NEW ON NAXOS | AUGUST 2023
WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS
Franco ALFANO (1875–1954) Complete String Quartets
Elmira Darvarova, Violin I • Mary Ann Mumm, Violin II • Craig Mumm, Viola • Samuel Magill, Cello The Neapolitan composer Franco Alfano was prolific and highly successful in the field of opera, but he also composed three string quartets over a period framed by the two world wars. No. 1 in D major was written during the First World War and stretches the limits of the quartet medium with its quasi-orchestral vigour, tied together with a habanera rhythm. No. 2 in C major In Three Linked Movements , though smaller in scale, reflects the range of Alfano’s influences, which include Russian and Eastern European music, rustic dances and French impressionism. Work on No. 3 in G minor was started in 1944, a year after the death of his beloved wife, to whom Alfano pays tribute in the haunting first movement. The quartet was completed in 1945 and ends with an ebullient monothematic march finale celebrating Ancient Rome. Key Feature: Violinist Elmira Darvarova is a GRAMMY-nominated recording artist, and an award-winning performer (2017 and 2018 Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards), the first-ever female concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera and called a ‘marvellous violinist in the Heifetz tradition’ by American Record Guide .
8.579042 Release Date: 25 Aug 2023
Companion Titles – Franco Alfano, Composer 2.110270 (NBD0005) | 8.570928 8.573754 | 8.572753
Click to listen to String Quartet No. 1 in D major: I. Vivacissimo
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Alberto WILLIAMS (1862–1952) Violin Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3 DUO AM – Alejandro Aldana, Violin • Fabio Martino, Piano
Alberto Williams has been described as ‘the grand old man of Argentine music’ and is recognised as one of the founders of an independent musical language for his native country. Williams studied in Paris during the 1880s, and his violin sonatas draw comparisons with his teacher César Franck – their heroic mood reflects the post- Wagnerian grandeur that was popular at the time. The concentrated and passionate interplay between violin and piano in Violin Sonata No. 2 bears comparison with Brahms, while the adventurous and at times experimental Violin Sonata No. 3 is notable for its striking shifts in harmony and dazzling virtuosity. Key Feature: We have previously explored some of the music of Alberto Williams with two volumes on our Marco Polo label (8.223799 and 8.223800) with pieces that were described as ‘music for a pleasant summer afternoon’, and ‘recommended for all fans of offbeat solo piano works in the Romantic mode’ in ClassicsToday.com .
8.579120 Release Date: 25 Aug 2023
Companion Titles – Latin American Classics 8.223799 | 8.223800 | 8.572635 | 8.572271
Click to listen to Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 51: I. Moderato – Allegro maestoso
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Chinese Romance 中国式浪漫 HUANG Tao • LIN Huanqi • XIA Weinan Xianji Liu, Guitar
Chinese Romance presents a selection of recent compositions that are all deeply evocative, referring to specific imagery and romantic experiences for their inspiration. These poetic and lyrical pieces explore the guitar’s delicate timbres with nuance and subtle detail, expressing a universal range of emotions. Popular concert and recording artist, Xianji Liu, is the first Chinese-born winner of the Francisco Tárrega International Guitar Competition, Benicàssim. Key Feature: Filled with musical poetry and a lyrically tender atmosphere, this is the kind of album that will fulfil the desires of a wider public seeking new music without the often harder edge of Western modernism. Rising star Xianji Liu is already an experienced and popular concert and recording artist, and he knows his audience well. With Chinese Romance he gives us what we want, while at the same time delivering the exciting prospect of a whole raft of world premiere recordings.
INCLUDES WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS
8.579136 Release Date: 11 Aug 2023
Companion Titles – Guitar Recitals 8.573813 | 8.573432 8.573905 | 8.574442 NEW
Click to listen to XIA Weinan: Swan and Maiden
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