‘This [recording] has a unique value in the combination of the range of the couplings, the rarely available arrangements, and the attractive performances and recording.’ – Classical Music Sentinel

‘The trumpet concerto is on the lips of Jeroen Berwaerts, who has a wide-ranging repertoire and is also technically proficient in contemporary literature. …Always binding in the shaping of the notes, his approach is also gripping in places.

The violinist Paul Huang gives Genesis an intense interpretation… He offers a convincing version of the work with a dedication that realizes all the work’s playful demands and shapes the form of the composition.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★★

Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony marked several new departures for the composer: not only did it differ from its predecessors in terms of tonal language and formal structure, it was also the first symphony to bring the composer, now 60 years old, the success that had been elusive for so long.

Soon after finishing the Seventh Symphony, Bruckner composed the Eighth, his most extensive. However, after being told by his good friend, the conductor Hermann Levi, that he couldn’t quite make sense of it, Bruckner – again plagued by self-doubt – immediately started to revise the score, a process that took him a number of years. The Eighth Symphony therefore has two versions: the original one from 1887 (heard on this recording directed by Eliahu Inbal, one of the first conductors to re-introduce it into concert halls) and the revised version from 1890.

The Royal Danish Orchestra’s performing history stretches back to 1448, making it the oldest orchestra in the world, with Carl Nielsen counted amongst its distinguished former members. His 16 years of experience as one of the orchestra’s second violinists helped shape him as a composer, and it was this ensemble that introduced his symphonies to the world. From the ‘imminent storm of genius’ of the First Symphony to the disarming outlandishness of the Sixth, Nielsen’s symphonies are recognised as among the greatest in their genre, heard here in recordings made with a league of conductors whose bond with Denmark and Nielsen’s music is second to none.

* Available only on CD

‘Topchii plays all the tracks with thought, precision, and affection.’ – 99.5 WCRB

‘Markus Poschner succeeds very well in bringing the restrained, sometimes almost anxious sounds into a flow with very determined and sublime gestures. The feeling of inner uncertainty continues in the Adagio, whose motivic variety Poschner emphasizes very clearly.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★

‘Vibrant and tuneful, it makes a fine introduction to the 20th-century Brazilian composer.’ – BBC Music Magazine

‘Alsop and her players should be applauded for maintaining their energy and attention through an artistically demanding work, without ever sacrificing musicality… Highly recommended.’ – The Classic Review

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to his symphonic works which are performed in new transcriptions for organ by Hansjörg Albrecht and recorded at important locations that include Zurich, Leipzig, Linz, Vienna and London. Each transcription is accompanied by a contemporary composition that references Bruckner’s work in the ‘Bruckner Windows’ series.

Hansjörg Albrecht concludes this extensive project commemorating Anton Bruckner with his final recording of the Study Symphony.

‘This recording…under the competent direction of Antonino Fogliani, is a remarkable interpretation in every respect.

Serena Farnocchia sings the title role…with an agile, exemplary and dramatically expressive voice.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★

The third volume of Mozart’s Masses focuses on works written in Salzburg when the composer was in his late teens and early twenties. The Missa in honorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis, a bright celebratory work, is the only Mass setting without soloists that Mozart composed. The Missa Brevis in D major is a compact, economic setting conforming to the Archbishop’s dictates for shorter works. Its companion, the Missa Brevis in B flat major, though keenly responsive and beautiful, upset church musicians because it utilised a Parisian gavotte in the ‘Dona nobis pacem’ and ended Mozart’s employment on a provocative note. Volume 1 in the series is on 8.574270, Volume 2 is on 8.574417.

‘The Quartetto Adorno, in existence for almost ten years, offers the listener this collection of works in lively interpretations. They play the music with verve and expressiveness, without ignoring the sometimes modern textures.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★

‘Hila Plitmann sings all the songs very sensitively and expressively with her radiantly pure and bright soprano voice. The accompanying instrumentalists are all first-rate.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★★

Marcin Dylla, First Prize Winner in the 2007 Guitar Foundation of America Competition, is considered one of the most outstanding classical guitar players of the younger generation. Between 1996 and 2007 he won first prize nineteen times at the most prestigious international guitar competitions. This selection brings together guitar works from composers of four nationalities, Spanish, Mexican, Polish and British, covering a span of some sixty years of the instrument’s development.

