust, and to commissioning new works in memory of their spiritual resistance.

A pioneer in the development of the symphony, Johann Stamitz also composed several concertos,including fourteen for flute. The four flute concertos presented here show what delightful results came from the combination of Stamitz’s lively musical imagination with the talents of the highly admired Mannheim orchestra’s players for whom they were written. Virtuosity, lyricism and a dash of Bohemian spirit characterise these charming works, in which the emergence of the Classical style from its Baroque antecedents can be heard.

Resurrection, Le Marchand de Sable Qui Passe

Stéphane Denève’s accounts of Roussel’s symphonies have been praised for their ‘energy, enthusiasm, and panache’ (American Record Guide on No. 2 – 8570529 – which also gained Gramophone Editor’s Choice) and ‘electrifying… ravishing… breathtaking’ (The Herald on No. 3 – 8570245). Résurrection, Roussel’s first orchestral work, is a delicate and mysterious piece inspired by Tolstoy’s last novel, while Le marchand de sable qui passe (The Sandman) is a tuneful, colourfully orchestrated suite. His Symphony No. 1 ‘Poem of the Forest’ traces the cycle of seasons from winter to autumn through its four movements.

Mass No 4 in C Major, Mass No 2 in G Major, German Mass

A chorister from the age of eight until his voice broke seven years later, Franz Schubert was well placed to compose sacred music, including several splendid settings of the Mass. His second, completed in 1815, and fourth, written during the following year, follow Mozart’s examples but with strikingly Schubertian touches such as his dramatic use of key relationships and contrasting vocal textures to express the prayerful, meditative and glorious nature of the liturgical text. For the so-called German Mass, Schubert wrote unassuming yet heartfelt settings of congregational hymns for performance during the service.

Leclair’s studies of dancing and violin, and his admiration for Corelli’s influential set of Violin Sonatas Op. 5, stimulated the young Frenchman to compose his own set of twelve Violin Sonatas Op. 1 in which the fusion of the two national styles, les goûts réunis, is charmingly achieved. This third volume presents the last four sonatas, whose bright and energetic fast movements and luminously singing slow movements are complemented by the rustic quality of their dances. Volumes 1 (Nos. 1–4, 8570888) and 2 (Nos. 5–8, 8570889) are also available.

Music arranged for clarinet and strings, Piano Concerto in F Major 'Andante con moto'

Porgy and Bess and An American in Paris deservedly rank among George Gershwin’s most popular works, while in his Three Preludes for piano and Piano Concerto the composer’s love of jazz, popular and classical music also find spirited expression. Frank Villard’s sparkling arrangements for clarinet and strings give legendary numbers including Summertime, I got plenty o’ nuttin’ or It ain’t necessarily so a new voice, accentuate their jazz flavour or add new timbres to Gershwin’s unforgettable music for the stage and concert hall.

Among the wealth of works composed during his Weimar period, J. S. Bach made 22 keyboard transcriptions of concertos by Italian and German composers: six for two keyboards and pedal (BWV 592–596) and sixteen for keyboard (BWV 972–987), the latter of which are recorded here by multiaward- winning harpsichordist Elizabeth Farr. Complementing these masterful transcriptions is the Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV894, which Bach later reworked as the opening and closing movements of his Triple Concerto BWV1044. Farr’s other Naxos recordings have been universally praised.

String Quartet in D Major FWV9, Piano Quintet in F Minor FWV7

Following the release of their highly praised Naxos recording of Fauré’s Piano Quintets (8570938) – ‘warmly expressive, their phrasing generous and intense’ (The Guardian) – Cristina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet again join forces for this recording of Franck’s Piano Quintet, the extraordinary emotional range of which is unified by the tight thematic relationships typical of the composer’s ‘cyclic’ structuring. His String Quartet, composed ten years later, is a summit of Franck’s achievement, also cyclically conceived and revealing his admiration of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms.

Liszt arr Busoni Fantasy and Fugue on Ad Nos Ad Salutarem Undam, Busoni Sonata in F Minor, Prelude and Etudes in Arpeggios

The sixth volume of Busoni’s piano music features two major projects from the earlier part of his career. The Liszt transcription powerfully recreates the composer’s grandest work for organ in terms of the piano, while the Piano Sonata in F minor is an exhilarating example of late-Romantic virtuosity that remained unknown until recent decades. In total contrast, the brief Prélude et étude en arpèges finds Busoni’s late musical language at its most concentrated and refractory.

