THE STORY OF THE SOUNDTRACK 1 THE Story of NAXOS: THE SOUNDTRACK It is a considerable challenge to justify the title The Story of Naxos: The Soundtrack with just thirty-seven tracks! After all, we cannot pretend that these total the principal jewels from the thousands of CDs in the Naxos and Marco Polo catalogues covering twenty-five years of active recording (probably the busiest recording programme of any classical label since it all began a century ago). Such a task would be truly impossible. But each of these tracks pinpoints a story about the music or about the musicians who have made Naxos what it is today: the single most comprehensive survey of recorded classical music available. Some of these recordings date back to the beginning of the label; some are more recent. They cover almost every genre. A glance at the nationality of the composers and performers indicates the remarkable international breadth – which of course reflects how classical music (by which we mean mainly Western classical music) has become a cultural lingua franca. This is particularly appropriate for a label that famously began in Hong Kong, where it retains its headquarters whilst now having centres throughout the world. I hope that you will enjoy this soundtrack, and that it will lead you on to look more closely at the music on Naxos and Marco Polo. – Nicolas Soames, author of The Story of Naxos 2 1 ANTONIO VIvaLDI (1678-1741) The Four Seasons: Violin Concerto in E major, Op. 8 No. 1, RV 269, ‘La primavera’ (Spring): I. Allegro Takako Nishizaki, violin / Capella Istropolitana / Stephen Gunzenhauser 8.550056 The first new recording made for Naxos, this features Takako Nishizaki, the Japanese violinist who went on to record so much of the central concerto repertoire and much else. It remains the single bestselling Naxos recording; even though other performances of this particular work have been released, this one still outsells them. 2 CHEN GANG (b. 1935) and HE ZHANHAO (b. 1933) The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (conclusion) Takako Nishizaki, violin / New Zealand Symphony Orchestra / James Judd This is the work, and the recording, that made Nishizaki a massive star in China. 8.557348 Decades after its first release, she is still in demand to play this work – the most popular twentieth-century Chinese violin composition – throughout the country and on nationwide Chinese television. 3 LUDWIG vaN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, ‘Pathétique’: III. Rondo: Allegro Jenő Jandó, piano No single pianist is more identified with Naxos than the Hungarian Jenő Jandó, who 8.550045 recorded so much of the central Classical and Romantic repertoire during the first two decades of the label. He has one of the largest – if not the largest – discography of any pianist. This is from his first recording for Naxos. 4 LUDWIG vaN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60: III. Menuetto – Trio Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra / Richard Edlinger In the early days, Naxos developed a reputation (not always complimentary) for 8.550180 recording little-known Eastern European orchestras. This recording of Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony represents the label’s first full composer cycle, and is just one example of many fine performances that came out of this period. 3 5 WOLFgaNG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Così fan tutte, Act I: Come scoglio Joanna Borowska, soprano / Capella Istropolitana / Johannes Wildner Naxos shocked the classical recording world when it came out with its first own 8.660008-10 recording of opera, a notoriously expensive undertaking. Not only was this offered at budget price but it was immediately evident that musically it was of a very high standard. 6 ANTON BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, ‘Romantic’ (1778/80 version; ed. R. Haas): III. Scherzo: Bewegt Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Georg Tintner Bruckner’s symphonies are particularly important to Klaus Heymann, and he waited 8.554128 for some years before he found the conductor whom he felt had a musical approach that echoed with his own. Georg Tintner’s cycle has been widely admired. 7 RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958) String Quartet No. 2 in A minor: IV. Epilogue: Andante sostenuto Maggini Quartet English music has been an important thread in the burgeoning Naxos catalogue, 8.555300 and particularly in the exploratory performances by the Maggini Quartet. This recording won the first Gramophone Award for the label. 8 GAETANO PUGNANI (1731-1798) Largo espressivo Takako Nishizaki, violin / Terence Dennis, piano Takako Nishizaki was the first pupil of the great Japanese teacher and innovator, 8.572494 Shinichi Suzuki. Now a teacher herself, Nishizaki paid tribute to Professor Suzuki by recording all the music in the Suzuki books, an enterprise which also demonstrates Heymann’s commitment to music education. 