NaxosDirect Audio Casts

A podcast introduction to Russian Music for Cello & Piano, a new CD featuring cellist Wendy Warner and pianist Irina Nuzova. Writing in the Newark Star Ledger, Bradley Bamberger said “American cellist Wendy Warner pairs a huge, lustrous tone with diamond-edge virtuosity …” This recording features well established works like Rachmaniov’s Sonata in G minor, alongside such rarities as Nicolai Myaskovsky’s Sonata No. 2 in G minor. The program also includes music by Scriabin, Schnittke and Prokofiev, all played with wonderful virtuosity and emotional power. Come listen to the podcast, then buy the CD so you can hear the entire pieces.

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Catalogue No. Cedille CDR 90000 120

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Jose Serebrier was 16 years old when he wrote his Symphony No. 1, and although he is better known as a conductor, he has been an active composer for more than five decades. This podcast, and this CD, trace his musical journey through music he has composed in four different decades. Included are the Symphony No. 1, composed in 1956, his Double Bass Concerto, composed in 1971, the Violin Concerto, composed in 1991, and three shorter works composed in the past decade. On this CD, Jose Serebrier serves as both composer and conductor, and is joined by a stellar group of musicians – double bass virtuoso Gary Karr, violinist Philippe Quint, actor Simon Callow, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559648

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For most of his life, Danish composer Rued Langgaard had great difficulty getting his music performed, and for decades after his death in 1952, his work was all but forgotten. That is now changing, thanks to Langgaard’s amazing music, and thanks to the efforts of people like conductor Thomas Dausgaard, and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, who have been reintroducing this music to modern audiences. As the three works on this disc show, Langgaard was a composer with a unique vision, and exceptional talent. Seen from today’s perspective, it’s hard to believe there was ever any doubt about Langgaard’s music.

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Catalogue No. Dacapo 6.220535

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Evan Ziporyn is a composer, bass clarinettist, and has worked as a beekeeper. These interests collide in his piece “Hive”, a wonderful piece for four clarinets based on the sounds and activities of a honey bee hive. With music by Ziporyn, John Harbison, Astor Piazzolla, Gunther Schuller, Thomas Barker and Vincent Persichetti, this CD dives deep into the fascinating world of contemporary clarinet music. The performers on this CD include Evan Ziporyn, Theodore Schoen, Laura Ardan, Ricardo Morales, Timothy Paradise and James Ognibene.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572264

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After almost 2 centuries, one would think that every piece by Ludwig van Beethoven has long since been performed and recorded – but it isn’t so. This podcast looks at the Beethoven Project Trio (pianist George Lepauw, violinist Sang Mee Lee, and cellist Wendy Warner) and their adventures as they gave the first US performances of several trios by Beethoven, along with the world premiere recordings of these works.

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Catalogue No. Cedille CDR 90000 118

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Antonio Salieri was a contemporary of Mozart’s and one of the most influential composers of his time. He remained a lesser known colleague of Mozart for almost 200 years, when the movie “Amadeus”, with F. Murray Abraham in the role of Salieri made him a household name, and led to a renewed interest in his music. This podcast looks at this new recording of his Requiem in C minor, one of the only recorded versions of this piece. It features the Gulbenkian Chorus and Orchestra of Lisbon, under the direction of Lawrence Foster. [

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Catalogue No. Pentatone PTC5186359

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William Schuman was at various times President of the Juilliard School and President of Lincoln Centre. Despite being one of America’s finest arts administrators, Schuman also found time to be one of America’s most important composers of the 20th century. In this podcast, Dr. Joseph Polisi, Schuman’s friend, author of “American Muse The Life and Times of WIlliam Schuman”, and the current President of Juilliard, talks about Schuman’s Symphonies. The performances included in this box set at podcast feature the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.505228

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Mozart Carmargo Guarnieri is one of the finest Brazilian composers of the 20th century. Unfortunately, except for Naxos recordings, he is all but unknown outside his native country, having been overshadowed by his flamboyant landsman Heitor Villa-Lobos. In this podcast, Latin American music scholar James Melo talks about Guarnieri’s place in Brazilian music, and about his Piano Concertos 4 – 6, which offer an introduction to his music. Musical excerpts feature pianist Max Barros, with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Conlin.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.570031

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Czech composer Antonin Dvorak had, among his many talents, the gift of seemingly endless melody. His symphonies are filled with these marvelous tunes that seem to grow out of each other. This is one of the qualities that conductor Marin Alsop loves about his music, especially his symphonies. In this podcast, she talks about his Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8 and Symphony No. 9, and about recording them with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572112 and Naxos 8.570714

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Gabriel Prokofiev is the founder of The NONCLASSICAL Club in London, England. It’s a place where musicians and composers explore music beyond the constraints of the term “classical”. Out of that club came the record label Nonclassical, and out f that label came this CD featuring Gabriel Prokofiev’s Piano Book No. 1. These pieces, beautifully played by pianist Genia, draw their inspiration from the “Piano Albums of the 19th and 20th centuries, when pianos, rather than televisions and computers, were the centre of the home.

