Naxos was founded in 1987 and has developed from being known primarily as a budget label focusing on standard repertoire into a virtual encyclopaedia of classical music with a catalogue of unparalleled depth and breadth. Innovative strategies for recording exciting new repertoire with exceptional talent have enabled the Naxos label to develop one of the largest and fastest-growing catalogues of unduplicated repertoire. Over 10,000 titles are currently available at affordable prices, recorded in state-of-the-art sound, both in hard format and on digital platforms. Naxos works with artists of the highest calibre and its recordings have been recognised with numerous international honours, including GRAMMY, International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), Opus Klassik and Gramophone Editor’s Choice Awards.
Claudio Santoro’s prolific output includes a cycle of 14 symphonies that is widely recognised as the most significant of its kind from Brazil. All of the works in this programme come from Santoro’s remarkable final decade, in which he allied more traditional and eclectic styles to his earlier experiments. Both the Concerto Grosso and the Three Fragments on BACH were written for student orchestras, but are nonetheless substantial pieces which show his command of writing for strings. The Eleventh Symphony is one of the densest and most dramatic of the cycle, its finale exploding into an evocation of the opening of Brahms’ First Symphony, while the Twelfth Symphony is an unusual ‘sinfonia concertante’ for nine soloists and orchestra.
The rediscovery of Florence Price’s music has revealed one of the most significant bodies of work by an African American composer in the 20th century. The variety of genres represented on this release place Price’s immense artistic imagination on full display. The two Concert Overtures explore her engagement with spirituals, both episodically and coloristically, in music that embraces the somber, the poignant and the ebullient. Songs of the Oak is a tour de force of Hollywood-influenced storytelling while The Oak offers a more anxious, ultimately tragic portrait. Price’s best-known work is the Suite of Dances – originally for piano it is heard here in the composer’s full, sumptuous orchestration.
This second album of Mozart’s complete Masses (Volume 1 is on 8.574270) pairs one work of exceptional dimensions and ambition with a miniature example. The ‘Great’ Mass in C minor is one of Mozart’s most spectacular and cast on such a scale that it embraces every human and spiritual emotion, reconciling the Salzburg tradition with that of Italian opera. The Mass was left incomplete by Mozart – it is heard here in a performing version made by the German musicologist and Mozart specialist Franz Beyer. By comparison the Missa brevis in C major exudes a spirit of festive concision.
Heinrich Marschner, the leading German composer of Romantic opera between Weber and Wagner, was a progressive innovator, bringing to his music a new dimension – the supernatural anti-hero enmeshed in horror, such as the protagonist of Der Vampyr (1828). Before his psychological operas, however, Marschner composed a series of overtures and stage works exploring more conventional material. These have long been overlooked. In this first volume Schön Ella represents Marschner’s mastery of form, skilful orchestration and melodic gifts, while the excerpts from Ali Baba reveal his flair for theatrical concision and mood setting.
This setting of Austrian Expressionist writer Georg Trakl’s poems by composer and conductor Fabrice Bollon is the first ever composition for classical singers and solo electric cello. As a result the work’s striking sonorities open unexpected and fascinating new directions for contemporary music. Evocative imagery and colourful writing for electric cello can also be heard in The Secret Garden of the Cordania – a work dedicated to Bollon’s cellist wife.
In celebration of the 35th anniversary of Naxos, TIDAL, the global music streaming platform, is featuring five artist-curated playlists by Marin Alsop, JoAnn Falletta, Boris Giltburg, Gabriel Schwabe and Leonard Slatkin. Click here to read more about the label’s legacy.
Jun Märkl is a highly respected interpreter of core Germanic repertoire, and is known for his refined and idiomatic explorations of the French Impressionists. He was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2012 by the French government. Märkl serves as music director of the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, and principal guest conductor of the Residentie Orkest The Hague as well as the Oregon Symphony. Among the over 50 albums in his discography are the complete Schumann symphonies with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and Mendelssohn and Wagner with the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. He also recorded works by Ravel, Messiaen, and a highly acclaimed Debussy series with the Orchestre National de Lyon for Naxos. He is currently working on a cycle of works by Saint-Saëns, R. Strauss and Toshio Hosokawa.
This album presents a selection of Saint-Saëns’ incidental music and music from his operas. From Samson et Dalila – the only one of Saint-Saëns’ operas to remain in the repertory – we hear two memorable and adrenalin-fuelled dances including the famous Bacchanale. Henry VIII drew from the composer music of regal solemnity with plenty of colourful scoring, praised by Gounod. The lukewarm reception to Étienne Marcel came as a bitter disappointment to Saint-Saëns but the customary ballet includes a strong element of delightful 14th-century pastiche. The incidental music to the play Parysatis received tumultuous acclaim at its premiere in 1902 and includes the delightful Airs de ballet flecked by the use of crotales (antique finger-cymbals).
‘[Tianwa Yang] has brilliant back up from the Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra from Vienna who play excellently under conductor Jun Märkl.’
