New On Naxos | Consumer: May 2026

MAY 2026

THE WORLD OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

Gabriel Schwabe and Christopher Ward © Studio Monbijou

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Christopher Ward

Listen to an excerpt from Variations on a Rococo Theme in A major, Op. 33: Variation 2: Tempo della thema – Cadenza LISTEN

8.574741

Playing time: 56:45 Release date: 8 May 2026

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Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893) Rococo Variations and other works for cello and orchestra

Tracklist 1 – 9 Variations on a Rococo Theme in A major, Op. 33 (1876) (original version) 0 Pezzo capriccioso in B minor, Op. 62 (1887) (with original cello part) ! Six Morceaux, Op. 19 – No. 4. Nocturne (1873, arr. 1888) @ Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 – II. Canzonetta: Andante (1878) (arr. G. Schwabe for cello and orchestra, 2025) * # Six Morceaux, Op. 51 – No. 6. Valse sentimentale (1882) (arr. G. Schwabe for cello and string orchestra, 2019) * $ Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture (1870) (second version) * * WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Gabriel Schwabe, Cello Sinfonieorchester Aachen Christopher Ward

Tchaikovsky composed the Variations on a Rococo Theme for cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen who re-ordered the variations, infuriating the composer. The cello part for the virtuosic Pezzo capriccioso was also altered by its dedicatee, Anatoly Brandukov. In the performances heard here Tchaikovsky’s original intentions are restored. To accompany these pieces Gabriel Schwabe has provided two of his own arrangements – the Canzonetta from the Violin Concerto and Valse sentimentale from the Six Morceaux . The album ends with the second version – never before recorded – of the romantic fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet . Key features: • Gabriel Schwabe has recorded a number of major concerto and sonata albums for Naxos: ‘this is a lovely album headlined by an unusual approach to the Schumann Cello Concerto’ wrote Fanfare on 8.573786. His Brahms sonatas are on 8.573489: ‘Schwabe plays with a beautifully smooth and sweet tone. In addition, his intonation and finger-to-bow coordination are spot-on’, wrote Fanfare . • His Elgar and Bridge concertos were accompanied as on this current release by Christopher Ward , on 8.574320: ‘the performances here are consistently very good indeed, as is the recording balance and overall quality of sound, this inexpensive Naxos disc is more than worth every penny’, wrote Musical Opinion while Gramophone wrote that ‘Schwabe’s incendiary performance demands to be heard, and in his impassioned rhetoric he makes a compelling case for the importance of Bridge’s title in coming to an understanding of this deeply moving score’.

Sinfonieorchester Aachen

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

About Gabriel Schwabe, Cello Gabriel Schwabe is a laureate of three of the world’s most prestigious cello competitions: the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin, the Concours Rostropovich in Paris and the Pierre Fournier Award in London. As a soloist he has worked with orchestras such as the Philharmonia, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, RundfunkSinfonieorchester Berlin, Ulster Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Danish Chamber Orchestra, the Malmö and Norrköping Symphony Orchestras and the China NCPA Orchestra, Beijing with conductors such as Marek Janowski, Eivind Gullberg-Jensen, Dennis Russell-Davies, Adam Fischer, Joana Mallwitz, Cornelius Meister, Giancarlo Guerrero, Michael Sanderling and Marc Soustrot.

Other recordings featuring Gabriel Schwabe

‘Schumann’s Cello Concerto is beautifully played by Gabriel Schwabe. Lars Vogt and the Northern Sinfonia share a real partnership with the soloist, and so does Nicholas Rimmer in the chamber music works, which are exquisitely performed by Schwabe.’ – Pizzicato

‘Their ensemble is impressively honed,

and Schwabe, performing on 1695 Guarneri, offers an eloquent singing line… the players seem particularly inspired by the Sturn und Drang elements of the sonata, affording more extreme dynamics and phrasing that make the music come alive.’ –The Strad

Das Klassik- & Jazz-Magazin

‘Schwabe’s incendiary performance demands to be heard, and in his impassioned rhetoric he makes a compelling case for the importance of Bridge’s title in coming to an understanding of this deeply moving score.’ – Gramophone

‘Yang, Schwabe and Wit present a magnificent, a wonderful, and thrilling performance. The music flows as Brahms must flow, and yet it remains wonderfully detailed, and there is a perfect interplay between the two soloists and the very alert orchestra and especially its wind soloists. For me, this is one of the very best recordings of the Double Concerto in the entire catalogue.’ – Pizzicato

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For Gabriel Schwabe’s discography on Naxos, visit www.naxos.com/Bio/Person/Gabriel_Schwabe/76900