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Catalogue No. Nonclassical nonclss006

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Henry Vieuxtemps was one of the greatest violinist-composers of the 19th century, along with people like Paganini and Beriot. However, unlike many of his fellow violinists, Vieuxtemps wrote music that used the full romantic orchestral sound palette. In this podcast, violinist Misha Keylin talks about this music, it’s challenges, and why he hopes Vieuxtemps finds his way back onto the concert stage. On this CD, Misha Keylin is accompanied by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Andrew Mogrelia.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.570974

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Although millions and millions of music students know the name Shinichi Suzuki, few of them have ever had the chance to me, let alone study with him. In this podcast, violinist Takako Nishizaki talks about being one of Suzuki’s first students, and how those experiences inform her own ideas as a teacher today. Musical highlights in the podcast feature her playing the pieces she would have first studied with Maestro Suzuki. She is accompanied by pianist Terence Dennis, and the Strings of the National Youth Orchestra of New Zealand, conducted by Peter Walls.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572378

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Eric Whitacre is now the unquestioned superstar of American choral composers. Whether he is setting the poetry of Octavio Paz, e.e. cummings, Rumi or the Bible, his marriage of poetry with beauty of sound creates a unique and enchanting sonic world. This sound world is beautifully captured on this CD by the Elora Festival Singers, pianist Leslie De’Ath, percussionist Carol Bauman, and conductor Noel Edison. In this podcast, Eric Whitacre talks about choosing poetry for music, his love of e.e. cummings, his Youtube choir, and his brand new music theatre piece “Paradise Lost”.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559677

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Erno von Dohnanyi was one of many European composers whose work was overtaken by 20th century history. Thanks to people like conductor JoAnn Falletta, pianist Eldar Nebolsin, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, new generations of listeners can now re-discover his music. This podcast features an interview with JoAnn Falletta in which she discusses the music of Dohnanyi, and the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Buffalo Philharmonic, an orchestra she has led for more than a decade.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572303

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When lute player Ronn McFarlane released “Indigo Road” his first CD of all original compositions, it was a smash hit – and was nominated for a Grammy Award. His new CD, “One Morning”, continues this same journey, but he is now joined on his travels by his own folk/classical band Ayreheart. Ronn McFarlane – daring to go where no lute players have gone before!!

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Catalogue No. Dorian Sono Luminus DSL-92111

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Einojuhani Rautavaara is one of Finland’s best composers, a musician whose work has transcended musical and national boundaries. This podcast looks at the world premiere recordings of two recent works by Rautavaara – Before the Icons, and A Tapestry of Life. This CD, on Finland’s Ondine label, features the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leif Segerstam.

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Catalogue No. Ondine ODE1149-2

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Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin spent some of his childhood in the small town of Aleksin, south of Moscow, where his uncle was an Orthodox priest. There, with no radio, television or recorded music, he listened to the townspeople make music as part of their daily lives. Choirs singing in town, shepherds singing in the fields, and the townsfolk playing the accordion and balilika. That experience profoundly affected the way he has approached music as a composer, especially in his Concertos for Orchestra. This podcast, and this CD present the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kirill Karabits, in world premiere recordings of Kristallene Gusli, and his Concertos for Orchestra 4 and 5.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572405

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Sondra Radvanovsky is one of the greatest Verdi singers of our time, at home on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, and other of the world’s finest opera houses. The music of Giuseppe Verdi is particular dear to her – music that has also played a major role in her career and development as a singer. In this podcast she talks about that music, and about her brand new CD featuring her favourite arias from seven different Verdi operas.

