NXN Recordings was established by Tomas Linnes at Naxos Norway in 2019 and has since released 35 diverse albums aiming to showcase the vibrant Norwegian music scene. The releases contain original, innovative, high quality music that bends, explores and challenges the established genres, stretching from neo-classical to ambient, jazz, folk and contemporary music – and everything in between. The varied recordings all have the recognisable ‘cool Nordic sound’ in common, and have been praised in music journals all across Europe.
A beautiful new solo piano single from renowned pianist Andreas Ihlebæk.
Inner View is the follow up to the exciting Outer View by Anders Lønne Grønseth and Multiverse. Their music is in many ways almost academic, but the immense quality of the musicians and their excellent flow makes this a unique listening experience.
Christina Sandsengen is a distinguished classical concert guitarist who has performed in music venues around the world. Solace is her debut album as a composer and the album highlights her technical skills as well as a wide range of contrasts, emotions and feelings – sometimes dark and dramatic, suddenly brighter and lyrical.
The album comprises 13 tracks that invite the listener onto a personal musical journey, through dark and light, grief, passion and pain. The melodic language of the music is similar to Norwegian folk music. Fredrik Falk, who produced the album, also contributes with piano and soundscapes.
The Distance is a piece of modern rock and pop art created by duo Tov Ramstad and Django Novo. Centred around the cello playing of Tov and Django’s vocals they have managed to build a new and exciting sound around well-written lyrics to give the listener an affecting cinematic experience. To further expand their sound they invited a selection of brilliant musicians to make contributions on trumpet, keyboards and harmonica, always taking care to remain true to the duo’s vision.
Norwegian artist and singer/songwriter Maria Brym explores modern songwriting and pop music in a retrospective sound. Some of her songs appear epic and bold, while others are stories told in kind and gentle musical surroundings. Her love for 80s pop and inspiration gained from Kate Bush might seem evident at times, but Maria has a personal and wonderful way of writing her melodies. Together with her production team Bård Berg and Anders Egil Meyn Jensen, she has created a modern album with bags of charm and nostalgic references.
Gabriela Garrubo is a Norwegian-Brazilian singer, pianist and composer who studied at the Grieg Academy in Bergen. She has already made a mark on the live-scene in Norway with her incredible voice and her lovely blend of modern Nordic jazz with influences from Brazilian 80s music and bossa nova.
Throughout 2021 and 2022 Gabriela worked with producer Vetle Junker on her debut album Rodando. Together they created a unique listening experience, balancing a modern and fresh sound with retro associations. The music combines Scandinavian jazz, modern pop and 80s Brazilian music. The poetic lyrics, in both English and Portuguese, are about finding yourself and finding strength in a chaotic, unfair and hurtful, but also beautiful, world.
Touring Norway, journalists have found her performances stunning, with Bergens Tidende giving her show a 6/6 review rating: ‘The way she moves silky smooth through the scales and alternates between soft tones and attacking lines is admirable.’
Marin Alsop, the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the BBC Proms in 2013, will return for the third time to London’s Royal Albert Hall in September 2023. Leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, with soloists Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and Lise Davidsen (soprano), Alsop’s history-making appearance will feature the world premiere of 1922, a celebration of the BBC’s centenary from fast-rising British composer James B. Wilson. The conductor will also once again put her own characteristic spin on the event’s trademark mix of singalongs, sea shanties, flag-waving and humour.
Currently chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alsop is chief conductor and curator of Chicago’s Ravinia Festival where she conducts the Chicago Symphony’s summer residencies. She is music director laureate of the Baltimore Symphony, where she founded the orchestra’s OrchKids education programme, and conductor of honour of Brazil’s São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. In 2020 she was appointed music director of the National Orchestral Institute + Festival at the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Most recently she accepted the position of principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, starting in the 2023–24 concert season.
See the full list of events at the 2023 BBC Proms Festival.
