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.

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!