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Catalogue No. Delos DE3404

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When Samuel Arnold wrote his opera Polly in 1777, he used John Gay‘s libretto to The Beggar’s Opera as a starting point. Unlike the earlier piece, which never reached the stage due to government censorship, Polly was a huge success and established Samuel Arnold as London’s leading theatre composer of the time. Still, it has taken Naxos, and the Aradia Ensemble under Kevin Mallon to make the first ever recording of this charming and delightful piece.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.660241

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On Christmas Day, 1999, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, together with the Monterverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, embarked on one of the largest performance/recording projects undertaken. The plan was to perform and record all 200+ cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach in one year, each on their proper day in the church calendar. This project gave some lucky audiences a chance to hear incredible live performances of these cantatas. It gave the rest of us incredible performances of every Bach cantata.

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Catalogue No. Soli Deo Gloria SDG165

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Pianist Philip Edward Fisher talks about his new Naxos recording of the first four “Great Keyboard Suites” by George Frideric Handel. In this podcast, Fisher describes some of the challenges in preparing this music, about playing it on the piano rather than the harpsichord for which it was likely composed, and about why the music of J.S. Bach has become such a regular part of the piano repertoire, while Handel’s music is often forgetten.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572197

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A feature interview with violinist Gil Shaham as he talks about his new recording of Joseph Haydn‘s Violin Concertos 1 and 2, and Felix Mendelssohn‘s famous Octet for strings. His fellow musicians on this CD are the Sejong Soloists, an ensemble with whom Shaham clearly loves to work.

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Catalogue No. Canary Classics CC08

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A feature interview with American choral composer Julian Wachner, to go with the release of the first Naxos CD of his choral music, part of the Naxos American Classics series. Besides his work as a composer, he is also Music Director of the Washington Chorus, and a Professor of Music at McGill University in Montreal. The featured artists on this CD, and in this podcast, are the Elora Festival Singers, organist Michael Bloss, conducted by Noel Edison.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559607

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Polish-born Paul Kletzki started out as one of the most promising composers of the early 20th century – both Arturo Toscanini and Wilhelm Furtwangler were big supporters, and ended up as one of its more important conductors. In between those two, he was displaced by three dictators Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin and survived the Holocaust, but lost his family. This podcast looks at his Piano Concerto, and solo piano pieces, in performances with Joseph Banowetz and the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Sanderling – music that provides an intriguing look at what he might have become, had he not stopped composing during the 1940′s.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572190

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Heitor Villa-Lobos was one of the most prolific composers in Brazilian history … in fact, one of the most prolific composers period. His music, with its influences of Johann Sebastian Bach, Brazilian folk music, and the urban music he heard in Brazil’s cities, came to influence an entire generation of pop musicians in Brazil. In this podcast, pianist Sonia Rubinsky talks about her project to record eight CDs of his piano music, including many pieces that have never before been recorded.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.508013

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An interview with baritone Gerald Finley about his new Chandos CD titled Great Opera Arias. This CD includes arias from two roles he helped create as the first person to sing the lead roles Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams‘ Dr. Atomic, and Harry in Mark Anthony Turnage‘s The Silver Tassie. Other composers featured on this disc include Tchaikowsky, Weber, Verdi, Bizet, Puccini, Donezetti, Wagner and Mozart. In this recording, Gerald Finley is accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner.

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Catalogue No. Chandos CHAN 3167

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The Vienna Philharmonic was founded in 1842, only 33 years after the death of Franz Joseph Haydn. Since that time, they have given more than 7,000 concerts, surely a record among orchestras. In this special box set on the Vienna Philharmonic’s own CD label, they present seven Haydn Symphonies, conducted by five of the world’s greatest conductors Christoph von Dohnanyi, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Franz Welser-Most, Zubin Mehta and Pierre Boulez.

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Catalogue No. Vienna Philharmonic WPH-L-H-2009

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When Jenny Lin launched her CD “Preludes to a Revolution”, the New York Times wrote “No one who has heard the latest recording by the pianist Jenny Lin – “Preludes to a Revolution,” a series of predominantly lyrical effusions from the pre-Soviet and early Soviet era, on Hänssler Classic – will need to be told that Ms. Lin has a gift for melodic flow…”. That, along with her formidable technique and dedication to contemporary music have made her one of the most interesting and compelling pianists of our time. In this feature interview, she talks about the joys of working with living composers.

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Catalogue No. Hanssler Classic CD98.229

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Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg is one of the most dynamic composers working today. As the music in this podcast shows, he is also a master of orchestral colour. This podcast looks at a CD of two recent large-scale works Graffiti for orchestra and choir, and Seht die Sonne for orchestra. This CD, on Finland’s renowned Ondine label, features the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Chamber Choir conducted by Sakari Oramo.

