NEWS FROM THE NAXOS MUSIC GROUP

Dark Spring is an opera about four young people under extreme pressures: to overachieve academically, to score high in the popularity contests at school or at college, and to perform romantically or sexually. The pressure has become entirely internalised as parents or teachers are absent and the protagonists are left alone with late capitalism’s demands of permanent self-optimisation. The conflict between the expectation to succeed on the one hand, and the sense of powerlessness and unattainable self-determination in an era of constant stagnation on the other, grows increasingly acute until it eventually flips into violence: into Melchior’s sexual aggression and Moritz’s suicide.

This compilation brings together popular orchestral works and ballet music by Tchaikovsky. Kitajenko, who turned 80 last year and has been closely associated with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne as a conductor for many years, sets special standards for the interpretation of Russian music with these recordings.

The accomplished Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel is dedicated to the performance of rarities by the exiled composers Karol Rathaus, Heinz Tiessen and Paul Arma. Their works, written between 1925 and 1949, reflect the Zeitgeist of Expressionism and the incidents of World War II. The sonatas by Tiessen and Arma are recorded here for the first time.

Der Geiger von Echternach (‘The Echternacht Fiddler’) deals with the origins of the Echternach Jumping Procession, which dates back to the Middle Ages and is now included on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. The ballad tells the story of the musician Tall Veit, who on his return from the Orient is sentenced to death by hanging for allegedly killing his wife. The composer and poet are equally interested in a detailed description of Veit’s different emotional states, which modulate his violin playing and increasingly move the listener until they fall into a dancing rage, from which only Saint Willibrord can free them.

‘The very intimism of the Singer Pur version underscores the composer’s compassion.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★

Critically acclaimed violinist Tianwa Yang is a winner of the prestigious ECHO Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year (Violin) 2015 Award for her Naxos recording of Ysaÿe’s 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 (8.572995), the Best Up-and-Coming Artist 2014 Award and the annual prize of the German Record Critics’ Award Association 2014 for her Naxos recordings of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concertos (8.572662) and her multiple volumes of Sarasate’s complete works for violin. Tianwa Yang is referred to as ‘an unquestioned master of the violin’ by American Record Guide who ‘rises above her competition’ (Fanfare) and a ‘sensationally talented violinist,’ by David Hurwitz of ClassicsToday.com. She has performed worldwide with major orchestras in Germany and USA, the Singapore and New Zealand Symphonies, and the London, Helsinki and Hong Kong Philharmonics. Tianwa Yang has made numerous award-winning recordings over the years, and 2021 marks her 15th anniversary as a Naxos recording artist.

Florent Schmitt (1870–1958) was a strikingly original composer whose influences were as varied as his own restless and imaginative music. A number of his solo piano works are little known and offer an important insight into his compositional development. Neuf Pièces, Op. 27, which includes a Spanish-infused Gitanella movement, was composed during his first period of travel. The expressive and vivid elements of Crépuscules, Op. 56 are infused with harmonic richness and quiet melancholy, while Ritournelle, Op. 2 No. IIbis displays an airiness and wit characteristic of French music of the Roaring Twenties. Internationally renowned pianist, Biljana Urban, presents a selection of neglected gems of French piano literature including many world première recordings.

‘It has been an extraordinary adventure to bring to life Florent Schmitt’s unknown piano pieces. A contemporary of Debussy and Ravel, Schmitt was a prominent figure of the Golden Age of French music, during which a pluralism of styles – Romanticism, Impressionism, Symbolism, Cubism, Ballet Russes, Orientalism etc. – influenced his prolific output.’ – Biljana Urban

Boris Giltburg is lauded worldwide as a deeply sensitive, insightful and compelling interpreter, with critics praising his impassioned approach to performance. This project to record all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas is a personal exploration for Giltburg, driven by curiosity and his profound respect for the composer. These exceptional performances received widespread critical acclaim upon their original digital release and this premiere CD release includes extended personal and informative booklet notes written by the pianist. From the vivid energy of the early sonatas, through the dark passions and enchanted lyricism of Beethoven’s middle period, to the awe-inspiring transcendence of the final sonatas – this cycle runs the full gamut of human emotion.