This month brings you another bumper crop of great reviews from the leading music magazines, quality dailies and online review sites. There’s no doubt about it: Naxos releases and distributes some of the best music and audiovisual albums!
‘…the pianism of Gabrielius Alekna and the accompaniment of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra are well-suited for this Naxos CD, which is essential for anyone looking to explore the rich oeuvre of this fascinating figure in 20th-century music.’
– Ritmo
‘This contemporary staging of Martinů’s The Greek Passion from the Salzburg Festival comes highly recommended.’
– Gramophone
‘…Martinů has laid music that blends learned and vernacular elements …influences from Czech and modernist music, all unified in a language of intoxicating originality, exalted by Maxime Pascal, who leads the Wiener Philharmoniker with a gesture that is both rigorous and generous.’
– Diapason
‘An ensemble that embraces the roles and a choir that performs with subtle distinction make both the work and this performance a haunting admonishment to the “Christian West”.’
– Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award)
‘One wonders why The Greek Passion is not more frequently staged, as the production given in Salzburg last year confirms that it is indeed a masterpiece, comparable to the finest works of Britten from the same period.’
– Classica ★★★★★
‘The cello never gets lost in the texture, and the players keep everything clear.’
– AllMusic.com ★★★★★
‘The lyrical, keening Stabat Mater for solo soprano and orchestra is a real tour de force by Réka Kristóf.’
– Choir & Organ ★★★★
‘…a masterful rendition, which is the outcome of a musical reflection that is as profound as [it is] charming.’
– Amadeus (Italy)
‘…JoAnn Falletta…supports and stimulates the soloists and makes listening to the solo parts a great pleasure.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘…Fischer provides long-overdue proof that these final symphonies by the discreet revolutionary Haydn are on a par with the more famous works of Mozart and Beethoven, remaining equally relevant.’
– Rondo ★★★★★
‘[Fischer’s] many admirers will be in seventh heaven, and even those more agnostic will revel in the drive and vivacity he unfailingly imparts to whatever he performs.’
– Gramophone
‘In this interpretation, Robert Spano and the Houston Symphony manage to maintain a balance between technical precision and expressiveness.’
– Ritmo ★★★★★
‘This live recording […] benefits from the very strong presence of Canadian baritone Etienne Dupuis (as Hérode), with his powerful voice and, above all, his dazzlingly clear diction, which gives the right weight to every syllable.’
– my/maSCENA ★★★★★
‘…the performance is wonderful and the cast is up to Meyerbeer’s punishing vocal demands… [MacKinnon’s] soprano is clear and flexible… Manacorda conducts with a great sense of structure, but also highlighting the delicacy of much of Meyerbeer’s scoring.’
– Opera Now ★★★★★
‘Emmanuele Baldini takes on the demanding solo part of the most ambitious Violin Concerto. His vigorous and expressive bowing animates a more complex harmonic and rhythmic fabric, rich in shimmering textures.’
– Diapason ★★★★★
‘Style aplenty in two characterful works… the playing is such a delight that the individual and collective effort simply disappears from view.’
– The Strad
‘…well worth discovering, and which could hardly be more thrillingly interpreted. Noa Wildschut, Pablo Barragán and Frank Dupree plumb the deepest depths with the most captivating virtuosity’
– Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award)
‘…this is a marvellous collection, featuring impeccable production values and sound of flawless realism in the best BIS tradition. Not to be missed!’
– Gramophone
‘This album is worth acquiring not only because the discography of the Florentine Tragedy is embarrassingly limited, but also because the present recording surpasses some earlier releases both sonically and interpretatively.’
– www.klassik.com
‘A very beautiful concert.’
– Diapason ★★★★★
‘All the singers are fully convincing with their vocal qualities and can also score with clear articulation. The Munich Radio Orchestra is animated by Patrick Hahn to an intense and colourful performance…’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘…a captivating rediscovery …’
– Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award)
‘…Frank Dupree has succeeded in creating another Kapustin album that effortlessly takes its place at the top of the discography and cannot be praised highly enough for its skilful advocacy of music that is still too little known.’
– Pizzicato
‘It never sounds kitsch, and in Dupree we have just about the best player of Kapustin before the public.’
– MusicWeb International
‘Koziara sings with considerable sensitivity. His voice is warm and focused and Moore proves to be an equally sympathetic and stylistically apt colleague.’
– MusicWeb International
‘…a terrific listening experience; Wilson and his colleagues do full justice to this Broadway masterpiece.’
– MusicWeb International
‘The fantastic orchestral playing – taut, colourful, joyful – is one reason for this recording’s success.’
– Limelight ★★★★★
‘…a stupendous cast in a first-class production, as one would expect from this musical team. …a disc that will delight.’
– Yorkshire Times
‘This album is thrilling. Giovanni Sollima really takes the lid off cello playing, with an intoxicating energetic, rhythmically charged virtuosity.’
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★
‘This is rather unassuming music that will move you, break your heart, and then laugh with you as it dries your tears. I’m all the better to have this album – and you will be too. Excellent performances all around…’
– American Record Guide
‘…this world premiere recording of all the symphonies transcribed for organ is one of the most interesting Brucknerian contributions of 2024.’
– Ritmo ★★★★★
‘…an exuberant and masterful lesson in music.’
– Diapason
‘Rejoice! absolutely holds no terrors for Baiba Skride and Harriet Krijgh, who turn in a stunning performance.’
– MusicWeb International
‘…this new performance of the cello suites is as close to perfect as any I have heard before, aided immeasurably by the acoustics of the Garnisons Kirke, which provided exceptional rendering throughout the instrument’s register.’
– MusicWeb International
‘There is a sense of rightness to everything Thomsen does and crucially…he has command and charisma and as such I would [place] these accounts with Casals, Fournier, Starker (EMI and Mercury) Tortelier (1983) et al, in the pantheon of excellence.’
– Classicalsource.com
‘…a rewarding listening experience…’
– All About Jazz ★★★★
‘Margarita Höhenrieder’s playing…is characterized by great spontaneity and freshness, without lacking lyricism and warmth.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘This is a crowd-pleaser…’
– Fanfare
‘Cambreling is capable of mastering that miracle of balance, and with a sound as controlled as it is beautiful, he gives the score a direction that makes it a prodigy of fluidity. ’
– Ritmo ★★★★★
‘…the performance is excellent on all accounts.’
– Fanfare
‘I feel that any CD that has Stanisław Skrowaczewski’s name on it is worthy of attention, and this one does nothing to challenge that belief.’
– Fanfare
‘The cast is excellent, especially Swiss soprano Flurina Stucki as the Great Whore…and the score sizzles with intensity under the baton of Stephan Zilias. After so many scenes depicting the ugliness of mankind, the final redemption is breathtaking.’
– American Record Guide
‘Vladimir Jurowski’s second appearance this month, this time with Die Fledermaus, the Bavarian State Opera adding to its award-winning label with another triumph.’
– Gramophone
‘…this modern performance on DVD of Turandot has to be seen to be believed! …it has one of the best Turandots since Birgit Nilsson in fellow Swede Iréne Theorin.’
– Fanfare
‘An exhilarating success, this performance claims a top spot in the videography of this brilliant Elisir d’amore.’
– Crescendo