News from the Naxos Music Group

‘… conductor John Wilson makes an endless delight of the enchanting candyfloss score.’ – The Stage ★★★★

‘A savvy modern-day makeover.’ – The Times

Semyon Alexeyevich Barmotin (1877–1939) was a student of Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov. His fate under the Soviet regime in the 1930s remains a mystery, but what survives of his music is impressive in both scale and content. These world premiere recordings are filled with colour and contrast: the Tema con variazioni transforms its material into a multitude of moods to conclude in a symphonic march, while the 20 Preludes are striking in their sophisticated harmonies and heightened emotional impact.

This new Beethoven symphony cycle with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra is conductor Robert Trevino’s debut release on Ondine. Trevino is one of today's fastest rising young conductors, known for his fresh and vivid interpretations of both standard repertoire and contemporary works. Trevino is currently chief conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Basque National Orchestra. After studies with conductors David Zinman, Seiji Ozawa and Michael Tilson Thomas, Trevino worked closely as Leif Segerstam’s assistant before making his debuts with a number of leading symphony orchestras worldwide. These Beethoven symphonies were recorded in connection with a Beethoven festival which was arranged in Malmö, Sweden in October 2019.

Robert Trevino is invited by Apple Music to guest curate ‘The Beethoven Effect’ playlist. ‘Beethoven is one of those few composers who maintain an international name recognition, both amongst classical music lovers and with those who have yet to fall in low with our art form. Almost everyone has heard of Beethoven,’ says Trevino. ‘I would like to look both at musical works which must have seriously affected Beethoven's sense of music's role in the world – how it can inspire mankind to do better – and at works from others who have sought to continue his musical journey towards peace, towards love.’ Listen to this playlist which explores the music Beethoven made and the works he inspired.

This release is a world premiere recording that allows us to rediscover the amazing talent of the 18th-century composer Carlo Arrigoni, whose oeuvre comprises oratorios, operas and a number of arias and cantatas.

The arias and cantatas featured in this programme were likely composed around 1737–38, during his Viennese period. In them we can fully appreciate the signature style of a mature composer, secure in the wealth of experience acquired during his European trips. His approach to composing is always recognisable and individual, characterised by rich creativity and exceptional mastery of the various techniques. The works included in this release evoke a range of feelings: from moving arias imbued with sorrow and disenchantment, to lighter, more playful atmospheres which are characterised by lively rhythms.

An eclectic musician, Arrigoni admirably blends different styles and influences in his output, which ensures that his works never sound banal, but are characterised by a very personal and highly convincing imprint. His chamber music output is of historical and musical importance for us today. The sonatas for mandolin contained in this album were published in 2018 by Davide Ferella himself, while the vocal music tracks are still unpublished and preserved on manuscript at the Yale library.

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth

In celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birth year, we have curated a special Celebrate Beethoven playlist which is refreshed monthly according to various interesting themes based on his life, compositional periods, genre, and more. The tracks are sourced from the Naxos Complete Beethoven Edition, a new 90-disc boxed set also released to mark the anniversary year, hailed by the critics or being the most comprehensive set available.

This month we focus on his music for CHAMBER MUSIC.

Beethoven’s chamber music contains some of his most joyful and transcendent works. Included here are two great violin sonatas and arguably his greatest cello sonata, as well as the first movement of his Piano Trio No. 7, Op. 97, the 'Archduke', and what remains to this day one of the most monumental works for string quartet, the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133. This collection also illustrates Beethoven’s mastery in writing for the horn, and for septet and octet.

Follow the Celebrate Beethoven playlist on your favourite streaming platform to discover a wide range of works from one of the most influential composers in the history of classical music.

Themed Digital Album

Each month, we also have corresponding digital albums that you may download and enjoy again and again. Please click on the cover image to your left to download this month's release and remember to come back and visit our mini‑site each month for more amazing music!

Beethoven’s monumental contribution to Western classical music is celebrated here in this definitive collection marking the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Surveying the totality of his career and achievement, the Complete Edition spans orchestral, concerto, keyboard, chamber, music for the stage, choral and vocal works, encompassing his most familiar and iconic masterpieces, alongside rarities and recently reconstructed fragments and sketches in world premiere recordings.

Visit and bookmark the mini-site for this release, which will be regularly updated.

Check out DeepDiscount.com’s unboxing video of the Naxos Beethoven Complete Edition: