Naxos Classical Spotlight

Naxos Classical Spotlight explores the world of classical music. Along the way host Raymond Bisha shares the stories about the music, and the musicians who make it.

Conductor Vahan Mardirossian, Armenian roots, global reach. 11/19/2024

Conductor Vahan Mardirossian, Armenian roots, global reach. Vahan Mardirossian grew up in Armenia surrounded by music, an upbringing that has given him a broad musical perspective and a desire to explore all kinds of music. In this podcast he talks about everything from his musical roots to his new position with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Pardubice with whom he now has an ongoing recording program that guarantees we can look forward to many more recordings. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33948642

Dale Kavanagh & Friends 11/15/2024

Dale Kavanagh & Friends Renowned both as a distinguished soloist with some 1,800 concerts worldwide to her credit and as a member of the Amadeus Guitar Duo, Dale Kavanagh is one of the most prominent classical guitarists of her generation. Raymond Bisha discusses her latest Naxos album that features a programme of her own compositions, both solos and duos in which she is joined by an octet of acclaimed, award-winning colleagues and friends. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33698222

Latin Landscapes 11/08/2024

Latin Landscapes Raymond Bisha's latest podcast introduces the twenty-four strings and forty fingers of the Guitalian Quartet in a programme from a new album featuring music from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and beyond. Effortless guitar technique combines with folksy wit and lyrical introspection in performances that will have your feet tapping and your ears purring. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33555092

Sheer Bliss 10/25/2024

Sheer Bliss Knighted in 1950, Sir Arthur Bliss was Master of the Queen’s Music in Great Britain from 1953 until his death in 1975. Raymond Bisha introduces a new album comprising both original works for brass band and arrangements of others for the ensemble that represent the breadth of the composer's output, from pieces of royal association (Welcome the Queen) to music for the concert hall (Kenilworth), the ballet stage (Adam Zero and Checkmate) and the cinema (Things to Come). John Wilson conducts the famous Black Dyke Mills Band, a highly distinguished contributor to the rich heritage of British brass bands. Bliss himself readily acknowledged the astonishing virtuosity of such highly disciplined amateur players, noting that “their rules are nearly as rigid as those of football teams!” /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33332177

Maria Herz (1878-1950). An overdue renaissance of an extraordinary musician. 10/18/2024

Maria Herz (1878-1950). An overdue renaissance of an extraordinary musician. Raymond Bisha introduces the world premiere recordings of remarkable orchestral works by Maria Herz. Born in Germany, a resident of England and, her final resting place, the United States, her life was beset not only by two World Wars and ravages of the Spanish Flu, but also the attendant anchors of being a female, Jewish composer. Only two of her works were published in her lifetime. Now that her estate of manuscripts has been replanted in the Zurich Central Library, the renaissance of her engaging music has begun. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/32733772

Rebeca Omordia and African Pianism 10/15/2024

Rebeca Omordia and African Pianism Join Rebeca Omordia as she continues her exploration of African piano music with her new album African Pianism, volume 2. It is a collection of music that combines European music with the traditional music of many different countries in Africa. The results are by turns joyous, beautiful and challenging as this music shows how classical music can be enriched by embracing other cultures. This multicultural heritage is also part of Rebeca’s own background, raised in Romania by a Romanian mother and a Nigerian father. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33448832

The VOX Elite Recordings: Susskind and Semkow conduct Rimsky-Korsakov and Smetana 10/11/2024

The VOX Elite Recordings: Susskind and Semkow conduct Rimsky-Korsakov and Smetana Raymond Bisha's podcast spotlights two classic recordings in the Vox Audiophile Edition that were first released in the mid-1970s and feature two former music directors of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in their prime – Walter Susskind, who directs orchestral extracts from Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride, and Jerzy Semkow, who leads a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, one of the most popular suites in the entire orchestral canon. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/31923047

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 4. 10/04/2024

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 4. Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth, this is the final podcast in Raymond Bisha's four-part survey of Naxos' project to record all 18 versions of the composer's 11 symphonies. With movements performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz under conductor Markus Poschner, together with observations from Bruckner scholar Paul Hawkshaw, this instalment features movements from Symphonies 8 and 9. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33124642

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, celebrating 45 years. 10/01/2024

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, celebrating 45 years. For all who have heard it, the sound of the choral ensemble The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers is unforgettable and beautiful. This podcast features an interview with Harry Christophers, and music by William Byrd, Thomas Tallis and Arvo Pärt, from their album The Deer’s Cry. On the eve of their US tour, this podcast celebrates their 45th anniversary. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33255467

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 3. 09/27/2024

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 3. Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth, this is the third podcast in Raymond Bisha's four-part survey of Naxos' project to record all 18 versions of the composer's 11 symphonies. With movements performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz and the ORF Radio Vienna Symphony Orchestra, plus annotations from music scholar Robert Simpson, this instalment features movements from Symphonies 6 and 7. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33123082