‘The reminiscences of the operas show a greater freedom of interpretation, but also…demand technical ability from the soloist, combined with an even greater need for creativity. It can be attested that the Chinese violinist Haoli Lin succeeds well in meeting the requirements. He takes care to present the pieces in a well-articulated and calm manner, offering musical lines but not overdoing it with excessive tempo or exaggerated virtuosity.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★

‘The Coro Casa da Musica under the direction of Paul Hillier shows that it is without doubt one of the leading chamber choirs in Europe. The pleasantly slender, flexible and substantial choral sound is enchantingly refined in terms of articulation, intonation and attention to detail.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★

‘The Royal Swedish Navy Band under Alexander Hanson now presents a first selection of the marches. …the marches are given a warm sound… Technically, the playing of the Navy Band is of the highest quality.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★

‘…a highly varied and dramatic composition with a strong focus on the plot, which is presented here as the first recording by Naxos in a good interpretation overall.

The conductor Byron Fidetzis […] is therefore an intimate connoisseur of the material and knows how to conduct Petridis’ music.’ – Pizzicato ★★★★

The essence of Ferruccio Busoni’s music lies in its synthesis of emotion and intellect, rooted in his Italian and German ancestry. His Sonatinas typify the stylistic range of his maturity, with the First Sonatina unfolding with the spontaneity of an improvisation. Veering between darting angularity and ominous expectancy, the Second Sonatina is one of his most radical musical statements, while the poise of the Fourth Sonatina marks Busoni’s closest approach to Impressionism. The Drei Albumblätter represent Busoni at his most austere and profound, reflecting the mystical character of his late music.

‘A whopping 30-disc set that provides an essential starting point for anyone wishing to hone their understanding of the genre.’ – BBC Music Magazine

‘Francesco Meli as Radames knocks it out of the park from the start with a lovely, floaty “Celeste Aida” and the lady herself, sung by Elena Stikhina matches, or perhaps balances, it with an impassioned “Ritorna vincitor!” She’s got a lovely combination of sweet, true tone and power. Their final duet is just gorgeous and very moving.’ – operaramblings

‘Gilda Fiume is a very good Amalia with just the right combination of agility and power. …Antonino Siragusa is a perfectly competent Alfredo. He’s baritonal in timbre but has the requisite high notes.’ – operaramblings

Treading a tightrope between death, life and intense romance in the opulent world of 19th-century Habsburg royalty, Elisabeth tells the story of the beautiful Empress of Austria, from her wedding, to her tragic assassination by the hand of the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni. Ongoing dark obsessions and inner turmoil are undercurrents as family schisms flare up amidst a crumbling empire. These powerful themes and a potent score brimming with fabulous music have combined to establish Elisabeth as the most successful German-language musical of all time. This spectacular open-air event presents Elisabeth at the fabled empress’s real-life home – Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

‘Semyon Bychkov’s unrushed but attentive, magisterial conducting is this [recording]’s most enduring contribution, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House’s rich string tone is a constant pleasure. …[Grigorian] moves beautifully and mimes the often silent character’s discoveries and anxieties with affecting skill.’ – Classical Voice North America

‘…the fine German mezzo Claudia Mahnke makes a strong impression as a woman as obsessed with her husband as he is with Kuma. Canadian baritone Iain MacNeil is wonderful as the Prince. His brilliant top register is firmly joined to a sturdy middle register that never wobbles and is full of colour.’ – American Record Guide

‘Urgently, passionately recommended.’ – Fanfare

‘The singers vary from good to very good… Bartoli as Gloria fits the picture visually, and has a fine soprano voice which easily encompasses the demands of the role… The orchestra and chorus are fine, and project the music very well. Cilluffo… directs his forces with aplomb.’ – MusicWeb International

‘This La Bayadère is a true company achievement—with shining turns from all the soloists and a strikingly dynamic orchestral performance under conductor Boris Gruzin.’ – Gramophone

‘The Art of Marianela Nuñez is a 4-DVD reissue of ballets featuring the great ballerina, all previously reviewed in these pages. They range from a 2009 Swan Lake which is equally treasurable for the interview with four ballerinas of various epochs discussing the work. Her Fille mal gardée shows the fusion of technique and acting that is essential to this ballet.’ – Fanfare

With Tchaikovsky’s famous lyrical score, Swan Lake depicts the tragic love between Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried, and will no doubt be performed to perfection by the unparalleled virtuosity of Russia’s great Bolshoi Ballet. This universal and enchanting masterpiece of love, deception and drama is a must. With wonderful ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, one of the most beautiful Odette / Odile of the time, Denis Rodkin, Artemy Belyakov and Bolshoi Ballet.