Founded in 1982, the CAPRICCIO record label has become well-known for the individual character of its diverse catalogue. While standard repertoire by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart has its place, most of the label’s CD and DVD titles feature music from all historical periods that is either less well known or has been recently rediscovered.
Capriccio enjoys an enviable diversity of recordings: operas by Hasse, Graun, Schreker and Zemlinsky; the symphonies of Joseph Martin Kraus, Gossec, Schulhoff and Ullmann; the comprehensive Kurt Weill Edition; the complete film music of Shostakovich and Schnittke; and the ‘20th-century Portraits’ series, featuring music by composers such as Ernst Bloch, Egon Wellesz and Paul Dessau.
Eminent artists have ensured a consistently high standard of performance over the years. These include Christoph Eschenbach, Bo Skovhus, Harriet Krijgh, Christine Schäfer, Ramón Vargas, Tzimon Barto, Matthias Goerne, Anne Schwanewilms, Christine Schornsheim, Jochen Kowalski, Hermann Prey, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, Concerto Köln, Max Emanuel Cenčić, Vladimir Spivakov and Dmitri Kitajenko.
2018 was a banner year for Capriccio, having won three awards in the inaugural Opus Klassik Awards: Cornelius Meister was named Conductor of the Year for his recordings of the complete Martinů symphonies (C5320); the award for Best Concert Recording (20th century) went to a programme of music by George Antheil (C5309) featuring the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, conductor Karl-Heinz Steffens and piano soloist Frank Dupree; and the label’s release of Braunfels’ opera Ulenspiegel (C9006) was named Best World Premiere recording.
RECENT AND UPCOMING RELEASES
Christian Tetzlaff’s recording of Bartók’s Violin Concertos, with the Finnish Radio Symphony under Hannu Lintu, has been nominated in this year’s BBC Music Magazine Awards! Recently winning the Concerto Award in the 2019 International Classical Music Awards, the release also won a Gramophone Award in 2018, included in Fanfare’s Want List, and ranked No. 27 in ‘The 50 Best Albums of 2018’ list by NPR Music.
‘Violinist Christian Tetzlaff gleams in this impressive recording of Bartók’s pair of violin concertos; the expressive Second Concerto is recorded here with the orchestral ending originally envisaged by the composer. Hannu Lintu and the Finnish Radio Symphony deliver top-drawer playing, and Tetzlaff is lyrical and virtuosic.’ – BBC Music Magazine
‘Tetzlaff dispatches the fiery bits of Bartók’s music with crackle, wit and verve – traits perfectly mirrored by conductor Hannu Lintu and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. (Just listen to them trade snarls in the opening movement of the second concerto.)’ – NPR Music
Visit the BBC Music Magazine website to vote: www.classical-music.com/article/bbc-music-magazine-awards-2019 (Voting ends 19 February)
MORE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED RELEASES FROM ONDINE
The 61st Annual GRAMMY® Awards winners will be announced on 10 February 2019. Congratulations to the nominees and everyone involved!
See the complete list of nominees on GRAMMY®’s website
GRAMMY® AWARD-WINNING RECORDINGS FROM THE NAXOS MUSIC GROUP
“ARC Music is absolutely VITAL to any serious world music operation.”
– DX Radio Network, USA
Naxos is happy to announce its acquisition of ARC Music Productions International Limited. This acquisition marks an important step in the company’s growing involvement in world music. The Naxos Music Group has been distributing the ARC label digitally worldwide and physically in several key markets for some time. Naxos is also operating the only dedicated world music subscription streaming platform, Naxos Music Library World, which offers access to more than 12,000 albums through a dedicated search engine.
Starting in April 2019, Naxos will also release a wide range of world music on its own Naxos World label, initially focusing on Asian and African world music. ARC is a long-established and diversified world music label with a catalogue of more than 700 titles. The Naxos physical and digital distribution infrastructure will strengthen the worldwide presence of the label.
Klaus Heymann, founder and chairman of the Naxos Music Group, is delighted with the acquisition and with the new, strengthened relationship:
‘Our group has been involved with ARC for more than 10 years as a physical and digital distributor and I am familiar with the label’s reputation in the world music field. I am happy that the distribution relationship has changed into ownership and a much closer cooperation. I expect the combination of ARC and Naxos World to be a major force in the world music field.’