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 2 09/20/2024

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 2 Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth, this is the second podcast in Raymond Bisha's four-part survey of Naxos' project to record all 18 versions of the composer's 11 symphonies. Featuring movements performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz and the ORF Radio Vienna Symphony Orchestra, plus annotations from conductor Markus Poschner and Bruckner scholar Professor Paul Hawkshaw, this installment features movements from Symphonies 3, 4 and 5. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/33039977

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 1 09/13/2024

Bruckner's Symphonies. All Versions. Part 1 Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth, Raymond Bisha dips into the fruits of Naxos' project to record all 18 versions of the composer's 11 symphonies. Featuring movements performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz and the ORF Radio Vienna Symphony Orchestra, plus annotations from conductor Markus Poschner and Bruckner scholar Professor Paul Hawkshaw, Raymond Bisha opens his 4-part survey with an introduction to Symphonies 0, 1 and 2. The Complete Symphonies Box Set is now available, Naxos catalogue number 8.501804 /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/32972682

Manual overdrive. American organ concertos. 09/06/2024

Manual overdrive. American organ concertos. A recent new album of American organ concertos featuring multi-award-winning artists brought together the artistry of organist Paul Jacobs and the contemporary music pedigree of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero. The high expectations generated by such a rare programme were met with distinction and this podcast conversation between Raymond Bisha and Paul Jacobs reveals both the practical challenges and the musical rewards behind the making of the recording. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/32800442

Janna Gandelman: a recital of Catalan violin works 08/30/2024

Janna Gandelman: a recital of Catalan violin works In the first half of the 20th century, Catalan instrumental music was dominated by works for the piano and the cello. As a result, the importance of Catalan violin repertoire is often overlooked. Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of such works for violin and piano that's full of captivating contrasts, featuring twelve works by five composers that were written over the course of more than a century. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/31922847

Fischer hallmarks Haydn: the effect, not the sound. 08/16/2024

Fischer hallmarks Haydn: the effect, not the sound. Conductor Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra have already persuaded audiences to absorb the symphonies of Brahms and Beethoven through their distinctive lens. Now they're midway through a series of recordings of Haydn's great late symphonies. Raymond Bisha's conversation with Fischer draws the curtain on just how he fathoms Haydn's essence: “He's hiding his ideas in the scores, and we have to discover them.” /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/32066177

Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 3 String Quartets. 08/02/2024

Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 3 String Quartets. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, perhaps best known for his numerous film scores and works for guitar, also composed in a variety of other genres, from transcriptions for cello to violin concertos, piano works and orchestral music. Raymond Bisha turns our attention in this podcast to his three string quartets, written respectively in 1929, 1948 and 1964, and heard in authoritative performances on a new album by Italy's noted Quartetto Adorno. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/31517802

An interview with pianist and composer Danilo Pérez 07/24/2024

An interview with pianist and composer Danilo Pérez Grammy winning Panamanian jazz musician Danilo Pérez is many things - pianist, composer, educator, humanitarian, organizer of the Panama Jazz Festival, UNESCO Artist for Peace and Panama's Cultural Ambassador. In this podcast he talks about his new album Lumen that he recorded with Sweden's Bohuslän Big Band. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/32269702

Margaret Brouwer. Orchestral colour, imagery and emotional power. 07/19/2024

Margaret Brouwer. Orchestral colour, imagery and emotional power. In this podcast, Raymond Bisha talks with American composer Margaret Brouwer about the inspiration and compositional approach behind the orchestral pieces on the programme of her new album. Spanning a period of twenty-four years, the works are brilliantly performed by Marin Alsop and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, vividly capturing the music's wide range of expression, from sparkling sonorities to virtuosic challenges and beautiful evocations of nature. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/31518132

The Music of Brazil. Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897-1948) 07/05/2024

The Music of Brazil. Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897-1948) Five years into the celebrated Naxos Music of Brazil series, we reach Vol. 21 and the music of Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897-1948), who was a key figure in the cultural life of Rio de Janeiro. Lorenzo Fernández’s two symphonies suffered neglect after the composer’s untimely death at the age of fifty. Raymond Bisha introduces the world premiere recording of the powerful First Symphony, and the first modern studio recording of the programmatic Second Symphony. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/31439647

The Muses Restor'd: a new album from violinist Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque 06/28/2024

The Muses Restor'd: a new album from violinist Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque Rachel Podger talks about the joys of consort music, the Brecon Baroque Festival, and "The Muses Restor'd", her new album with Brecon Baroque with music from George Frideric Handel, William Lawes, John Blow, Matthew Locke, Henry Purcell, John Jenkins and many others. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/31923242