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Catalogue No. Ondine ODE1157-2

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An interview with British composer James Whitbourn about a new Naxos CD of his choral music with Commotio choir, soloists Christopher Gillett, Levine Andrade, Steffan Jones, Andrew Ker, Henry Parkes and special narrator Desmond Tutu, all conducted by Matthew Berry. The texts used in Whitbourn’s music are as varied as the performers as he draws on The Bible, Issac of Nineveh, Julian of Norwich, Buddhist mystic Ryonen and Desmond Tutu.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.570031

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American composer William Schuman, born 100 years ago, was one of the best-known composers of his day. He was also an arts administrator of great skill who was at various times President of The Julliard School and President of Lincoln Centre. In this podcast, Dr. Joseph Polisi, current President of Julliard and Schuman’s friend and biographer, talks about Schuman and his music. The music featured in this podcast comes from a new CD on the Naxos American Classics series featuring the Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz playing Schuman‘s Symphony No. 8, Night Music, and Schuman’s arrangement of Charles Ives‘ “Variations on America”.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559651

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Maestro Leonard Slatkin talks about Sergei Rachmaninov‘s music, his Symphony No. 2 in E minor, and his new recording of this piece with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he is now Music Director. In this podcast, Leonard Slatkin talks about what Rachmaninov does that allows this hour-long symphony hold together, and what challenges it presents to the performing orchestra.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572458

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Roy Harris, along with colleagues such as Aaron Copland and Roger Sessions, were among the leading American symphonists in the first half of the 20th century. Collectively, they helped to create an “American” symphonic sound. In this podcast, conductor Marin Alsop talks about the music of Roy Harris, and his Symphonies 5 and 6 which are featured on this new recording with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559609

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On Christmas Day 1999, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, together with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, embarked on one of the most remarkable musical projects ever undertaken. The began their “Bach Cantata Pilgrimage” in which they performed all 200 Bach Cantatas, each on the feast day for which they were composed, in one year. Out of that project came recordings of every cantata, and a new record label, SDG, to release them. This podcast looks at the project, and Eternal Fire, a collection of choruses from the cantata project.

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Catalogue No. Soli Deo Gloria SDG177

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Our first podcast featuring a release on CSO-Resound, the record label of the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra. All CDs on this label come from live performances by the Chicago Symphony, and feature the orchestra with some of the world’s finest conductors, including Bernard Haitink, conductor of this performance.

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Catalogue No. CSO-Resound 901916

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American composer Avner Dorman, a protégé of John Corigliano and Zubin Mehta, is emerging as one of the leading composers of his generation. The diverse concertos presented here combine the excitement and spontaneity associated with jazz, baroque, rock and ethnic music. Dorman writes in the liner notes ‘I have always loved baroque music…the clear rhythms, the strong reliance on the bass, and the extreme contrasts.’ This podcast and CD feature the Metropolis Ensemble and soloists Avi Avital, Mindy Kaufman, Avni Eliran, Lily Francis, Aya Hamada, Michal Korman, Eric Nowlin and Arnaud Sussmann, all conducted by Andrew Cyr.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559620

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When he graduated from high school, William Schuman enrolled in New York University with every intention of doing a commerce degree. Then his sister took him to a New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini. That very night, he decided to become a composer. Schuman went on to become one of the most important American composers and composition teachers of the 20th century. He was president of Julliard School, President of Lincoln Centre in New York, and the composer of eight major symphonies. This podcast looks at a new recording of his Symphony No. 6, Prayer in a Time of War, and New England Tryptich, with the Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559625

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Czech-born composer Bohuslav Martinu was born in a church tower in Policka, Bohemia in 1890. He became a student in the Prague Conservatory, and played with the Czech Philharmonic before moving to Paris to study composition. When World War Two broke out, he fled Europe and moved to the United States where he taught at the Mannes School of Music in New York. All the while, he composed incessantly – including the two piano concertos on this disc. Performers include pianist Robert Kolinsky, conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Sinfonieorchester Basel.

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Catalogue No. Ondine ODE 1158-2

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Between 1902 and 1904, French film director Georges Melies made Le Voyage Dans La Lune, the world’s first science fiction film. In this CD + DVD project, composer/conductor Robert Ian Winstin has asked four different composers including himself, “Professor Louie Hurwitz, James Guymon and Don Myers to each write their own original soundtracks for this film. The result is four soundtracks that couldn’t be more different – and more effective.