The Naxos Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition: Schubert set the poetry of over 115 writers to music. The Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition presents all Schubert’s Lieder, over 700 songs, grouped according to the poets who inspired him. Thanks to Bärenreiter’s Neue Schubert-Ausgabe (New Schubert Edition), Tübingen, which uses primary sources, the performers have been able to benefit from the most recent research of the editorial team. Schubert’s part-songs for male voices have always been highly popular. Whether simple, refined and sophisticated or simply light-hearted and catchy, they still convey the sense of camaraderie and enjoyment that first attracted the music-making and -loving public. Volumes 1 and 2 of his part-songs are available on Naxos 8570962 and 8570961.

After Things to Come, his most famous film score, Arthur Bliss composed the soundtrack scores of Christopher Columbus and Men of Two Worlds, two dramatic pictures which are largely forgotten today. Their music, however, enlivened by Spanish and African rhythms respectively, is colourful and interesting enough to be revived in the form of concert suites. Men of Two Worlds contains 'Baraza', a miniature concert piece for piano and orchestra (like Addinsell’s 'Warsaw Concerto' from Dangerous Moonlight, Bax’s Oliver Twist, Rózsa’s Spellbound and Herrmann’s 'Concerto Macabre' from Hangover Square), with additional male choir. The three orchestral pieces from Seven Waves Awayare another real discovery and if anything even more deserving of concert performances than the two earlier scores.

Sonata in an Old Style Op 99, Romances, Waltzes

Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud is one of Scandinavia’s most sought after artists; Christian Ihle Hadland one of Norway’s most exciting young pianists. Together they comprise a formidable partnership, as their release of Sinding’s Violin and Piano Music Vol. 1 (8572254) has shown. Volume 2 presents several of the Norwegian composer’s finely crafted salon pieces, whose charming character, sweet melodic lines and lively harmonies are Sinding’s hallmarks. The Sonata in Olden Style, while richly Romantic, includes an innovative movement whose time signatures 5/4 and 7/4 perhaps look forward rather than back.

Amoretti, Ave Maria

The English composer Edmund Rubbra described the string quartet as ‘the purest and most lucid texture available to a composer’, his essays in the form enlivened by Beethovenian vigour and song-like beauty. It is a testament to his profound compositional craftsmanship that even when deploying diverse rhythms simultaneously or releasing the latent potential of what he called the ‘most positive yet mysterious intervals’, Rubbra weaves fascinating musical textures into a satisfying whole. His Piano Trio No. 1 foregoes mere virtuosity for spiritual intensity, while several songs show his sensitivity in setting Medieval and Renaissance texts.

Five Forgeries for Piano Duet, Larkin's Jazz, Five Early Pieces for Solo Piano, Air for Solo Flute, Metamorphosis for Solo Flute, Lullaby from The Unicorns

Peter Dickinson weaves together musical styles popular and classical, past and present, using a technique of ‘style modulation’. In his Mass of the Apocalypse the Book of Revelations’ visions of a new heaven and earth interact with the liturgical text. The music of Sidney Bechet and Bix Beiderbecke played at Philip Larkin’s memorial service suggested the means for him to set the words of the great British poet, himself a jazz critic. His Five Forgeries spoof the styles of famous composers, while the other works showcase different aspects of his many-sided talent. Jennifer Bate’s recording of Dickinson’s complete solo organ works is available on Naxos 8572169.

Daugherty Brooklyn Bridge for Solo Clarinet and Symphonic Band, McAllister Black Dog (Led Zeppelin) for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble, Burritt Duo Concertante for Clarinet and Percussion

Three outstanding musicians join the Columbus State University Wind Ensemble for this thrilling addition to Naxos’s popular Wind Band Classics series, which exemplifies the theme of synergy (‘working together’). Described by the composer as ‘a panoramic clarinet concerto’, Daugherty’s Brooklyn Bridge pays tribute to the splendid view from this New York landmark. Burritt’s Duo Concertante, composed for John Yeh and his daughter Molly, shows the composer’s affinity with jazz and popular music. In his Concertino, Gillingham pits four percussionists against the wind ensemble, David’s Fantasy Etudes pay tribute to Stravinsky and Ligeti, while McAllister’s Black Dog rhapsodizes on the classic Led Zeppelin song.

Preludios, Las Dos Hermanitas, Recuerdos De La Alhambra, Gran Vals

Francisco Tárrega, the most influential Spanish virtuoso performer of the nineteenth century, was a charismatic romantic who, with a cigarette in his mouth, mesmerized his audiences for hours with his performances. On this disc, Swedish Royal Academy member Mats Bergström expresses the ‘light and shade’ of Tárrega’s music (sans cigarette!) on a modern instrument based on an 1888 model owned by the composer himself. The Preludes, composed between 1889 and 1909, are particularly well regarded pieces, while the other works include original compositions and imaginative transcriptions.