4 9 JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750) The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847 Jenő Jandó, piano After recording Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and so much else, Jenő Jandó 8.553796-97 turned his attention to these crucial keyboard works by J.S. Bach. Of the Forty- Eight Preludes and Fugues, he has said: ‘It is a jewellery box and all that is inside is beautiful.’ 0 FRYDERYK CHOPIN (1810-1849) Berceuse in D flat major, Op. 57 Idil Biret, piano The talent of the remarkable Turkish pianist Idil Biret made its first powerful impact on Naxos with the complete piano works of Chopin, illustrated here by the Berceuse. 8.554527 She went on to do much more, from Brahms to Boulez. ! ALFRED SCHNITTKE (1934-1998) Cello Sonata No. 1: I. Largo Maria Kliegel, cello / Raimund Havenith, piano The German cellist Maria Kliegel is another musician closely identified with Naxos. Her very first release was the world-premiere recording of Schnittke’s Cello 8.554465 Concerto – a considerable coup! – and she went on to record much of the main cello repertoire. Here she is in the Sonata by Schnittke, released alongside the Concerto. @ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809) String Quartet No. 53 in D major, Op. 64 No. 5, Hob.III:63, ‘The Lark’: III. Menuetto Kodály Quartet From the early days of Naxos Klaus Heymann was keen to ensure that chamber music was represented, which was unusual for a budget label. His commitment 8.550674 paid off when this recording by the Kodály Quartet won some of the first positive reviews from important classical music critics. The Kodály Quartet went on to record complete cycles of Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert. 5 # NICOLÒ PagaNINI (1782-1840) Caprice No. 5 in A minor, Op. 1 No. 5 Ilya Kaler, violin Ilya Kaler represents just the kind of musician whom Klaus Heymann wanted to bring on to Naxos: an outstanding virtuoso with a strong musical core. Heymann knew that 8.550717 there were many musicians just as good as the elite handful normally promoted by the majors, and Kaler was definitely one of them. This bright and lively performance of Caprice No. 5 shows it all. $ WOLFgaNG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, K. 314: I. Allegro aperto Patrick Gallois, flute / Swedish Chamber Orchestra / Katarina Andreasson Flautist Patrick Gallois is one of very few musicians in Naxos who records as both a soloist and a conductor. His effervescent playing shines in key works for the 8.557011 instrument – such as the concertos of Mozart – but it is also worth exploring the byways of orchestral repertoire that he records with his own orchestra, the Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä. % ANONYMOUS Romance d’amour Norbert Kraft, guitar The Austrian-born but Canadian guitarist Norbert Kraft began recording popular guitar repertoire for Naxos, as can be heard on this track, but in association with 8.553216 Klaus Heymann he also developed the ‘Guitar Collection’. This brought onto the label scores of new young players, many of whom had won the top international competitions. It is a unique resource of repertoire and performers for the guitar fraternity. ^ FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Winterreise, Op. 89, D. 911: No. 5. Der Lindenbaum Roman Trekel, baritone / Ulrich Eisenlohr, piano Schubert’s Lieder is at the heart of classical music and in 2011 Naxos brought out a stupendous complete set of over 700 songs, the culmination of a project that had 8.554471 started with the release of Winterreise a decade earlier. They are all performed by native German musicians – a particular concern for Klaus Heymann, whose enjoyment of the songs on other recordings was often marred by the singers’ poor German. 6 & PabLO SARASATE (1844-1908) Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25: I. Introduction Tianwa Yang, violin / Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra / Ernest Martínez Izquierdo Tianwa Yang, the Chinese violinist, is one among several in a new generation of exceptional virtuosi to whom Naxos is keen to offer a platform. Klaus Heymann 8.572216 suggested the music of Sarasate as ideal for starting a recording career; here she sparkles in the Carmen Fantasy. * FRANK BRIDGE (1879-1941) Piano Sonata: II. Andante ben moderato Ashley Wass, piano The English pianist Ashley Wass came to Naxos after his prize-winning performance at the Leeds Piano Competition. His first recording was of music by Franck but he 8.557921 subsequently embarked on a series of English piano music, championing works that had largely fallen out of view, such as this Sonata by Bridge. ( FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886) Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124/R455: I. Allegro maestoso – Tempo giusto – Eldar Nebolsin, piano / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko 8.570517 Despite the excellent early recordings, Naxos knew it was important to showcase a new generation of artists in central repertoire.