Julia Beyer, chief executive of ARC Music, said: ‘After 41 highly successful years as an independent World Music label, I feel that this new partnership will not only help support the infrastructure of ARC Music but also strengthen our ability to further develop the catalogue and continue to achieve the label’s goals. The acquisition has come at the right moment to ensure continued success and to provide enhanced opportunities for artists around the world to record and release their music internationally.’
RECENT AND NOTABLE RELEASES
Naxos artists JoAnn Falletta and Marin Alsop took the top 2 spots as the Busiest Women Conductors in Bachtrack’s 2018 Classical Music Statistics.
Falletta’s 2018 concert season highlights included the world premiere performance of Chen Yi’s Concerto for Flute and Pipa with soloists Linda Chatterton (flute) and Gao Hong (pipa) and the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra; the US premiere of Danny Elfman’s Violin Concerto with violinist Sandy Cameron and the Virginia Symphony; and a joyous celebration of JoAnn’s 20 years with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra with the great opera baritone Thomas Hampson. On the recording front, her fifth album of Kenneth Fuchs’ newest works with the London Symphony Orchestra has been nominated in the Best Classical Compendium category for the 61st GRAMMY® Awards (8.559824). The programme comprises Piano Concerto ‘Spiritualist’ (soloist, Jeffrey Biegel), Glacier for electric guitar and orchestra (soloist, D.J. Sparr), the alto saxophone concerto Rush (soloist, Timothy McAllister) and the song cycle Poems of Life (solo countertenor, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen).
Alsop has been one of the key figures in the Bernstein Centennial celebrations in 2018, with performances of the composer’s works in London, Edinburgh, Leipzig, Madrid, and at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, leading the Baltimore, Bournemouth, Chicago and London Symphony Orchestras and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, among others. Additionally, there was the release of the 8-disc box set of her complete Bernstein recordings for Naxos (8.508018). She also received several accolades, including the Kesselman Award for Arts Education from the New York Youth Symphony; she was featured in BBC Radio 4’s ‘Woman’s Hour Power List’ (alongside Nicola Benedetti and Beyoncé); and she was one of the recipients of the World Economic Forum (2019) Crystal Award for championing diversity in music. Marin will take up the prestigious post of chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in September 2019.
To see the complete report from Bachtrack, visit https://bachtrack.com/files/96739-EN-Classical-music-statistics-2018.pdf
MORE NOTABLE RELEASES FEATURING JOANN FALLETTA AND MARIN ALSOP
The Best Collection Award went to the 6-disc boxed set release of Sibelius’ Incidental Music, featuring the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and renowned conductor Leif Segerstam (Naxos 8.506032). The jury stated: ‘The box of incidental music of Jean Sibelius reveals hidden treasures, full of theatrical atmosphere and emotions as well as interesting reminiscences of the composer’s more familiar masterworks. The Turku Philharmonic orchestra and Leif Segerstam dig deep into this rich theatrical sound world, captivating meaningful details and colourful sound.’
Naxos Audiovisual’s release of Jan Schmidt-Garre’s series BEL CANTO – The Tenors of the 78 Era won the Video Documentary Award (2.110389-91 / NBD0063-64V). It received 5 stars from Pizzicato: ‘This set contains an essential and invaluable documentation about the great tenors and bel canto singing in the first half of the 20th century by Jan Schmidt-Garre. …a deep insight into the art of bel canto.’
Christian Tetzlaff’s recording of Bartók’s Violin Concertos for Ondine won the Concerto category (ODE1317-2). Accompanied by the Finnish Radio Symphony and conductor Hannu Lintu, the recording has previously won a Gramophone Award: ‘From the fierce rhythms to the moments of great fragility, Christian Tetzlaff, a supreme soloist, and Hannu Lintu take us on a thrilling journey through Bartók’s two violin concertos.’
The OehmsClassics release of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and conductor Dmitrij Kitajenko received the Symphonic Award (OC457). It also won ResMusica Clef d’Or in 2018. The award jury said: ‘In Sibelius’ Second Symphony Dmitrij Kitajenko comes closer to the spirit of the score than a lot of other conductors, and his performance is one the most atmospheric and gripping available on disc. With extremely rich and differentiated textures, it breathes with stunning immediacy and impact. The playing of the Gürzenich Orchestra is superlative throughout.’
