RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Vaughan Williams: A Vaughan Williams Anthology [8 CD set] Joan Rodgers (sop) Christopher Maltman (bar) Jennifer Pike (violin) / Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmon [ Naxos / 8 CD Box Set - released 8/Apr/2022 ] Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain's most illustrious composers, and this specially curated selection of works demonstrates the sheer breadth of his achievement. |
CESAR FRANCK
Franck: Hulda (complete opera original version) Meagan Miller, Joshua Kohl, Irina Jae-Eun Park, Anja Jung / Opernchor des Theater Freiburg, Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Fabrice Bollon [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 10/Oct/2021 ] "An intrepid cast led by Meagan Miller as Hulda and Joshua Kohl's Eiolf, her faithless lover, negotiates a top-heavy score that mixes Franck's thunderous organ chords with Berlioz and Wagner..all credit to Fabrice Bollon and the Freiburg Phil." BBC |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander [The Flying Dutchman] ( Alfred Muff, Ingrid haubold, Erich Knodt, Peter Seiffert / Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Pinchas Steinberg [ Naxos Opera Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 2/Feb/1992 ] "The recording is both atmospheric and clear, and the set comes with libretto, translation, notes and detailed synopsis, an outstanding bargain." Penguin Guide |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: La Pietra del paragone (complete opera) Agata Bienkowska (mezzo) / Alessandro Codeluppi (tenor) / Raffaele Constantini (bass) / Anna Rita Gemmabella (sop) / Anke Herrmann (sop) [ Naxos Opera Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 2/Jun/2004 ] "Polish mezzo Agata Bienkowska...here evinces a rich-toned flexible voice of considerable promise ..The conductor, Alessandro de Marchi, is well known in early music circles. He brings clear articulation to the ensembles." MusicWeb |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Complete Piano Music Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age) Alessandro Marangoni (piano), with Giuseppina Bridelli (mezzo-soprano), Ars Cantica Choir & others [ Naxos / 13 CD Box Set - released 26/Nov/2021 ] Rossini drew a line under his hugely successful operatic career at the age of 37 and wrote little until his final years in Paris, where he became renowned for his musical salons. For these he wrote numerous short piano pieces. |
LEROY ANDERSON
Anderson: Orchestral Works (Complete) BBC Concert Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin, with Kim Criswell (soprano) & William Dazeley (baritone) [ Naxos / 5 CD Box Set - released 12/Nov/2021 ] Leroy Anderson etched out his own unique place in American music - a composer rigorously trained in the classical tradition whose records could top the pop charts, a reclusive personality whose compositions became household words. |
JOHN FIELD
Field: Piano Concertos, Nocturnes, Sonatas Benjamin Frith (piano), Northern Sinfonia, David Haslam [ Naxos / 6 CD Box Set - released 25/Jan/2019 ] 'Benjamin Frith has done a stellar job in bringing these concertos into the sunlight, brilliantly supported by the Northern Sinfonia under David Haslam' (Pianist magazine). |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas Boris Giltburg (piano) [ Naxos / 9 CD Box Set - released 24/Sep/2021 ] Boris Giltburg is lauded worldwide as a deeply sensitive, insightful and compelling interpreter, with critics praising his impassioned approach to performance. |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (Complete Opera recorded in 1969) Gundula Janowitz, James King, Peter Schrier, Hermann Prey / Straatskapelle Dresden, Rudolf Kempe [ EMI Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 20/Sep/1992 ] "Gundula Janowitz sings the role of Ariadne with incomparable line and style. Her knowledge of Strauss singing has never been bettered." (review) |
JOSEPH HAYDN
Haydn: String Quartets (complete) Kodaly Quartet [ Naxos / 24 CD Box Set - released 1/Jan/2009 ] "This is fine, traditional (in a good sense) quartet-playing, and unlike other complete quartet cycles currently available (Tatrai, Angeles), this set is REALLY complete." (ClassicsToday) |