[8-Disc Boxed Set]
– ClassicsToday.com
[6-Disc Boxed Set]
– MusicWeb International
– Gramophone
– Klassisk ★★★★★
– AllMusic.com ★★★★★
– Gramophone
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★
– AllMusic.com ★★★★★
View the full list of Marin Alsop’s extensive Naxos discography here.
Multi-award winning composer Peter Boyer was commissioned to create a new work for the UK’s Coronation of King Charles III. Titled Today We Ask, it featured on 3 May as part of a Coronation Celebration at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden in London. The commission was made by ORA Singers and their artistic director and founder Suzi Digby.
The concert featured music from coronations and royal occasions spanning four centuries, including works by Byrd, Purcell, Handel, and Vaughan Williams, as well as contemporary masters John Rutter, Judith Weir, James MacMillan and Bob Chilcott.
‘As an American composer, it is a most special and unexpected honour to be commissioned for a new work to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. I have great admiration for the British choral tradition, and ORA Singers are superb performers, representing that tradition at the highest level. I am grateful to them and Suzi Digby for offering me this remarkable opportunity, and am making my best efforts to compose a piece worthy of such a notable occasion.’ – Peter Boyer
Listen to The Coronation album on Naxos, featuring music that celebrates this historical event.
– Gramophone
– American Record Guide
– Cinemusical ★★★★
Hungarian-born György Ligeti (1923–2006) was arguably the most influential composer of the late 20th century. Rejecting the dogmatism of the Darmstadt school, he embraced influences from early music, art, literature, science, and folk music, producing complex but often remarkably accessible works known for their eccentric humour and dark wit. The early orchestral works Apparitions and Atmosphères cemented Ligeti’s reputation with the European avant-garde. In the 1970s Ligeti continued to refine and expand his style, producing everything from intimate solo works for harpsichord to the suitably grand opera Le Grand Macabre.
This year marks the centennial of Ligeti’s birth, and in celebration the talented and award-winning young pianist Han Chen recorded the complete Études, considered one of his major creative achievements and one of the most significant sets of piano studies of the 20th century.
Han Chen has also launched the ‘Ligeti and 18 Composers’ project, commissioning new piano works based on the Études, featuring composers hand-picked by the pianist. The world premiere performance is set for September 2023.
– Piano News
– ClassicsToday.com
– The WholeNote
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★
– Gramophone
– International Record Review
– The Guardian
Opera Lafayette is the pre-eminent American interpreter and producer of period-instrument opera from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and an international leader in this repertoire. Based on meticulous research and the creation of modern performing editions, the company’s compelling performances and recordings of rediscovered gems and historical masterpieces highlight the works’ original appeal and introduce a new generation to their contemporary relevance.
The company’s 2022-23 season highlight is a double bill of one-act opéra-ballets, including the notable debut of a never-before performed Rameau comedy, titled Io. This unfinished opéra-ballet was recently completed utilising music from Rameau’s Platée by distinguished scholar and editor of Rameau Opera Omnia, Dr Sylvie Bouissou.
Staged by director Nick Olcott, the production featured new costumes by “theatrical genius” (The New York Times) designer Machine Dazzle. Soprano Emmanuelle de Negri and tenor Maxime Melnik led the cast, with the period orchestra conducted by Avi Stein. They were joined by the Seán Curran Company (choreographer Seán Curran) and New York Baroque Dance Company (choreographer Catherine Turocy).
Here are some behind-the-scenes moments, and reviews of the performances:
You can also listen to NPR’s recent Morning Edition feature of the event here.
