Naxos favourites

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I meant the Fagen versions of the Martinu symphonies which various ClassicsToday reviewers, as well as Amazon purchasers, appear to have enjoyed.

Some years ago, I picked up the disc with the 3rd & 5th Symphs. At the time, Martinu did nothing for me and this disc did nothing to overcome my feeling that he was a dreary symphonist. Once again, I thank my lucky stars for Belohlavek and the BBCSO.

Almost forgot! Andrew penny's complete Malcolm Arnold Symphonies with the NSO Ireland

and let's give an honourable mention to Tintner's Bruckner; the first 3 symphonies are outstandingly well done, or at least No.3 is if you can cope with the heavenly length!

I can and do! (I'd say "the first five" as "0" and "00" are pretty fine, too). The later Symphonies all have splendid insights but I don't think they are as "outstanding": a few extra rehearsals / retakes might've helped?

Best Wishes.

[Chris Newman]

Whilst I agree that Fagen's set of Martinu Symphonies are pretty good I would put Jiří Bělohlávek's set above all others including Karel Ancerl, Arthur Fagen, Neeme Jarvi, and Bryden Thomson. It is really outstanding.

[jayne lee wilson]

What I missed with the Behlolavek, very fine as it is, was sheer bite and impact in the scherzo of the 4th, and parts of the 5th, especially the 1st movement's end, which has terrific power in the Neumann remaster, Thomson and even Jarvi's uneven cycle.
But JB does bring a warmer, more expressively varied view throughout the cycle than some others.

But I loved the warmth, flexibility and sheer poetry of Behlolavek's 6th, and his first 3 are outstanding too. Might get a Naxos one to hear for myself.

Whilst I agree that Fagen's set of Martinu Symphonies are pretty good I would put Jiří Bělohlávek's set above all others including Karel Ancerl, Arthur Fagen, Neeme Jarvi, and Bryden Thomson. It is really outstanding.

[Dave2002]

Re msg 40

http://www.amazon.com/Fry-Symphony-Scottish-National-Orchestra/dp/B0000509J9

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557099

[cloughie]

Re msg 40

http://www.amazon.com/Fry-Symphony-Scottish-National-Orchestra/dp/B0000509J9

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557099

The Hely-Hutchinson is ideal for Christmas morning - a wonderful orchestration of those well-known Carols, thanks for the reminder I'll look out my Fry and have a seasonal listen.

[gurnemanz]

Two of my favourite operatic recitals are from Naxos:

Ewa Podles - Rossini Arias (a thrill ride through Rossini's coloratura arias from the brilliant Polish contralto who is very under-recorded and was also in a very fine Tancredi with Sumi Jo for Naxos)

Thanks for the tip. We enjoyed her very much as the stepmother/Countess with upholstered bum in Cendrillon at ROH in the summer.

Here are a few Naxos favourites:
Wagner / Der fliegende Holländer - Pinchas Steinberg
Dong-Suk Kang & Pascal Devoyon - Debussy, Saint-Saens, Ravel & Poulenc Violin Sonatas
Arnold Symphonies / Andrew Penny
Penderecki / St Luke Passion Antoni Wit
Marin Alsop - Kurt Weill Symphonies

Historical:
Verdi Otello - Panizza Met 1938
The Complete Karl Muck Parsifal Recordings

[Richard Tarleton]

Here are a few Naxos favourites:
Wagner / Der fliegende Holländer - Pinchas Steinberg

It features the excellent Peter Seiffert as Erik

[amateur51]

Messiaen Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jesus played by Hakon Austbo

[Byas'd Opinion]

Some favourites of mine which haven't been mentioned so far:

The Myaskovsky and Vainberg/Weinberg Violin Concertos (Grubert, Russian Phil). The Vainberg (the spelling they use) work in particular is very fine.
Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy and 3rd Symphony (Moscow Symphony cond. Golovschin)
Kraus: Symphonies (Swedish CO, Peter Sundkvist).

The Wit Lutoslawski series is pretty comprehensive: it's a good way of picking up his more obscure works.

Any one got any specific recommendations from their early music recordings? I know there have already been a couple above, but it's a repertoire I'm interested in exploring more.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Wit Lutoslawski series is pretty comprehensive: it's a good way of picking up his more obscure works.

Any one got any specific recommendations from their early music recordings? I know there have already been a couple above, but it's a repertoire I'm interested in exploring more.

Sweet Harmony, the Tonus Peregrinus disc of works by John Dunstable (8.557341) is a lovely introduction to the work of England's greatest composer.

All in a Garden Green is a fine single disc of Music by the relatively (and unjustifiably) obscure composer, John Jenkins. (8.550604)

The Byrd disc with Tessa Bonner I mentioned is 8.550604.
More Byrd: the Masses for 4 and 5 voices (well received if not in the final heats of a BaL a couple of years ago) is 8.550687; and the Lady Neville keyboard pieces on a 3-disc set 8.570139-41.

There's a good Hildegard of Bingen disc, Heavenly Voices (8.550998)

A cool collection of Mediaeval Carols from Jeremy Summerly and Schola Cantorum Oxford (8.550751)

... and I like Ensemble Unicorn's vigorous discs. Just one? Try Chominciamento di Gioe, dances from the time of Boccaccio.

That should get you started!

Best Wishes.

[Ferretfancy]

There are so many good Naxos discs it's really impossible to list them. I've a specially soft spot for the Kodaly Quartet's complete Haydn Quartets. Others that quickly come to mind are the Golovschin performances of Rimsky Korsakov suites, and in a very different vein the two volumes of suites from the opera ballets of Rameau.

We shouldn't overlook Naxos in their stirling work on historical reissues, not all the Beecham Delius is top notch re-mastering, but how about the Schnabel Beethoven sonatas, and the delightful Kreisler set of the violin sonatas with Rapp?

[jean]

Has anyone mentioned Vasily Petrenko and the RLPO's ongoing series of Shostakovich symphonies?

They are all very fine.

[Ferretfancy]

Has anyone mentioned Vasily Petrenko and the RLPO's ongoing series of Shostakovich symphonies?

They are all very fine.

They are good, but not in the league of Haitink, to name but one. Petrenko is very talented, and it will be nice to see how he progresses. My problem is that although the recordings have a huge dynamic range, they still miss some fine detail. Have a listen to the finale of the 8th, and hear the dark moody detail in the bass on Haitink, it's really rather generalised in Petrenko's version, and that matters.

[Mahlerei]

I'm with Ferret on this; I feel Petrenko's Shostakovich is all flash and precious little substance. That said, the RLPO has seldom sounded so good, so he must be doing something right.

[Parry1912]

Lighten up, dude ... The title of this thread is 'Naxos Favourites'.

I did put a grin after my comment! Others seem to be taking it more seriously than I did. Perhaps I need bigger emoticons

Does anybody know whether Naxos will get round to issuing recordings of all the Parry symphonies

Sadly, no mention in their list of new releases for 2012.