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Catalogue No. ERM Media Film

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Over the course of his 73 years, Franz Joseph Haydn wrote a huge amount of music, including more than a dozen Masses. This podcast looks at those masses, and a new recording by Trinity Church Choir, REBEL Baroque Orchestra, J.Owen Burdick and Jane Glover.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.508009

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With his CD of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and Alfred Schnittke‘s Viola Concerto, New York-based violist David Aaron Carpenter puts himself onstage as one of the leading violists of the new generation. His performance of Edward Elgar‘s Cello Concerto also makes a compelling case for performing the piece more often on viola. In this CD, Carpenter is accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach.

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Catalogue No. Ondine ODE 1153-2

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Orjan Sandred is a Swedish electro-acoustic composer who spends his summers in Europe, and his winters teaching at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. In this podcast, he describes his approach to sound and composition as he creates music that combines live performers with computer generated or altered sounds.

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Catalogue No. Navona NV5814

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Johan Svendsen was the one of the leading figures in Norwegian music during the romantic era, both as a composer and a conductor. This podcast introduces you to his Norwegian Rhapsodies, as well as the music he wrote for Romeo and Juliet, and his piece Zorahayda, based on the story Rose of Alhambra by the American author Washington Irving (who also wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). The performers are the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra, and conductor Bjarte Engeset.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.570322

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The inspiration for Michael Daugherty‘s Metropolis Symphony can be traced all the way back to his youth, as he watched on television as the caped superhero rescued humanity – as especially Lois Lane – from all kinds of deadly situations. Daugherty’s ability to allow the visual world to inspire the musical is evident in many of his works such as Deux Ex Machina, included on this CD, and Fire and Blood that was inspired by murals by Diego Rivera. The performers on this present CD include the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, pianist Terrence Wilson, and conductor Giancarlo Guerrero.

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Catalogue No. Naxos American Classics 8.559635

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Einojuhani Rautavaara is Finland’s best known composer, especially internationally. Rautavaara’s music has been described as a mixture of modernism and mystic romanticism – an attempt to define a compositional style that is unique, personal, and very hard to define. Among his finest works are 12 concertos, composed over the past four decades, and collected together in this 4-CD box on the Ondine label. Performers include violinist Elmar Oliveira, cellist Marko Ylonen, harpist Marielle Nordmann, organ player Kari Jussila, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, and pianists Ralf Gothoni and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

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Catalogue No. Ondine ODE1156-2Q

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Richard Strauss wrote some of the finest operas of the 20th century. Pieces like Elektra, Salome and Der Rosenkavalier helped push the limits of the operatic artform, and also established Strauss as one of the truly great composers for the media. In a few cases, he created orchestral suites from these stage works, and it’s this music that is featured in this podcast, including his suites for Der Rosenkavalier, Die Frau Ohne Shatten and Josephs-Legende. JoAnn Falletta conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in in this new Naxos CD.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.572041

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Missa Salisburgensis is a mass Heinrich Ignaz von Biber wrote for 53 individual voices and instruments, composed to celebrate the 11-hundreth anniversary of the founding of the archdiocese of Salzburg. I was composed to be performed in the Salzburg Cathedral – 444 feet long, with a ceiling more than 100 feet high. For this piece, Biber placed the audience in the middle, with the musicians divided into 8 groups all around them. You might call it the original Surround Sound.

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Catalogue No. NCA 60192

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Danish music may be one of the finest under-discovered realms in all classical music. This is particularly true of music from the Romantic era, as this podcast and CD show. These violin concertos by Niels Gade, Peter Erasmus Lange-Muller and Rued Langgaard – hardly household names – deserve to be heard more widely on CD, and much more often in concert. These performances were recorded in 2009 with violin soloist Christina Astrand and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Storgards.

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Catalogue No. Dacapo 6.220562

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Former horn player Raymond Bisha takes you on a personal tour of this new CD set from Profil celebrating the French Horn, and some of it’s finest players including Wilhelm Bruns, Hermann Baumann, Peter Damm and the legendary Erich Penzel play music by Handel, Telemann, Mozart, Schumann and Strauss.

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Catalogue No. Profil PH08075

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Leonard Bernstein wrote his Mass at the request of Jacqueline Onassis, for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington. It is a huge work, almost an hour and three-quarters long, that with bewildering range of musical styles. In this recording, Bernstein’s protege Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, shows convincingly that she may be the best interpreter of his music alive today. This recording also features Jubilant Sykes, the Morgan State University Choir and the Peabody Children’s Chorus.

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Catalogue No. Naxos 8.559622-23

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