Symphonies Nos 2 & 4

"One is continually amazed at the recordings Naxos turns out. Exactly how this budget label produces first-rate performances with at least the same frequency as the larger, full-priced labels is baffling...Naxos provides extremely vivid sound and enlightening notes by the dependable Keith Anderson. This is one CD that will appeal strongly to most fanciers of 20th century music."
- Robert Cummings Classical Net June 2001

"What we hear is crystal-clear, finely detailed, and carefully balanced. The orchestra's utterly committed and alert playing enlivens the music, as does Maestro Fagan's irrepressible energy and unfailing ear for color. Keith Anderson's notes are brief but intelligent and helpful as always. As Anderson reminds us, these remarkable scores were written in America and first performed by our best orchestras. What a shame that they are rarely, if ever performed here these days."
- Godell ARG July/August

Arthur Fagen enjoys an active career conducting opera and concert in Europe and North America.
This past season, Arthur Fagen returned to the Munich Radio Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic, Orchestra UNAM of Mexico City, Vienna State Opera and Baltimore Opera in addition to debuts with the Bergen Philharmonic, Portland Opera, and Opera de Tenerife.P>During the 2001-2002 season, Arthur Fagen will be returning to the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Vienna State Opera, Munich Radio Orchestra, and Orchestra del Teatro San Carlo(Naples) in addition to debuts with the Semper Oper Dresden, Teatro Regio Turin and Festival Musicale Settembre di Torino.

A former assistant of both Christoph von Dohnanyi(Frankfurt Opera) and James Levine(Metropolitan Opera), Mr. Fagen's conducted opera repertory encompasses more than sixty operas. Mr. Fagen has conducted at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Munich State Opera, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, New York City Opera, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Opera Capitole de Toulouse, Bordeaux Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Staatstheater Stuttgart, New Israeli Opera, Baltimore Opera, Edmonton Opera, and Spoleto Festival.

On the concert podium, Mr. Fagen's symphonic engagements have included the Czech Philharmonic, Prague Spring Festival, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Munich Radio Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Slovak Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra , Orchestra della RAI(Torino, Naples, Milano, Roma), Orchestra San Carlo, Orchestras of Naples, Genoa, Sanremo , Bergen Philharmonic and Dutch Radio Orchestra among many others.

Mr. Fagen was born in New York where he began his conducting studies with Laszlo Halasz. He continued his education at Wesleyan University and Curtis Institute under the guidance of Max Rudolf. Further studies continued both at the Salzburger Mozarteum and with Hans Swarowsky. Arthur Fagen was 1st Prize winner of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conductors" Competition as well as prize-winner of the "Gino Marinuzzi Int. Conductors' Competition" in Italy.