Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Label in the Spotlight: Albany Records






Do you enjoy classical music that is off the beaten path? Are you frustrated by the lack of imaginative releases by the major classical labels? Albany Records is where you should look. Interesting, imaginative releases – many, many world premieres. The music on Albany Records is uncommonly classical.

Albany Records is devoted to music by American composers (with a few notable exceptions) performed by the best of America’s artists. From premiere recordings of orchestral music by Roy Harris, Morton Gould, and Don Gillis to music by George Lloyd and Andrei Eshpai, there is something for everyone on Albany Records – provided your interests are just a bit out of the ordinary.

Albany Records is also the sponsor of Glissando episode 1.5 with special guest Marin Alsop.

To hear a sampler of recent Albany releases, access NML as usual, go to the Playlists section, and select the Label in the Spotlight folder under the Themed Playlists tab. You can also access it via the rotating banners. If you are on your institution's premises, you may also be able to access it if you CLICK HERE.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Opening Notes: November 2017 - New Release Playlist

We've sifted through all the new releases for this month, and we're highlighting our favorites. Some of these are obscure works that may be unknown to you, while others are fresh takes on standard repertoire. If you're like us and are constantly craving something new to enjoy, take a spin through these tracks to get a taste of what is now available to you in NML. And if you hear something you love, click on the cover art in the player window to be taken directly to the full album!

To hear the playlist, access NML as usual, go to the Playlists section, and select the Opening Notes folder under the Themed Playlists tab. If you are on your institution's premises, you may also be able to access it if you CLICK HERE.



Jean Sibelius
6 Songs: No. 2. But my bird is nowhere to be seen
Anne Sofie von Otter; Finnish Radio Symphony
Ondine - ODE1289-5
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Fantasia
Anne Akiko Meyers; Philharmonia Orch.; K. Järvi
Avie - AV2385
Vincent Ho
The Shaman, "Concerto for Percussion": I. Ritual
Evelyn Glennie; Winnipeg Symphony
Centrediscs - CMCCD24317
Sergey Prokofiev
Symphony No. 7: IV. Vivace
São Paulo Symphony; Marin Alsop
Naxos - 8.573620
M. Alyokhina; Y. S. Samutsevich; N. Tolokonnikova
Punk Prayer, "Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away"
Matt Haimovitz; Christopher O'Riley
PentaTone - PTC5186608
Nico Muhly
Comfortable Cruising Altitude
Bang on a Can All-Stars
Cantaloupe - CA-21136
Szymon Laks
String Quartet No. 3: I. Allegro quasi presto
Dover Quartet
Cedille - CDR90000-173
Camille Saint-Saëns
Cello Concerto No. 2: II. Allegro non troppo
Gabriel Schwabe; Malmö Symphony; M. Soustrot
Naxos - 8.573723
Geraldine Thomsen Mucha
Piano Concerto: I. Allegro
Patricia Goodson; Hradec Králové Philharmonic
ArcoDiva - UP0192
Leo Weiner
Serenade: IV. Allegro molto
Estonia National Symphony; Neeme Järvi
Chandos - CHAN10959
Georges Bizet
Carmen Suite No. 2: IV. Chanson du Toréador
Barcelona Symphony; Catalonia National Orch.
Naxos - 8.573546
Gioachino Rossini
Semiramide: Cavatina: Bel raggio lusinghier
Marina Rebeka; Munich Radio Orchestra
BR-Klassik - 900321
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony No. 7, "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude: Andante maestoso
Bergen Philharmonic; Andrew Davis
Chandos - CHSA5186
Kara Karayev
The Seven Beauties Suite: I. Waltz
Bournemouth Symphony; Kirill Karabits
Chandos - CHSA5203


Bohuslav Martinů
Symphony No. 1: IV. Allegro non troppo
Vienna Radio Symphony; Cornelius Meister
Capriccio - C5320
Paul Hindemith
Violin Concerto: III. Lebhaft
Arabella Steinbacher; Berlin Radio Symphony
PentaTone - PTC5186625

Manolis Kalomiris
Nocturne
Oliver Chauzu
Grand Piano - GP748
Alberto Ginastera
3 Danzas Argentinas: Danza del gaucho
José Fernández Bardesio
Haenssler Classic - HC16090

Feliks Nowowiejski
Quo vadis: Szensc dni nie wschodzi slonce nam
Poznan Philharmonic; Łukasz Borowicz
CPO - 555089-2
Leoš Janácek
The Lord's Prayer: Thy Will Be Done
St John's College Choir, Cambridge
Signum - SIGCD489
Tõnu Kõrvits
Seven Dreams of Seven Birds: VII. Tranquillo con moto
Allar Kaasik; Latvian State Choir; Māris Sirmais
BIS - BIS-1887
Sergey Rachmaninov
Symphony No. 1: IV. Allegro con fuoco
Philharmonia Orchestra; Vladimir Ashkenazy
Signum - SIGCD484


Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 3: III. Rondo: Allegro
Lars Vogt; Royal Northern Sinfonia; Lars Vogt
Ondine - ODE1297-2
Amanda Röntgen-Maier
6 Pieces for Violin & Piano: Allegro con moto
Cecilia Zilliacus; Bengt Forsberg
dB Productions - dBCD182



Each month, Naxos Music Library presents a new release playlist for our subscribers to enjoy. We know that a database of over 2 million tracks can be a bit daunting, so we'd like to highlight some of the amazing music that has become available to you just this month. Let it kickstart discovery!

November 2017 - Featured Playlist: Help From Heaven

Nobody knows what happens after we die, but there sure are a lot of theories and beliefs. This question has inspired countless religions, philosophies, works of art, and classics of literature--basically everything that helps us interact and cope with the things science cannot currently explain.

Many belief systems include a heaven or paradise where righteous adherents go after death, and indeed this has given hope to many who have lived their lives in desperate situations. Sometimes that amounts to a hope for better things during life, and for others it means an acceptance of the current life's trials in anticipation of something greater in the afterlife.

This month we offer the counterpart to last month's playlist, Dance With Devils. We're taking a look at how many composers have processed their understanding of what comes after death, the interaction with the Divine on Earth, and that very human desire for Help From Heaven.

To hear the playlist, access NML as usual, go to the Playlists section, and select the Playlist of the Month folder under the Themed Playlists tab. If you are on your institution's premises, you may also be able to access it if you CLICK HERE.



1. Traditional
Heaven, Heaven
Marian Anderson; Kosti Vehanen
RCA - 888880760258

2. Joseph Philbrick Webster
Sweet By and By
Anonymous 4
Harmonia Mundi - HMU807326DI

3. Michael Tippett
A Child of Our Time, Part III: A Spiritual: Deep River
London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra; Richard Hickox
Chandos - CHAN9123

4. Charles Ives
General William Booth Enters into Heaven
San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Orchestra; Michael Tilson Thomas
RCA - 888880761088



5. Ge Gan-Ru
String Quartet No. 4, "Angel Suite": I. Cherub
ModernWorks
Naxos - 8.570603

6. Tan Dun
Symphony 1997, "Heaven Earth Mankind": Song of Peace
Yo-Yo-Ma; Yip's Children's Choir; Hong Kong Philharmonic; Tan Dun
Sony Classical - 886443942226

7. Hilarion Alfeyev
Stabat Mater: Paradisi Gloria
Academy of Choral Art Choir; National Phil. of Russia; Vladimir Spivakov
Melodiya - MELCD1002419

8. Pavel Chesnokov
Praise the Lord from the Heavens
Conspiriare; Craig Hella Johnson
Harmonia Mundi - HMU807526DI



9. Maximilian Steinberg
Passion Week: Da molchit fsiakaya plot
The Clarion Choir; Steven Fox
Naxos - 8.573665

10. Felix Mendelssohn
Elijah: Seraphim standen uber ihm/Heilig, heilig, heilig ist Gott
Leipzig MDR Radio Choir and Symphony Orchestra; Jun Märkl
Naxos - 8.572228-29
11. Franz Joseph Haydn
Die Schopfung: Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes
Cologne Vocal Ensemble; Capella Augustina; Andreas Spering
Naxos - 8.557380-81

12. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani
Concerti sacri: Psallite, superi
Musica Secreta; John Toll
Linn - CKD113



13. Anonymous
Missa de angelis: Gloria (Mode V)
Richard Cragg; Gloriae Dei Cantores
Paraclete - GDCD051

14. John Tavener
Song of the Angel
Patricia Rozario; Academy of Ancient Music; Paul Goodwin
Harmonia Mundi - HMU907231DI
15. Arvo Pärt
Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Antal Eisrich; Hungarian State Opera Orchestra; Tamás Benedek
Naxos - 8.558182-83

16. Sofia Gubaidulina
St. John Easter: I Saw a New Heaven and a New Earth
Musikhochschule Trossingen Kammerchor; Stuttgart Radio Symphony
Haenssler Classic - CD98.289

17. Einojuhani Rautavaara
Symphony No. 7, "Angel of Light": IV. Pesante
Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Hannu Koivula
Naxos - 8.555814

18. Victoria Borisova-Ollas
Symphony No. 1, "The Triumph of Heaven": I. --
Norrköping Symphony; Mats Rondin
Phono Suecia - PS-CD171

19. Ofer Ben-Amots
Celestial Dialogues: Celestial freylekh
David Krakauer; Barcelona Symphony; Catalonia National Orchestra
Naxos - 8.559421

20. Eriks Ešenvalds
Passion and Resurrection: Part IV
Hannah Consenz; Portland State Uni. Chamber Choir, String Ensemble
Naxos - 8.579008



21. Edward Elgar
The Dream of Gerontius, Part II: Softly and gently
Hallé Choir and Orchestra; Mark Elder
Hallé - CDHLD7520

22. Roberta Martin
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
The Five Blind Boys of Alabama
Nonesuch - 603497105762

23. William Batchelder Bradbury
Angel Band
Marsha Genensky; Anonymous 4
Harmonia Mundi - HMU807326DI

24. Roland Hayes
Dream of Heaven: Going Up to Heaven
Roland Hayes; Reginald Boardman
Varese Sarabande - OVC-6022





Each month, Naxos Music Library presents a themed playlist for our subscribers to enjoy. We know that a database of over 2 million tracks can be a bit daunting, so we'd like to highlight some of the amazing music that is available to you. Let it kickstart discovery!