Delius Violin Sonata No 3 arr viola, Bliss Viola Sonata, Bridge Pieces for Viola and Piano

The viola, with its plangent tone, subtle sonority and lyrical qualities, is often overshadowed by its more brilliant-sounding sibling, the violin. An accomplished violist himself, Frank Bridge wrote little solo music for this instrument; only the Pensiero and Allegro appassionato were published in his lifetime, the other works on this disc being the composer’s arrangements of some of his violin pieces. Similarly, Delius’s Third Violin Sonata is heard here in an effective arrangement by the celebrated violist Lionel Tertis, the dedicatee of Bliss’s expressive Viola Sonata.

While best known today for having composed the ending to Puccini’s unfinished Turandot, Franco Alfano wrote some dozen operas, including Cyrano de Bergerac (1936) with a libretto by Henri Cain based on Edmond Rostand’s drama of the same name. It is a moving tale of romantic misunderstanding, swashbuckling bravado and heartbreaking loyalty, in which the eloquent Cyrano feels unable to express his love for Roxane because of his famously protuberant nose – except on behalf of his handsome but inarticulate friend, Christian. When Domingo and Radvanovsky sang Cyrano and Roxane at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Andante magazine wrote: “Incredibly, Cyrano is his 121st role. And it suits him splendidly … Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky was luminous as Roxane, her passionate outbursts showing off her powerful upper register to good effect”.

‘A mix of futurism à la Metropolis, fantasy à la Batman and quotes from Piranesi’s Carceri, juxtaposed in the form of photo montages, enhanced with … robots, a helicopter, a shark and the winged vehicle of a pop star Pope’, was how the Neue Zürcher Zeitung described this astonishing Salzburg Festival production of Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini. The high-calibre cast, headed by Burkhard Fritz as the temperamental Renaissance artist and the 26-year-old Latvian soprano Maija Kovalevska as Teresa, the woman with whom he tries to elope, is conducted by Valery Gergiev who ‘pulled out all the stops. He whips the Vienna Philharmonic into a delirium similar to that which possibly took hold of the composer’. (Der Standard) This is French grand opera at its fast-paced and spectacularly-staged best.

Cormac McCarthy is considered one of America's greatest living writers. His epic novel No Country for Old Men, released in 2005, traces the violent consequences of a single decision which soon spiral horribly out of control. This is the dark but striking story of Llewelyn Moss, who goes on the run after being tempted by the bounty of a drug deal gone awry. A thrilling sequence of events ensues as a ruthless hitman and benevolent sheriff trail him in a nail-biting and suspenseful chase that will decide Moss's fate. It was recently made into a critically acclaimed film by the Coen brothers, picking up four Academy Awards. This is the third Cormac McCarthy novel to be released on Naxos AudioBooks this year: 'A profoundly disturbing and gorgeously rendered novel' -New York Times

Naxos AudioBooks has long been dedicated to creating exemplary audiobook recordings of Jane Austen classics, employing the amazing vocal talents of Juliet Stevenson and Emilia Fox. Now, for the first time, the entire collection of these perennially popular novels is available as an audiobook box set, providing over 80 hours of compelling storytelling. This magnificent collection includes Austen's six major novels and recordings of her unfinished novels, Sanditon and The Watsons. The Complete Novels of Jane Austen offers a supremely enjoyable experience of Austen's novels and is an essential collector's item.

Elegiac, bittersweet and profoundly moving, The Leopard chronicles the turbulent transformation of the Risorgimento, in the period of Italian Unification. The waning feudal authority of the elegant and stately Prince of Salina is pitted against the materialistic cunning of Don Calogero, in Tomasi's magnificently descriptive memorial to a dying age. Tomasi's award-winning, semi-autobiographical book became the best-selling novel iln Italian history, and is now considered one of the greatest works of 20th-century fiction. It relates an age-old tale of conflict between the old and the new, ancient and modern, reflecting bitterly on the inevitability and cruelty of change.

With the uptake of history at school at a record low, the Naxos AudioBooks ‘In a Nutshell’ series is at hand to plug the gaps in our knowledge. The newest release, In a Nutshell: the French Revolution (9789626349861), provides illuminating background to the historic overthrow of the French monarchy, which had such a massive impact on philosophy, art, literature and political thought.

There has been a great deal of demand for the unabridged version of The Master and Margarita after the abridged version was released to great acclaim earlier this year (9789626349366). Bulgakov’s classic satire of the Soviet regime is regarded as one of the finest novels of the twentieth century. His critique is cleverly woven into the escapades of the surreal and amusing troupe of characters that come to Moscow, intent on upsetting order.