Smetana, Susskind & St Louis. An Elite Recording 06/21/2024

Smetana, Susskind & St Louis. An Elite Recording Smetana's Má vlast is an unprecedented cycle of six related symphonic poems that evoke Czech legends and celebrate the beauty of the country’s landscapes. Received with “unending storms of applause” at its 1882 premiere, Má vlast reflects the unique characteristics that form the heart and soul of the Czech nation. Raymond Bisha introduces an acclaimed 1975 recording of the work by the St Louis Symphony under Walter Susskind, which has been given a new lease of life by returning to the original Elite Recordings master tapes and effecting a high-definition transfer of the original sound. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30937998

Paul Chihara's complete piano works. Quynh Nguyen's complete absorption 06/07/2024

Paul Chihara's complete piano works. Quynh Nguyen's complete absorption Pianist Quynh Nguyen discusses her recording of the complete piano works of Paul Chihara, the distinguished American composer whose output includes the scores for over 100 motion pictures and television series. Past exchanges between performer and composer about the items on the programme reflect an intensely deep and detailed collaboration, with AllMusic.com warmly welcoming the album as “ingenious and richly evocative and beautifully and quietly played … this is a wonderful release.” Raymond Bisha presents. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30938338

Forgotten Sounds – the Loeffler Octet rediscovered. 05/31/2024

Forgotten Sounds – the Loeffler Octet rediscovered. During his lifetime, Charles Martin Loeffler was one of the most performed American composers. His octet was completed in 1896, played twice the following year and then forgotten. Clarnetist Graeme Steele Johnson rediscovered the manuscript in the Library of Congress, took a year to create a performing edition from the score, and recorded the work for Delos, DE3603. In this podcast, he talks about that journey. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/31033143

Lukas Foss. A composer on the podium 05/24/2024

Lukas Foss. A composer on the podium JoAnn Falletta, conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, discusses a programme of orchestral works by composer/conductor Lukas Foss, who was both a predecessor of hers in Buffalo and a mentor to her. Highlighting his eclecticism as a composer, who went wherever his mind took him, Raymond Bisha discusses the performers' latest album, which features four works that colourfully reflect Foss' wide embrace and expert craftsmanship. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30936448

Gerald Peregrine. A truly mobile music machine. 05/10/2024

Gerald Peregrine. A truly mobile music machine. Irish cellist Gerald Peregrine introduces his latest album of early 20th-century British works for cello and piano, interweaving the classical and folk-based music with a personal narrative of community engagement, in which his live music-making initiatives have achieved truly significant and touching results. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30706468

Plucked and perfectly prepped. Alon Sariel's Bach transcriptions for mandolin 04/26/2024

Plucked and perfectly prepped. Alon Sariel's Bach transcriptions for mandolin This podcast spotlights Israeli mandolinist Alon Sariel, who provides an entree into the engaging world of the mandolin, an instrument that perhaps enjoys a relatively low profile but commands a fascinating global reach. Alon Sariel's second album of transcriptions of works by J. S. Bach for mandolin blends technical precision with nuanced artistry and masterly adaptations. The presenter is Raymond Bisha. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30696843

Alsop + Adams + The Groove 04/19/2024

Alsop + Adams + The Groove Marin Alsop discusses her latest release – an album of orchestral works by John Adams – with Raymond Bisha, exploring just what it is about Adams' music that makes him the leading nominee for the title of America's greatest living composer, not least for scores that inhabit 'the groove' with conspicuous relish. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30651368

Standing with Eagles. The music of Louis Wayne Ballard 04/12/2024

Standing with Eagles. The music of Louis Wayne Ballard Louis Wayne Ballard (1931-2007) – also known as 'Honganozhe', which means 'Stands with Eagles' in the Quapaw language – was the first indigenous North American composer of art music, and his extensive knowledge of the music, dance and mythology of this culture informed his compositions. This podcast reviews a new album of his works that are eclectic in style, uniquely varied and thoroughly engaging. The presenter is Raymond Bisha. The guests are conductor John Jeter and Jerod Impich-chāachaaha Tate, who was a student, friend and colleague of the composer. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30323303

Rameau meets the accordion 03/29/2024

Rameau meets the accordion In January 2024, Finnish accordionist/conductor Janne Valkeajoki released a captivating album of music by French Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, which Valkeajoki himself arranged for his instrument. Raymond Bisha's conversation with the performer delves into the various musical transformations and performance mechanics that were involved in the masterly transfer from harpsichord strings to accordion reeds. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/30074173

Breathing new life into Orfeo Vecchi's motets for six voices. 03/15/2024

Breathing new life into Orfeo Vecchi's motets for six voices. Orfeo Vecchi was held in high regard by his contemporaries for the sacred music he produced towards the end of the 16th century. Raymond Bisha introduces a new recording of the twenty pieces that comprise his third book of Motets for Six Voices. The works form a rich, eclectic programme, and the performances by Cappella Musicale Eusebiana directed by Don Denis Silano elegantly express the pictorial aspects of the texts that Vecchi achieved through subtle dialogue, antiphony and counterpoint. /episode/index/show/naxospodcasts/id/29951433

Naxos Classical Spotlight

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