Naxos

Vieuxtemps Violin Ctos 1 & 4 Keylin/Naxos C

ClassicsToday

Henri Vieuxtemps’ concertos have not aged well. Their banal developments and empty technical passages are packed with all the commonplaces of romantic virtuosity and need

Alfven/Naxos C

David Hurwitz

This second installment in Naxos’ ongoing series of Alfvén symphonies is more successful than Volume One. It’s true that conductor Niklas Willén adds a couple

Mompous Vol 2/Naxos C

Jed Distler

Have there been more delightful yet unassuming 20th century miniatures than Frederic Mompou’s tangy, evocative solo piano works? One measure is all it takes for

NORWEGIAN 20TH CENTURY STRING QUARTETS

ClassicsToday

With the notable exception of Edvard Grieg, no Norwegian composer has ever achieved worldwide fame. This collection of Norwegian 20th century string quartets comes as

Hommage to Mandela

Jed Distler

After reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, A Long Walk To Freedom, cellist Maria Kliegel felt compelled to express her admiration for the former South African President

Rocky Chopin Vts/Naxos C

Jed Distler

Rachmaninov’s Chopin Variations date from 1902-3, a time of renewed inspiration following a major creative crisis brought on by the failure of his First Symphony.

Chabrier Naxos C

David Hurwitz

It seems that every Chabrier collection differs slightly in one or two details, and this excellent offering is no exception. The Bourrée fantasque, which wasn’t

Beethoven Cto3 Hess Toscanini Naxos C

ClassicsToday

What an incredible Christmas Eve concert! On December 24th, 1946, at New York’s Rockefeller Center, Toscanini conducted Beethoven and Wagner with savage energy. In the

Tchaikovsky Sy6 Cto1 Toscanini Naxos C

ClassicsToday

Toscanini’s live “Pathétique” Symphony from April 1941 seems to have all the requisites that distinguish a great performance of this work. The unsentimental yet dramatic