ALWYN / BAX / BERKELEY / BRITTEN / MOERAN / RAWSTHORNE / etc
British String Quartets Maggini Quartet, with David Campbell (clarinet), Peter Donohoe (piano) [ Naxos / 20 CD Box Set - released 4/Dec/2019 ] "Another British string quartet rarity from the Maggini Quartet. Fine performances of two superbly confident chamber works." Editor's Choice - Gramophone |
BEETHOVEN / ELGAR / BRAHMS / SAINT-SAENS / FAURE / POPPER / etc
Maria Kliegel - Anniversary Edition Maria Kliegel (cello) / with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Camerata Transsylvanica, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 11/Nov/2022 ] "Her playing has great virtuosity, but it is her phrasing especially in the Elgar, which suggests a great musical intelligence" - Classic CD |
J. S. BACH
Bach: St.Matthew Passion Jozef Mukk, Istvan Gati, Judit Nemeth, Ibolya Verebits / Hungarian Festival Choir, Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra, Gerza Oberfrank [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set ] "A refreshingly lithe and young sounding Evangelist, Jósef Mukk, leads a team of Hungarian soloists with fresh clear voices" Penguin Guide |
MALCOLM ARNOLD
Arnold: Symphonies (Complete) / Dances Ireland National Symphony Orchestra; Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Penny [ Naxos / 6 CD Box Set - released 29/Oct/2021 ] "These performances have the composer's imprimatur (he was present at the recording sessions) and can be cordially recommended." Penguin Guide |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Complete Orchestral Works (9CD) Orchestre National de Lyon, Jun Märkl [ Naxos / 9 CD Box Set - released 10/Apr/2012 ] This collection contains all Debussy's works for orchestra as well as many orchestral arrangements of his piano music. Together these display a rich panorama of Debussian sound and a remarkable insight into the composer. Established arrangements by... |
VERDI / BIZET / MOZART / PUCCINI / HANDEL / STRAUSS / WAGNER
150 Years Of Wiener Staatsoper: Great Opera Evenings (Limited Edition) Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Carlos Álvarez, Johan Botha, Angelika Kirchschlager, Brigitte Fassbaender, Wiener Staatsopernorchester [ Arthaus DVD / 11 DVD Box Set - released 2/Aug/2019 ] Limited Edition - Experience four decades of opera history from the Wiener Staatsoper on 11 DVDs. 150 Years Vienna State Opera means 150 years of impressive opera events featuring the greatest conductors of all time, and, high-class opera stars. |
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS
Villa-Lobos: Complete Symphonies São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Isaac Karabtchevsky [ Naxos / 6 CD Box Set - released 13/Nov/2020 ] Villa-Lobos's symphonies well reflect the composer's status as the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music, from the early works that challenge European traditions through to his twelfth and final symphony |
ERICH KORNGOLD
Korngold: Die Tote Stadt (complete opera) Katarina Dalayman, Lars-Erik Jonsson, Hilde Leidland / Royal Swedish Opera Chorus and Orchestra [ Naxos / 2 CD Box Set - released 26/Jul/1999 ] "This set from Naxos really does him [Korngold] proud....The result is addictive music, certainly when performed with this degree of loving care. Leif Segerstam has the measure of this idiom." Classic CD |
FERDINAND RIES
Ries: Complete Piano Sonatas & Sonatinas Susan Kagan and Vassily Primakov (pianos) [ Naxos / 6 CD Box Set - released 28/Oct/2022 ] "Well recorded with an excellent booklet by the pianist." Gramophone 'Ries could not have asked for a better pianist and proponent than he has found in Susan Kagan' (Fanfare) |
BEETHOVEN / HANDEL / von BINGEN / PART / HAYDN / DVORAK / etc
The Choral Collection Tonus Peregrinus, Camerata Bach Choir, Musica Ficta, Oxford Camerata, Choir of the Golden Age, TOWER Voices New Zealand, Simon Mayr Choir, etc [ Naxos / 30 CD Box Set - released 25/Oct/2019 ] "There's plenty to celebrate here, not least sterling performances by Oxford Camerata under Jeremy Summerly (including Bach's Magnificat, Vivaldi's Gloria, Fauré's Requiem and other choral pieces, and a fine Hildegard CD). |
ALWYN / BRITTEN / BUTTERWORTH / FINZI / IRELAND / VAUGHAN WILLIAMS / etc