![BEETHOVEN, L. van: Leonore (1805 version) [Opera] (Opera Lafayette, 2020) (NTSC)](https://www.naxos.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/2.110674.jpg "BEETHOVEN, L. van: Leonore (1805 version) [Opera] (Opera Lafayette, 2020) (NTSC)")
– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★
![GAVEAUX, P.: Léonore, ou L'amour conjugal [Opera] (Opera Lafayette, 2017) (NTSC)](https://www.naxos.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/2.110591.jpg "GAVEAUX, P.: Léonore, ou L'amour conjugal [Opera] (Opera Lafayette, 2017) (NTSC)")
– The Washington Post
![RAMEAU, J.-P.: Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour, ou Les dieux d'Egypte (Les) [Opera] (Opera Lafayette, 2014) (NTSC)](https://www.naxos.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/2.110393.jpg "RAMEAU, J.-P.: Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour, ou Les dieux d'Egypte (Les) [Opera] (Opera Lafayette, 2014) (NTSC)")
– Opera News
Discover the full list of Opera Lafayette releases on Naxos here.
Mikael Ayrapetyan is a pianist, composer, producer and teacher, as well as a researcher and public figure. He has done much to popularise Armenian classical music all over the world with his Secrets of Armenia musical project. He was awarded the State Prize of the Republic of Armenia for his outstanding contribution to the development and popularisation of Armenian classical music.
Following his recent Carnegie Hall debut, Ayrapetyan revives the forgotten names of composers by recording and performing world premieres of a treasury of Armenian music. Music in Armenia has a long and rich history, stretching back to before the Middle Ages, with its origins in popular folksongs.
Ayrapetyan’s Grand Piano recording of Eduard Bagdasarian’s piano and violin music (GP664) earned a five-star rating from International Piano, and his album of Haro Stepanian’s 24 Preludes (GP760) was praised as a ‘discovery’ by both Classica and Piano News.
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
– Fanfare
– Lark Reviews
– MusicWeb International
– Pianist ★★★★★★★
– Fanfare
Explore more titles in the Grand Piano’s Armenian Piano Treasures series here.
This is the final release in our edition of works for piano and orchestra by Carl Czerny (1791–1857). It consists entirely of world premiere recordings. Czerny has long been known as a composer of educational keyboard resources, including piano études, methods and exercises, but students and piano connoisseurs have been delighting in discovering through our recordings that Czerny’s output went far beyond this material. The team of pianist Rosemary Tuck and conductor Richard Bonynge have done much to establish this composer as a name of significance, beyond the occasional offerings of chamber music and symphonies already in catalogues.
‘This album is an ideal conclusion to the Czerny series as it highlights three significant discoveries from his early, middle and late work…
Finding all three Concertino movements which together make up the Concertstucke Op. 78 that was the biggest discovery for me. Written for lighter forces, I was surprised by the music, full of beautiful melodies and quite exquisite moments, aspects which became fully apparent when we recorded it with the orchestra. Everyone was taken with it! It is unusual in that while each Concertino movement can be performed separately, together they also make up a complete concerto of over 30 minutes – another to add to the three grand concertos and Concertino Op. 210, and something which made this recording especially worthwhile.’ – Rosemary Tuck
– MusicWeb International
– MusicWeb International
– American Record Guide
Capriccio’s much admired project to record all Bruckner’s symphonies in all the versions continues with this 1888 version of the Fourth Symphony (‘Romantic’); it’s the eighth volume in the series. The conductor throughout the project is Markus Poschner, who has been impressing collectors and critics alike with the fresh vision he is bringing to this major part of Bruckner’s legacy.
Bruckner’s frantic revisions of his symphonies Nos. 3, 4 and 8 followed his disappointment with Hermann Levi’s rejection of the original version of the Eighth Symphony. Helping in this large-scale effort to revise the works were some of Bruckner’s former students – Franz and Joseph Schalk, Ferdinand Löwe, Max von Oberleithner and Cyrill Hynai. The result was that the reputation of these versions – especially the final version of the Fourth – became tarnished as something not quite Echt-Bruckner. It wasn’t until the discovery of photographs of the 1888 version’s manuscript score, and the subsequent publication of Benjamin Korstvedt’s edition of the work, that it became clear that this late edition really did reflect Bruckner’s intentions. To ears familiar with the even better-known 1881 version, the result might sound mystifying, even troubling, but it also surprises with many particularly exquisite passages!