– Politiken ★★★★★
‘The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under Jun Märkl deliver them with the gravity, levity, intensity, serenity and energy they variously invite, in a clear and concert-like recorded perspective.’
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★
‘Jun Märkl and the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra play the Allegro movements with great power and energy, giving the music an appropriate feeling of confidence and bombast.’
– AllMusic.com ★★★★
‘Jun Märkl and the Lyon orchestra turn in fine performances of both pieces … In sum, a smartly planned and well executed disc, and a very nice addition to your Messiaen collection.’
– ClassicsToday.com
For the full list of Jun Märkl’s discography on Naxos, visit naxos.com.
Recordings from Naxos and its affiliated labels were among the recently announced nominations for the 2023 GRAMMY Awards and International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).
Naxos is delighted to have received a nomination in this year’s GRAMMY Awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, for the album of Derek Bermel's music for clarinet and strings featuring the JACK Quartet.
‘This showcase of music for different forms and instrument combinations is united by Bermel’s musical curiosity and creative showmanship. Elements of folk and blues permeate traditional classical forms in masterful ways, resulting in a joyous listen. Characterful.’
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★
‘Intonations is an arresting portrait, not only for its kaleidoscopic range but for the sheer breadth of Bermel’s imagination and interests. That no other recording sounds quite like it is one of the better compliments one could pay to its creator.’
– Textura
Producer Christoph Franke received a nomination for Producer of The Year (Classical) for two recordings on the Ondine label:
The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards winners will be announced on 5 February 2023.
The Naxos Music Group received a record number of ICMA nominations across 13 categories. Naxos received 18 nominations, while others went to BelAir Classiques [2], Capriccio [8], Dynamic [1], OehmsClassics [1], Ondine [6], Opus Arte [4], Orfeo [3] and SWR Classic [5].
The judges, drawn from more than 20 specialist publications and broadcasters across sixteen countries, made a total of 391 audio and video nominations from 117 labels.
Nominations for all labels in the respective categories are listed below, together with links to further details about each album.
The finalists will be announced on 12 December, and the ICMA winners will be published on 18 January 2023. The Award Ceremony and Gala Concert will take place at the NFM Philharmonic Hall in Wroclaw, on 21 April 2023, in a ceremony featuring the NFM Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero.
Congratulations to the nominees and everyone involved!
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents the classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
Stream on Netflix this December and see if you can catch Mild und leise wie er lächelt from Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde as recorded by Naxos.
Need to license some music for a project and don’t know where to start? Visit Naxos Licensing to find out how!
Maria Kliegel celebrated her 70th birthday on 14 November and this collection brings together some of her most outstanding recordings, personally selected by Kliegel from her vast Naxos discography. Known as ‘La Cellissima’, Maria Kliegel’s playing is characterised by a warmth, sensitivity and refinement that complements everything she performs. Combining the best from her teachers János Starker and Mstislav Rostropovich, and working alongside excellent orchestras and pianists, Kliegel’s inspirational joie de vivre radiates from all of these performances. From her GRAMMY-nominated Bach Cello Suites to a Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto ranked among the top 50 recordings of the 20th century by Scala, this collection is a major celebration of Maria Kliegel’s fluent virtuosity and irreplaceable musicianship.
‘She’s not called “La Cellissima” for nothing! That she’s seen as such and has been described by people as a “sculptress in sound” or the “master chef of sound” is substantially the result of her recordings on disc, especially those for Naxos who have released the great majority of her recordings.’
– Remy Franck, Editor-in-chief, Pizzicato magazine
For Maria Kliegel’s other recordings, please visit her artist page on naxos.com
Conductor Adam Fischer has long enjoyed a deep artistic bond with the Danish Chamber Orchestra (DCO). This year marks the 25th anniversary of their collaboration, which Fischer himself refers to as ‘a musical marriage’: "The many years together have created the foundation for a mutual understanding of music and a highly distinctive style of playing that has been recognised far beyond Denmark’s national borders.” The orchestra presented a special, marathon performance of all the Brahms symphonies during two concerts in one day on 22 November.
In the summer of 2022, Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra's new recording of Johannes Brahms' four symphonies was released.
‘…constantly fascinating performances.’
– The Guardian ★★★★★
‘With a sense of pace, excellent balance, high energy and a thoroughly dramatic expression.’
– Politiken ★★★★★
‘And so this is certainly a highly interesting, often surprising, always musically passionate complete recording of the Brahms symphonies.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
Adam Fischer's previous release of Beethoven’s complete symphonies was the most-awarded Naxos release in 2019. It won the Opus Klassik and International Classical Music Awards ‘Best Symphonic Recording’ categories, as well as ICMA’s ‘Recording of the Year’ award.
‘Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra present a very convincing, coherent and meaningful set of Beethoven’s symphonies whose main characteristic is the rhetorical diversity showing all Beethoven’s various facets.’
– ICMA
Until 9 January 2023, PrestoMusic is offering up to 50% off selected titles on some of the Naxos Music Group labels. It's the perfect time to pick out a bargain for yourself!