The Naxos licensing team is proud to be a part of the 2018 Korean film The Drug King (마약왕), a crime drama about a small-time narcotics dealer who becomes an infamous drug lord during the 1970s. The movie features an excerpt from Schubert’s Erlkönig, D. 328, performed by mezzo-soprano Tamara Takács and pianist Jenő Jandó (8.550476).
Need to license some music for a project and don’t know where to start? Visit Naxos Licensing to find out how!
Naxos has made a significant contribution to the recording and promotion of Latin American classical works over the years, and in the first quarter of 2019 three new titles will be added to the catalogue.
This month features renowned Mexican guitarist Pablo Garibay, together with the Orquesta Juvenil Universitaria Eduardo Mata and conductor Gustavo Rivero Weber, in a collection of works by Mexican composers José Pablo Moncayo, Hebert Vázquez, Ricardo Castro, Silvestre Revueltas and Simone Iannarelli (El arbol de la vida – 8.573902). Watch the album trailer:
February sees the launch of Naxos' brand new ‘The Music of Brazil’ series, with a release of Alberto Nepomuceno’s orchestral works featuring the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Fabio Mechetti (8.574067). The project was conceived in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will feature 30 releases comprising some 100 orchestral works from the 19th and 20th centuries performed by the Minas Gerais Philharmonic, the Goiás Philharmonic and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra.
In March the final volume in the Agustin Barrios Guitar Music series will again feature guitarist Celil Refik Kaya (8.573898). Following his performance in Volume 4 (8.573897), American Record Guide wrote: ‘Kaya plays with a modern sensibility. He is deeply expressive, but without distortion and indulgence. This has always been a mark of his playing, and here he serves Barrios’s music with perfection.’ Watch Celil play the first track in the new album, Vals (Waltz), Op. 8, No. 3:
MORE EXCITING LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC RELEASES FROM NAXOS
Browse through our Latin American Fiesta segment catalogue to see all titles from the series. |
Discover these fantastic playlists, featuring virtuosic guitar works and important contributions of some of the most notable figures in classical music from Latin America!
Composer Philip Glass was among the recipients of the 2018 (41st) Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement, along with singer and actress Cher, country music entertainer Reba McEntire, jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and the co-creators of the musical Hamilton. In a gala last December 2, the composer received a tribute from his onetime collaborator, singer-songwriter Paul Simon, and the event featured performances by pianist John Batiste, violinist Jennifer Koh, guitarist St. Vincent and the Philip Glass Ensemble.
‘The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes exceptional artists who have made enduring and indelible marks on our culture. … Philip Glass is a modern-day Mozart whose works across opera, symphony, chamber music and film define contemporary music and simply transfix us,’ stated Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein.
Upon receiving the award, Glass said ‘I am very pleased to be named a Kennedy Center Honoree… The vital importance of the Arts in American culture cannot be overstated. I hope that my work will allow future audiences and performers to continue the longstanding tradition of cultural acceptance and exploration in the Arts. Thank you, the Kennedy Center, for this once-in-a-lifetime honor.’
Grand Piano’s Glassworlds series, featuring piano works by Philip Glass performed by Nicolas Horvath, has been consistently praised by critics and publications:
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MORE NOTABLE RECORDINGS OF PHILIP GLASS’ WORKS FROM THE NAXOS MUSIC GROUP
For the full list of Philip Glass recordings from the Naxos Music Group, please visit
www.naxos.com/person/Philip_Glass/26059.htm.
Naxos Music Library World is the perfect platform for world music enthusiasts, offering a wide range of recordings representing more than 150 countries and over 1,500 cultural groups. Enjoy over 11,000 albums (123,000 tracks) in high-quality audio, featuring over 32,000 artists, from renowned labels such as ARC Music, Celestial Harmonies, Warner, Sony and Naxos World, available for streaming.
Visit www.naxosmusiclibrary.com/world now and get free 15-minute preview!
We’ve made accessing the biggest collection of world music even better!
The NML World app is now available, so you can access your favourite recordings from your mobile devices.
