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!
‘…with a master like JoAnn Falletta at the helm of the Buffalo Philharmonic…you can count on a faultless and idiomatic performance.’
– Fanfare
‘…a recording…that carries the stamp of authenticity, surpassing Rose/BMOP-Sound in the Symphony and accompanying the composer in his versions for New World Records and Koss. Highly recommended.’
– Ritmo
‘…the success of this recording belongs to Corinne Winters as Katya. She is as affecting in her playful exchanges with Varvara as she is in the traditionally more central, pathos-laden aspects of the role.’
– Gramophone
‘Barrie Kosky’s staging is quite moving, and Corrinne Winters’s performance in the title role is devastatingly powerful.’
– Fanfare
‘…the Adorno’s supple ensemble, impeccable intonation and unerring stylistic instincts create a reference worthy performance tradition for the first two quartets. …Highly recommended.’
– ClassicsToday.com
‘The richness of [Quartetto Adorno’s] timbres and their acute sense of lyricism make this first complete recording a wonderful discovery.’
– Diapason ★★★★★
‘…highly enjoyable and immensely satisfying.’
– The WholeNote
‘…it’s rare to find music that you haven’t heard before making such a strong first impression. [Klaidi Sahatçi] uncovers the work’s many felicities to apparently effortlessly achieved yet quite wonderful effect.’
– MusicWeb International
‘…it is an engaging affair… simply lovely.’
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★
‘Daron Hagen has stayed the course as an American composer primarily of vocal and theatrical music, whose devotion to lyricism and tonality is deep and real. …who now stands as the worthy successor to his mentor Ned Rorem.’
– Fanfare
‘This Haydn is indescribably good and an absolute must.’
– Pizzicato
‘…the sonorous recording provides the ideal support for the reference versions of this generous disc…which fills discographic gaps and updates historical editions.’
– Ritmo
‘…the captivating Michael Spyres, possesses a voice that shines particularly in the recording.’
– Ritmo ★★★★★
‘…this is a fabulous album you must buy! Where else can you discover a first-rate, accessible 20th-century composer, excellent music, excellent performers, and excellent recordings all in one?’
– American Record Guide
‘It’s a valuable addition to the organ concerto repertoire but rewards for inspired performances by Jacobs and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra too.’
– Textura
‘[This disc] not only fills notable gaps in the current recorded repertoire, but also gives us the best recording yet of two significant 20th-century violin sonatas.’
– Fanfare
‘…a very good and exciting interpretation…’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘…this Naxos CD…boldly delves into the depths of Silvestrov and presents itself as a good alternative…’
– Ritmo ★★★★★
‘…this is a treat.’
– Fanfare
‘I recommend this disc for the powerful and compelling performance of the Piano Quintet alone. Spectrum Concerts Berlin continues to deliver performances of unusual repertoire warmly recorded and stunningly played.’
– MusicWeb International
‘Under the direction of violinist Gil de Galvez, the Concerto Malaga approaches these works with fervour and determination, capturing their tension or sweetness with great dramatic sensibility.’
– Diapason ★★★★★
‘…In the hands of Vilmos Csikos and his colleagues, the program conveys the special sentiment and brilliancy that Romantic audiences loved in their violin music.’
– Fanfare
‘It is a very good and beautifully orchestrated work, whose expressive music comes across very well in this lively and elegant interpretation, which is very energetic in the final rondo. Special praise is due to the wind players of the Pardubice Orchestra.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘…Zhu Xiao-Mei seeks above all the intimacy, the poetry, the delicate splendour of colour, the fine vitality of Bach’s music, and leads it through her very personal playing to its essence: music and sound in their purest form.’
– Pizzicato
‘What a surprise Vänskä is! Here’s consistent excellence from everyone – conductor, orchestra, soloists, and engineers.’
– Fanfare
‘This deeply impressive account of Mahler’s harrowing Sixth Symphony is plainly the product of journeying with it over many decades…of choices made and re-evaluated, of emotions deepened with greater understanding of the text, of much soul-searching between and beyond the notes.’
– Gramophone
‘…an impeccable version without question.’
– Ritmo ★★★★★
‘What I admired most in Rattle’s performance were the moments of exhilaration, which are abundant.’
– Fanfare
‘The orchestra responds magnificently to Rattle’s direction with a sensitivity that surpasses the sometimes indifferent results he encountered in Berlin. I’d go as far as to say that Sir Simon may be the finest Mahler interpreter since the late Claudio Abbado…’
– The WholeNote
‘…expansive, haunting, and ennobling.’
– Fanfare
‘…irreproachable and exceptionally committed.’
– Classica
‘…Pine’s excitement is palpable, and she gets something of the star quality Corelli must have had in his own time.’
– AllMusic.com
‘…[Xiayin Wang] shapes the lyrical passages beautifully… The orchestra play magnificently under the gifted Ben Gernon.’
– MusicWeb International
‘[Hansjörg Angerer] dazzles us with his skill in mastering the difficulties of the score… The result is delightful…’
– Classica ★★★★★
‘For this ambitious series to be capped by a genuine transformation of transcription into proper organ repertory is a master stroke.’
– Choir & Organ ★★★★★
‘Passion and fragility combine to form the essence of Vogt’s art, especially in the context of this wonderful music.’
– Gramophone
‘…an exceptionally rewarding disc.’
– Gramophone
‘A life-affirming release, brilliantly played.’
– The Arts Desk
‘Estelle Revaz lifts this unknown treasure with her playing at a high technical level.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘This is a concept program, and a brilliant one. Recommended to all libraries.’
– Baker & Taylor CD Hotlist
‘You should definitely not miss the revelatory first volume in Mariangela Vacatello’s sonata cycle. An unexpected hit.’
– Fanfare
‘Led by Metzmacher, the SWR musicians incisively render the score’s Petrushka-like scampering, pratfalls, and unexpected shifts in tone colour.’
– MusicWeb International
‘The young Archos Quartet makes a beautiful case for this enchanting music.’
– Fanfare
‘This Wagner CD is one of [Semkow’s] finest recordings with the orchestra.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
‘…a great show, with excellent singing, a fine orchestra in the pit, and lively staging, all of which are sure to entertain.’
– Fanfare
‘The production sparkles, full of wit and rhythm, featuring well-defined characters…’
– Diapason ★★★★★
‘A huge success in the 1920s, Schreker’s Der Schatzgräber was hardly heard again until more recent times, and gets superlative advocacy here.’
– Gramophone
‘[Asmik Grigorian’s] singing is beautiful, her acting is utterly convincing, and the melding of the two into a unified portrayal is a miracle.’
– Fanfare
‘…wonderful performance…’
– Ritmo
‘…a perfectly calibrated performance that offers a window into the genial if peculiar charms of another world.’
– American Record Guide
‘…a beautiful and different Rusalka…’
– Scherzo