English Song Collection Various Artists including Philip Langridge, Frank Lloyd, Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Andrew Matthews-Owen, Ivan McCready, Thomas Allen, etc [ Naxos / 25 CD Box Set - released 21/May/2021 ] "Keenly priced, this set will surely provide many hours of listening pleasure." Gramophone |
HENRYK GORECKI
Antoni Wit Conducts Henryk Górecki [Incls Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) ] Anna Górecka (piano) Carol Wincenc (flute) Zofia Kilanowicz (soprano) / Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 10/Apr/2014 ] "What impresses me most about this performance is its sprituality" - Gramophone on the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs |
JOSEPH HAYDN
Haydn: The Complete Concertos [6 CD set] Augustin Hadelich, Dmitri Babanov, Harald Hoeren, Ariadne Daskalakis, Jurgen Schuster, Maria Kleigel / Cologne Chamber Orchestra / Helmut Muller-BrAhl [ Naxos / 6 CD Box Set - released 10/Dec/2009 ] "All are new recordings, underpinned by warmly stylish accompaniments by the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, spiritedly and sensitively directed by Helmut Müller-Bühl." Gramophone Magazine, July 2009 |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen (complete operas recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Berlin Opera / Nina Stemme, Iain Paterson, Brandon Jovanovich, Elisabeth Teige / Sir Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / 4 Blu-ray Box Set - released 15/Sep/2022 ] "Donald Runnicles leads an impressive account of the score. His deep knowledge of the music comes through in the naturalness of the discourse, the easy communication with the singers and the vibrant colours he draws from the orchestra." Fanfare |
ANTON BRUCKNER
Anton Bruckner: the Symphonies (complete Versions Edition: 11 Symphonies - 18 Versions) Bruckner Orchester Linz, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Markus Poschner [ Naxos / 18 CD Box Set - released 13/Sep/2024 ] Markus Poschner's acclaimed recordings of Bruckner's symphonies bring together the versions identified as having significant revisions and changes in the authoritative New Anton Bruckner Complete Edition. It reflects the latest research and the most... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Complete four hand piano music Christian Koehn (piano) Silke-Thora Matthies (piano) [ Naxos / 18 CD Box Set - released 10/Jun/2022 ] To make his works more accessible to the general public, Johannes Brahms produced a raft of arrangements for piano four hands and two pianos. These included his symphonic and orchestral music, as well as concertos, chamber works, and more. |
FERDINAND RIES
Ries: Piano and Orchestra Works (complete) Christopher Hinterhuber (piano) / Gavle Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Uwe Grodd [ Naxos / 5 CD Box Set - released 28/Jan/2022 ] Ferdinand Ries' works for piano and orchestra stand alongside those of Hummel as the finest and most important of their kind from the early decades of the 19th century. |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: La Scala di Seta [The Silken Ladder] (complete opera) Claudia Urru, Meagan Sill (sopranos) Michele Angelini, Remy Burnens (tenors) Emmanuel Franco (baritone) Eugenio Di Lieto (bass) / Kraków Philharmonic [ Naxos Opera / 2 CD Box Set - released 10/Jun/2022 ] Gioachino Rossini was only 20 when he was commissioned to compose La scala di seta. It is one of four farsa comica operas which fed popular demand for this genre in Venice in the early 19th century and was wildly successful. |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Symphonies Complete Danish Chamber Orchestra, Adam Fischer [ Naxos / CD Box Set - released 26/Aug/2022 ] 2022 marks 25 years of close, innovative cooperation between Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra. This has resulted in a number of releases, and gained international recognition. |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Complete Symphonies Danish National Concert Choir, Danish Chamber Orchestra, Ádám Fischer [ Naxos / 5 CD Box Set - released 19/Jul/2019 ] "I find these performances utterly fascinating, though it would be next to impossible to offer a comprehensive catalogue of the various colourful twists and turns that characterise Fischer's performances (there are far too many of them)." Gramophone |
