This is Vol. 23 in our projected 30-disc set forming the Naxos Music of Brazil series. It’s also the fourth volume from conductor Neil Thomson and the Goiás Philharmonic to spotlight the music of Claudio Santoro, in which the programme explores a pivotal decade in the composer’s output. In the 1950s, Santoro began his move from serialism to nationalism with the reflective Canto de Amor e Paz (Song of Love and Peace), continuing with the Symphony No. 4, which proved to be one of his most accessible and influential works. The short Sixth Symphony of 1958 is by turns original, luminous and sombre, while the concertante works for saxophone and violin evidence his command of dance rhythms, colourful lyricism and virtuosity. Considering the critical reception that both conductor and orchestra received for their first three albums of Santoro’s music, I have no doubt that this fourth will emulate Gramophone’s previous comments: ‘The performances ... are first-class, as is the quality of the recording’ (Vol. 1, 8.574402); ‘These impressive and rarely heard works are all played with absolute conviction and panache ... and the recordings are crystal-clear’ (Vol. 2, 8.574406); ‘The Goiás Philharmonic play brilliantly for Neil Thomson throughout the entirety of this challenging programme.’ (Vol. 3, 8.574410)

This first of two albums presenting Beethoven’s works for cello and piano includes his two Op. 5 sonatas. They’re quite revolutionary works, with neither instrument subservient and the piano fully independent, for which there was no precedent in the 1790s. Two sets of variations on themes from Mozart’s The Magic Flute complete the programme. The outstanding artists probably need little by way of introduction, since cellist Gabriel Schwabe and pianist Nicholas Rimmer already have numerous acclaimed recordings between them in the Naxos catalogue. Gabriel has established himself among the leading cellists of his generation as a laureate of several national and international competitions, while Nicholas has proved an exceptionally sympathetic accompanist for him, The Strad noting that in Schumann’s Five Pieces in Popular Style (8.573786) ‘Schwabe’s and pianist Nicholas Rimmer’s sensitive hands radiate enchantment in every bar.’

Here we have a rare treat. It's the world premiere recording of the first ever performance of a little-known work by Joachim Raff – his last opera Die Eifersüchtigen (The Jealous Ones). Raff completed the score only a few weeks before his death in 1882, having written the libretto himself. He scrupulously differentiated his characters through their music and adopted a precise formal construction, the whole score displaying a strong grasp of musical and dramatic relationships. Bringing everything to life on this exciting recording is Joonas Pitkänen, the charismatic young Finnish conductor noted for ‘a musical grip in everything he does.’ (Hufvudstadsbladet) The cast is drawn from the Opernkollectiv Zürich, founded in 2021 to bring musical stage works to fruition in distinguished performances as a showcase for young artists gaining professional experience. If you have known Die Eifersüchtigen only through its popular overture, here's the opportunity to experience the delights that follow curtain-up.

Many people will be familiar with Modest Mussorgsky’s operatic output through his two magnificent stage works Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina. This release, however, focuses on his comic opera Sorochinsky Fair, which is the most prominent example of his notable but unfinished works. We owe conductor/composer Fabrice Bollon a debt of gratitude for bringing the work to life in an arrangement for chamber orchestra that remains faithful to Mussorgsky’s original score, unlike other previous attempts to resurrect it from obscurity. Performed by an ensemble of world-class singers and musicians, and paired with a suite from Mussorgsky’s other incomplete and equally neglected opera Salammbô, this release will appeal both to fans of the composer and collectors who are always keen to hear Fabrice’s latest artistic initiative.

Our distinguished Liszt Complete Piano Works edition continues here with Vol. 63 and a programme that adds to the wealth of rarities already recorded in the series; many of the featured works remained unpublished in Liszt’s lifetime and are genuine rarities even today. The works that Liszt composed during his final decade, both secular and sacred, possess a startling originality that's far removed from the virtuoso character of his earlier works. Polish pianist Wojciech Waleczek maintains an international career as a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist, performing with orchestras throughout Europe and the Middle East, Japan and the Americas, including the United States. He also recorded Vol. 53 (8.573773) in this Liszt edition, the critical praise for which indicates the reception that this new release will surely receive: ‘Waleczek conveys an aura of rapture to this music ... sensually beautiful piano-playing’ (Gramophone); ‘scholars will pounce on this release’ (International Piano); ‘first-rate ... excellent sound.’ (MusicWeb International)

It’s said that Walter Braunfels’ music died twice: first, when the Nazis declared it ‘degenerate art’; and again when post-war Germany had little use for the various schools of tonal music. This was the period when arbiters of taste considered any form of romantic music – which meant practically the whole pre-war aesthetic – to be tainted. This 10th volume in Capriccio’s acclaimed Braunfels Edition features one of his most popular operas. What makes Jeanne d’Arc such an uncommonly effective music drama is not only the frequently sumptuous, post-Romantic musical language, but also the libretto, which was assembled by Braunfels himself, weaving together original 15th-century French and Latin documentation of Joan of Arc’s trial, a snippet from George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan, and his own writing, making the story and its characters – in many ways so far removed from a modern audience’s sensibilities and experience – utterly relatable to listeners today. This recording of a live performance from the Salzburg Festival is conducted by Manfred Honeck.

Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor made its triumphant debut at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples in 1835. It then transferred to Paris four years later under the title Lucie di Lammermoor, when Donizetti went much further than simply translating the heroine’s first name into French, refocusing her as the only woman in the entire cast. Although Donizetti’s orchestration remains largely the same, the French influence is audible in the score’s new recitatives. The result is certainly no mere abridgement of the original; its greater concision arguably renders it more brutal and emotional than the original. For this new co-production by the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti and Fondazione Teatro Comunale di Bologna, soprano Caterina Sala dazzles in the title role, with MTG Lirica noting that, despite the difficulty of the part, ‘it seems to be tailor-made for her: every coloratura, trill ... or demand for high-pitched accuracy is resolved with incredible naturalness and apparent simplicity, maintaining a crystalline vocal line.’

Also available on Blu-ray Video (DYN-58030)

Some fifty years ago, Soviet-Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina discovered the sonic and expressive possibilities of the humble bayan, a button accordion that had previously been popular only as a folk music instrument in Russia. Now one of the world’s most performed contemporary composers, this new album of her music showcases her Triple Concerto for violin, cello and bayan (2017), with the bayan performed by Elsbeth Moser, who was the original inspiration for the work. Outstanding Latvian violinist Baiba Skride and Dutch cello sensation Harriet Krijgh complete the line-up of soloists for the concerto. They also perform Gubaidulina’s Rejoice! Sonata for Violin and Cello which, although written in 1981, wasn't premiered until 1988, in Finland, due to its clear religious references.

This album from the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and its chief conductor Nicholas Collon features the world premiere recordings of some of the most recent orchestral works by Magnus Lindberg, one of Europe’s leading names in contemporary music. The most substantial item on the programme is his Viola Concerto, a new work completed only this year and given a masterful performance by internationally acclaimed soloist Lawrence Power. Lindberg’s Absence, written in 2020 to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, was inspired by the conversation notebooks that Beethoven used in his later years to communicate with others and duly reflects Beethoven’s rapid shifts from the mundane to the sublime. Premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2021, Serenades is very much a nocturnal work that combines fleeting, mysterious moods of the night with bold contrasts, taking the work to a monumental culmination before settling into its tranquil conclusion.

While still receiving treatment before his premature death, pianist Lars Vogt defied the odds by recording both a multi-award-winning album of chamber music works by Schubert (ODE1394-2D), and albums of piano concertos by Mozart (ODE1414-2) and Mendelssohn (ODE1400-2). But a project to record all of Brahms’ piano quartets was left unfinished at the point of completion of the studio recording of Piano Quartet No. 2. Happily, that recording is paired here with one of the Third Piano Quartet made during a live concert performance. Together, they represent Lars Vogt’s final recordings. Violinist Christian Tetzlaff, violist Barbara Buntrock and cellist Tanja Tetzlaff also offer stellar performances in this poignant, landmark album, which fulfills Lars Vogt’s late wish to have the recordings released. Christian Tetzlaff notes that ‘the C minor quartet – written by Brahms as a piece dealing with a man’s death, and most likely reflecting on the passing of Robert Schumann – serves as a memorial piece in this sense. Brahms expresses this in a desperate life situation, and we do the same with our interpretation of this piece for our friend Lars.’

There’s sun, fun and vocal acrobatics aplenty in Laurent Pelly’s much-loved staging of Donizetti’s intoxicating and witty comic opera L’elisir d’amore, for which he also designed the costumes, and which was first seen at London’s Royal Opera in 2007. This recording of the company’s 2023 production in all its joyous detail secured excellent press reviews: ‘This revival is as good as you will see anywhere.’ (The Daily Express) The lead roles could not have been in better hands: ‘With the great Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel superbly funny as Dulcamara, the entire show is a glorious comedy from start to finish.’ (The Daily Express); ‘Nadine Sierra … simply sizzled in a way that even the best Adinas rarely do.’ (Bachtrack) Musical direction is in the hands of Sesto Quatrini, who was artistic director at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre from 2016 to 2023.

Also available on Blu-ray Video (OABD7323D)

Here’s another notable album in the Vox series of re-releases, this one featuring two Mendelssohn recordings from the 1970s. Dating from 1977, the second work on the programme is actually a completely new discovery from the Vox archives and therefore a new release in any format of the recording. It’s of excerpts from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under conductor Sergiu Comissiona. He spent 15 years with the orchestra (1969–1984) transforming it from a little-known ensemble into a nationally respected one and directing it in its first recordings. Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 ‘Scottish’ is the other work on the programme which duly benefits from Comissiona’s skills, appropriately summarised by The Baltimore Sun: ‘An instinctive and intuitive rather than intellectual conductor … wonderfully adept at achieving coloristic nuances. He preferred a light, transparent sound; under him, the Baltimore Symphony was the orchestral equivalent of a lovely and warm lyric soprano.’ These are high definition transfers of the original Elite recordings made by Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz, which have long been acknowledged as audiophile classics.