Van Cliburn Recordings Added to the NML!

We'd like to officially welcome the Van Cliburn Competition to the NML!

The recordings from the 2009 preliminary rounds are already available in the NML, and we're uploading the rest of the competition as I write this! We're also pleased to announce that all of the semi-finals will also be uploaded!

You can hear the winners' recordings by searching these catalog numbers:

Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medalists Nobuyuki Tsujii: VCF090523D Haochen Zhang: VCF090525F.

You can hear all of the other full length recordings inside the Naxos Music Library, as well as purchase them at our download store: ClassicsOnline.com.

Top 10 "Must Own" Classical Pieces

I can never seem to remember which pieces have appeared in commercials and movies, but thankfully one of my colleagues came up with a list that should help! All of the titles listed below can be found in any number of moving pictures and many are typically use as gag music. You know, where some Looney Tunes character drops an anvil on another Looney Tunes character? I know there's more out there than just these top 10, so add more when you hear em! (Would be cool to list where you heard it too...)

1. Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 by Samuel Barber (8.559088)
2. Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, TrV 176 by Richard Strauss (8.550182)
3. The Nutcracker by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (8.550324-25)
4. Carmen by Georges Bizet (8.660005-07)
5. The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi (8.550056)
   
6. Der Ring by Richard Wagner (8.550211)
7. Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (8.557893)
8. Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland (8.550282)
9. Gayane by Aram Il'yick Khachaturian (8.550085)
10. Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi (8.660013-14)

Join Us for Our Playlist Webinar - 6/10/09 11am CST!

I will be hosting a second webinar on how to convert, edit and create playlists on the Naxos Music Library. Our first one was a success because of all the members who joined me, so I look forward to sharing my knowledge with you all! Here are the details:

Who: Taylor Vick & Naxos Music Library
What: Playlist Webinar
Where: http://www.DimDim.com - "NaxosMusicLibrary" is the room name
When: June 10, 2009 11AM CST

If you have any questions about how to login, or to receive an official invite, please email me at tvick@naxosusa.com! See you there!

Enter the world of Blogger...

I have been avoiding Blogger for awhile now, content to let all my brilliant thoughts about classical music reside on Twitter, MySpace or Facebook. But after having a great conversation with our social media guru at Naxos of America (David of the PMS #286 Appreciation Society Blog), I finally decided to bite the bullet and create a dedicated Blog to my classical music meanderings.

The Naxos Music Library is full of music: classical, pop/rock, world, asian, jazz, video game music, renaissance, romantic, baroque, opera, ballet, modern, just to name a few. Hopefully this blog will grow to encompass all the different genres. My hope is to get our collective wisdom to contribute to the blog. Being a life-long student of musicology, I am still learning about composers, musicians, styles of music and instruments. I'm not sure an entire lifetime would be enough to learn all there is to know about music, so feel free to post comments at will!

Additionally, there will be plenty of information focused on the ins and outs of the Naxos Music Library. Occasionally our users will have questions about how to use the website, or spot errors in the library, so I will address those questions here! If there is ever anything you need to know (regardless of if you subscribe or not!) I'll help you find the answers you need. I am excited about this musical journey and hope you are too!