FERRUCCIO BUSONI
Busoni: Doktor Faust Davide Livermore (director), Wilhelm Schwinghammer, Dietrich Henschel (baritone), Martin Piskorski, Marian Pop, Ćukasz Konieczny, Dominic Barberi, Dan [ Naxos / 3 CD - released 8/Nov/2024 ] Doktor Faust, which Busoni considered a personal creative drama and which occupied him for over twelve years, was left incomplete on his death at the age of 58. He had searched for a dramatic subject that he hoped would represent the apex and... |
CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI
Monteverdi: Madrigals [Books 1 - 9] Delitiæ Musicæ, Marco Longhini [ Naxos / 15 CD Box Set - released 24/Jul/2020 ] The editions used in these recordings are the most authentic and uncut, and, in keeping with 17th-century practice, employ male voices only. Praised as 'compelling, simultaneously controlled and imaginative' (American Record Guide) |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Complete Symphonies / Vocalise / Isle of the Dead / Symphonic Dances Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin [ Naxos / CD - released 10/Mar/2023 ] "Slatkin is with Rachmaninov, all the way. He revels in the first movement's restless shifts, pitting the brute power of full ensemble against woodwind detail and soaring cellos." (William Dart NZ Herald on Symphony No. 3) |
GIACOMO MEYERBEER
Meyerbeer: L'étoile du nord (complete opera) Elizabeth Futral, Darina Takova, Agnete Munk Rasmussen, Patrizia Cigna, Juan Diego Flórez / National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Vladimir Jurowski [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 13/May/2022 ] After composing a spectacular series of grand operas for the Paris Opéra, Meyerbeer turned to two comic operas with spoken dialogue. One of these was L'Étoile du Nord ('The North Star'). |
FRANCIS POULENC
Poulenc: Complete Chamber Music Graf Mourja (violin), Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Ronald van Spaendonck (clarinet), Francoise Groben (cello) [ Naxos / 5 CD Box Set - released 25/Mar/2022 ] " Acclaim for these recordings can be summed up by the comment 'you simply can't go wrong with any of the discs in this series.' (ClassicsToday.com on their original release) |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-32 Idil Biret (piano) [ Naxos / 10 CD Box Set - released 10/Oct/2011 ] Turkish pianist Idil Biret's series of Beethoven Sonatas prove the depth of her expression and performing power. Biret is one of the finest interpreters of her generation, and on this collection, favors slower tempos and a light touch, all the more... |
FREDERIC CHOPIN
Chopin: Complete Piano Music Idil Biret (piano) / Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice / Robert Stankovsky [ Naxos / 15 CD Box Set - released 5/May/1999 ] "anyone wanting a Chopin cycle, will be well served by this set. Biret is one of the finest pianists before the public today… Definitely a rewarding reissue." ClassicalNet |
JOSEPH HAYDN
Haydn: Piano Sonatas (Complete) Jeno Jando (piano) [ Naxos / 10 CD Box Set - released 1/Jan/2009 ] The variety and boldness of invention found in Haydn's piano sonatas are rewarded by Jeno Jandó's "no-nonsense, down-to-earth vivacity" (BBC Music Magazine) in this boxed set. |
SAMUEL BARBER
Barber: Complete Orchestral Works [6 CD set] Karina Gauvin (soparno), Thomas Trotter (organ), Stéphane Rancourt (oboe), John Gracie (trumpet) / Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Marin Alsop [ Naxos American Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 6/Dec/2010 ] "The RSNO positively glows in this extremely welcome and romantically rewarding and alluringly-priced set. It hardly matters that this is in fact the only such collection." (MusicWeb Sept 2010) |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN / FRANZ LISZT
Beethoven/Liszt: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (Transcriptions) S464/R128 Konstantin Scherbakov (piano) [ Naxos Liszt Complete Piano Music Vol 21 / 5 CD - released 1/Dec/2006 ] "... one of the most capable, daring and interesting musicians of these days." (Peter Cossé) |