Piston Power
November 25, 2022
Quite by accident, I came across the fact that November 25, the date of this posting, also marks the 1955 premiere of American composer Walter Piston’s Sixth Symphony. Taking the lead from that touch of serendipity, I thought this edition might give a sketch of the composer and his output. Within my own sphere of…
Cláudio Santoro: Symphonies 11 and 12
November 11, 2022
The previous edition of our Naxos blog focused on two symphonies that Brazilian composer Cláudio Santoro composed in the 1950s – the Fourth and Fifth – the latter written to mark the founding of the country’s new capital, Brasilia. Santoro (1919–89) was a member of the Brazilian Communist Party, which brought him major problems during…
The tetralogy of four operas that form Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) explores the conjunction of love and power in a mythic landscape in which true power resides in possession of the ring. Composed over more than a quarter of a century, monumental in scale, and structured after the precedent of Greek drama, the cycle was first performed in 1876. Staged by the award-winning director Stefan Herheim, this innovative new production from Deutsche Oper Berlin features a leading international cast conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles. The cast features world-class performers, including Nina Stemme, one of the leading Wagner singers of the present day.
Nina Stemme | Clay Hilley |
Iain Paterson | Brandon Jovanovich |
Elisabeth Teige | Albert Pesendorfer |
Conductor | Sir Donald Runnicles |
Stage Director | Stefan Herheim |
Set Designers | Silke Bauer, Stefan Herheim |
Costume Designer | Uta Heiseke |
Lighting Designer | Ulrich Niepel |
Video Projection | Torge Møller, William Duke, Dan Trenchard |
Dramaturgy | Alexander Meier-Dörzenbach, Jörg Königsdorf |
Film Director | Götz Filenius |
Filmed on 9–21 November 2021 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
More full-length videos? NaxosVideoLibrary.com brings you an extensive streaming video library of classical music performances, opera, ballet, live concerts and documentaries. Watch the world’s greatest opera houses, ballet companies, orchestras and artists perform on demand!
Looking for new music? Our selection of curated playlists has you covered with music to complement the season, moment, or activity! We’re approaching the season for giving. Inspire young minds with the Smart Kids Classical playlist and discover the perfect soundtrack for your upcoming gatherings with the Classical Dinner Party e Naxos. Discover a collection of classical Christmas favourites with the Celebrate Classical! Christmas playlist from Naxos. Toast to the smooth sounds of the season with unCLASSIFIED’s Christmas Cocktail Party playlist or kick up your heels with Grand Piano’s Let’s Dance. Make memories with the people you care about most with Naxos Moods’ Holiday Favourites or let your imagination soar by delving into one of the most interesting musical landscapes of Russian music with Grand Piano’s The Age of Russian Avant-Garde playlist. Then wind down from all the excitement and warm up with the soothing Fireplace Relaxing playlist from Naxos Moods or drift off into sweet dreams and peaceful sleep with the Lullaby Baby playlist. Happy listening!
We’re excited to announce the launch of Naxos Moods! Naxos Moods is an ecosystem of playlists curated by experts and musicologists to complement the wide range of feelings and activities people experience every day, with an emphasis on stress alleviation, relaxation, and inspiration. These playlists aim to create an exceptionally diverse listening experience, leveraging not only the Naxos classical catalogue, but world and jazz music as well. Exciting developments to the Naxos Moods initiative are coming soon – stay tuned for more!
Discover the Naxos Atmosphere playlist, a spatial experience from the Naxos world of classical music featuring Dolby Atmos technology.
Martinů was a musical chameleon. On the one hand, there’s a unique character to his output; on the other, he would adopt and adapt to just about any style that happened to be in fashion or to his liking. These two one-act operas, recorded for the first time in their respective versions, are a case in point. There’s the sensational Knife Tears (in its original French version), in which Martinů sets an absurdist libretto to the sounds of Le Jazz Hot, Stravinsky, and anything in between. This is juxtaposed with his Comedy on the Bridge in the English version that helped the work enjoy brief fame and which stands in complete contrast (if anything more in the style of Hanns Eisler) despite being separated by only seven years. This recording is presented by the Staatsorchester Stuttgart under the direction of award-winning conductor Cornelius Meister.
Christmas is one of the most richly celebrated seasons around the world. Naxos has released many imaginative and beautiful albums of carols and other Christmas music, from ancient to modern times, many of which have been critically praised for their quality and musical interest. And, of course, many feature the favourite Christmas carols we all know and love.
Browse through the Christmas catalogue for other great holiday titles.
In this video Robert Trevino talks about the recording process of this second Ravel album with the orchestra, and highlights some of the oustanding works from the new album.
Robert Trevino’s first Ravel album with the Basque National Orchestra received an excellent response. The programme in this second volume is perhaps more ‘French’ in nature, but the Basque orchestra gives dazzling performances of the works by their own national composer. While the first album was focused on some of Ravel’s most popular orchestral works, this album includes some rarities, including Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) in its complete ballet version, as well as one world premiere recording: Pierre Boulez’s orchestration of Ravel’s World War I era piano work, Frontispice.