Lauded as one of the most original and brilliant of Georgian composers, Sulkhan Tsintsadze synthesised 20th-century classical elements with the rhythmic, melodic, harmonic and modal characteristics of Georgian folk music. His 24 Preludes for Piano (GP783) were composed in 1971 and are unmistakably national in character. He gave new life to traditional Georgian folk songs and dances in a masterfully structured cycle that flows with the seamless eloquence of a film. This virtuosic kaleidoscope of contrasting images reveals music that is both extravagant and vibrant.
‘I found some similarities between Tsintsadze and myself. Both of us were born and raised in Tbilisi, went to the same special music school and afterwards to the Moscow Conservatory. But he wrote his music during the Soviet era, experiencing a period of better Russian-Georgian relations than I had. I felt the need to record his music, feeling a special connection and a wish to approach my own past.’ – Inga Fiolia
Inga Fiolia studied at the Central Music School of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and the Cologne Musikhochschule with Alexey Nasedkin, Rudolf Kehrer and Vassily Lobanov. She has collaborated with orchestras including the Brussels Philharmonic, the Georgian State Chamber Orchestra and National Philharmonic, the Bergische Symphoniker and the South Westphalia Philharmonic, and has broadcast on all the major German TV and radio stations. Her performance of Scriabin’s Preludes and Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was released on the DVD Stars of Tomorrow (Unitel Classica, 2015).
GLINKA PIANO WORKS SERIES PERFORMED BY INGA FIOLIA
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Start 2019 off with our inspiring collection of curated playlists! Whether you need a great soundtrack to elevate your workout or are in the mood for waltzes, each of these playlists are the perfect addition to your streaming library. Celebrate Mozart’s birthday with unCLASSIFIED’s Need To Know: Mozart playlist, a fantastic collection of our favourite works! Get moving with Chill Workout, a fantastic playlist curated with relaxing, steady movement in mind, such as yoga and barre. Turn up Essential Waltzes, an exciting playlist of waltzes featuring Paganini, Strauss, Liszt and more. Explore Grand Piano’s Overtone playlist featuring pianists performing their own works. Check out more playlists below and add them to your streaming library!
Cornelius Meister was appointed chief conductor and artistic director of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2010. He took up the post of principal guest conductor of Tokyo's Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and began his tenure as general music director at the Stuttgart State Opera and Stuttgart State Orchestra, in 2018. In 2016, he received an International Opera Award for the best production of the season with the Vienna production of Peter Grimes.
Meister conducts a wide range of concert and operatic repertoire, including standard works (operas by Mozart, Wagner, Puccini and Strauss plus the complete Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Sibelius symphonies), rarely performed works, collaborations with period orchestras (Die Zauberflöte at the Zurich Opera) and numerous world premieres.
2018 has been a highly successful year for Cornelius Meister. His Capriccio recording of Martinů’s complete symphonies (C5320) has received numerous recognitions, including wins at the International Classical Music Awards (Symphonic Category) and Conductor of the Year Award from the first ever Opus Klassik Awards:
‘Cornelius Meister has a refreshing vision of Martinů’s symphonies. He does not complicate things, goes straightforward, and cares for the infectious melodies and a bright symphonic sound. His orchestra responds in a fabulous way.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘In the hands of Meister and Vienna RSO these performances of the Martinů six symphonies feel like a labour of love, as if relishing every note, the conductor able to mould them intuitively into a coherent whole.’
– MusicWeb International
MORE NOTABLE RECORDINGS FEATURING CORNELIUS MEISTER
Although Igor Stravinsky and Dmitri Shostakovich were contemporary Russian composers, their lives stood in distinct contrast to each other: the former was outgoing and sophisticated; the latter an introverted melancholic. Their outputs were similar, however, in that they were both deeply rooted in their homeland, Stravinsky’s drawing on its wealth of traditional myths and folk customs, while Shostakovich fed on the fearful, historical events that shook Russia to its core.
Dmitry Kabalevsky remains largely forgotten as a composer of socialist-realist music, possibly because of his obsequious, opportunistic engagement in politics which brought him three Stalin Prizes and four Orders of Lenin. When it suited him, he courted the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians, and later he became a very active member of the Union of Soviet Composers. Mieczysław Weinberg was the exact opposite, both politically and musically. He was a life-long victim of the Soviet Union, and while his music is occasionally humorous, it generally reflects the dark side of a genius whose music can be emotionally draining.
‘Cornelius Meister, increasingly a name with which to reckon, secures playing of character and commitment from the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.’ – Gramophone
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