– MusicWeb International ★★★★
– Pizzicato
– Pizzicato ★★★★
– MusicWeb International
– MusicWeb International
– Pizzicato ★★★★★
Springtime in Amsterdam is a joyful feature film created by director Christof Loy, world renowned for his work in international opera houses. Meeting accidentally in Amsterdam, a group of four people experience a series of confusions that must be resolved in 48 hours. A richly varied musical score that includes Viennese operetta, Dutch and French chansons, and songs from the American song book, is performed by a renowned cast of singers and conducted by Marko Letonja, well versed in popular music. In a magical dream world, dilemmas are resolved in this enchanting fable.
| Annette | Annette Dasch |
| Thomas | Thomas Oliemans |
| Theresa | Theresa Kronthaler |
| Norman | Norman Reinhardt |
| Henk | Henk Poort |
| Sunnyi | Sunnyi Melles |
| Matthias | Barry Atsma |
| Conductor | Marko Letonja |
| Story and Film Director | Christof Loy |
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!
Back by popular demand – Mr. E and Me releases New Orchestral Hits 4 Kids, Vol. 2!
Catchy contemporary music for children performed by an orchestra is a rarity and New Orchestral Hits 4 Kids aims to open ears, new and old, to the wonderful sounds of the orchestra. The music is performed by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and augmented by the Norwegian Girls Choir along with other eminent musicians to create this wonderful album of enchanting music.
Mr. E and Me, alias Martin Hagfors and Erik Johannessen, are a duo of experienced musicians with long careers as performers, songwriters and producers for jazz and popular music bands, such as Homegroan and Jaga Jazzist. For the past ten years, they have played all over Norway in schools, kindergartens and cultural centres with their distinctive pop music featuring silly and warm lyrics about everything and nothing, delighting children of all ages.
The first album, released in 2019, was nominated for a Spellemann award (The Norwegian Grammy) in children’s music.
[9-Disc Boxed Set]
– San Diego Family Magazine
[7-Disc Boxed Set]
– MusicWeb International
These vibrant, inventive publications present different instruments, composers and works with amusing illustrations and audio demonstrations, that can be accessed either through a bonus audio CD or digital downloads.
With colourful pages, engaging text and clear layout, Naxos MusicBox is designed for children between the ages of 4 and 14. Perfect for exploring alone or together with a teacher or parent. Visit www.NaxosMusicBox.com to start your free trial!
Trying sighing
May 19, 2023
A reference to sighing in music often reflects the emotional state of the person involved rather than the sound of the sigh itself. Song texts might simply encourage people to refrain from sighing, or probe further the possible reasons behind someone’s weary expression. Other works have more eccentric representations and references. This blog presents a cross section of them, which we’ll visit in random order.
Podcast: John Corigliano Jnr’s complete works for solo piano.
May 12, 2023
Raymond Bisha introduces Naxos’ new album of the complete works for solo piano by leading American composer John Corigliano Jnr.
Looking for new music? Our selection of curated playlists has you covered with music to complement the season, moment, or activity! Find the perfect soundtrack for your next reading adventure with Classical for Reading and Writing, discover harp music from around the world with Harp Sounds, and immerse yourself in soothing melodies with Serenity from Naxos Moods. Also, unearth captivating piano music from Armenia in Grand Piano’s Armenian Piano Treasures playlist. Happy listening!
Discover the Naxos Atmosphere playlist, a spatial experience from the Naxos world of classical music featuring Dolby Atmos technology.
Naxos’ recording of music by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges features in the new Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
The series is a prequel spin-off from the Netflix series Bridgerton. The story focuses on young Queen Charlotte’s marriage to King George III of England and her rise to prominence and power in the late 18th century.
Need to license some music for a project and don’t know where to start? Visit Naxos Licensing to find out how!