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Igor STRAVINSKY (1882–1971) Fairy Tales Song of the Nightingale The Faun and the Shepherdess * Divertimento • Pulcinella Suite

Susan Platts, Mezzo-soprano * Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra JoAnn Falletta

Igor Stravinsky is renowned for his legacy of glittering fairy tales in treasured favourites such as Petrushka and The Firebird . Another favourite is the ballet Pulcinella , a lovable melange of Baroque theatricality, heard here in its concert suite form. The other works in this programme are surprisingly less known: the luminous and symphonic Song of the Nightingale , and The Fairy’s Kiss based on Tchaikovsky’s music, are both derived from stories by Hans Christian Andersen. An astonishing rarity, The Faun and the Shepherdess is an ancient Greek tale that was Stravinsky’s romantically sensual gift to his young bride. Key features: • JoAnn Falletta is the music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra , and this partnership has resulted in a cornucopia of highly successful and much-admired Naxos recordings. Russian music is very much a part of their repertoire, with ‘Alexander Scriabin’s Second Symphony [8.574139]... becoming a swift exciting ride in a motor boat, skipping the waves with effortless delicacy’ ( Fanfare ), and Glière’s Third Symphony (8.573161 / NBD0041): ‘JoAnn Falletta is a keen admirer and has an excellent ear not merely for clarifying and controlling the orchestral sumptuousness but for articulating the events dramatically. Her forces cast themselves into the fray with enthusiasm and virtuosity, and the recording engineers rise to some quite demanding occasions’ ( Gramophone ). •

8.574735

Playing time: 79:20 Release date: 22 May 2026

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Listen to an excerpt from Pulcinella Suite: IIIa. Scherzino: b. Allegro – c. Andantino LISTEN

Mezzo-soprano Susan Platts is internationally recognised for her richly expressive voice and commanding musical presence. A former protégé of Jessye Norman, she worked closely with the legendary soprano for over a decade, which profoundly shaped her artistry. Platts is particularly acclaimed for her interpretations of

Tracklist

1 – 4 Chant du Rossignol

(‘Song of the Nightingale’) (1917, after the opera The Nightingale [1914])

Gustav Mahler’s works, including more than 90 performances of his second symphony as well as numerous performances of his third and eighth symphonies, Das Lied von der Erde , Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen , Rückert-Lieder and Kindertotenlieder , with major orchestras across Europe, North America and Asia.

5 – 7 Favn i Pastushka, Op. 2

(‘The Faun and the Shepherdess’) (1906) Text: Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) 8 – ! Divertimento (1934, arranged from the ballet Le Baiser de la fée [1928]) ! – ) Pulcinella Suite (1922, rev. 1949)

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

About JoAnn Falletta, Conductor Multiple GRAMMY-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and music director laureate of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. She has guest-conducted many of the most prominent orchestras in America, Canada, Europe, Asia and South America. As music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American orchestra. Her discography includes over 135 titles, and she is a leading recording artist for Naxos. Her GRAMMY-winning Naxos recordings include Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua (8.559885-86) and John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (8.559331), both with the BPO, and Kenneth Fuchs’ Spiritualist with the London Symphony Orchestra (8.559824).

Recordings by JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

‘There never was much doubt about this one. Naxos lined up its “A-Team” in the persons of Tianwa Yang, violin, and conductor JoAnn Falletta…’ – ClassicsToday.com UPERSONIC S

‘JoAnn Falletta’s interpretation brilliantly showcases the music’s strengths. …The Buffalo Philharmonic players respond with a virtuoso panache that avoids any trace of brashness.’ – BBC Music Magazine

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‘JoAnn Falletta conducts the music perfectly; it’s a natural unfolding (not driven), climaxes seem inevitable (not artificial). Nothing is rushed; nothing is falsely held back for effect. This woman can make even Respighi seem utterly “right” and well designed. She is making music, not putting on a big show.’ – American Record Guide

‘These performances are extremely well played and recorded. The Buffalo Philharmonic has been very good for a long time, and it plays in Kleinhans Music Hall… This is a fine conductor [Falletta], clearly fond of Kodaly’s music.’ – American Record Guide

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For the full list of Joan Falletta’s discography on Naxos, visit www.naxos.com/Bio/Person/JoAnn_Falletta/30435

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Anton RUBINSTEIN (1829–1894) Piano Sonatas Nos. 3 and 4 Han Chen, Piano

Anton Rubinstein stood at the heart of Russian musical life for nearly half a century and had a profound influence on generations of Russian musicians, including Tchaikovsky. His piano sonatas reveal a composer intent on uniting intellect and passion within a symphonic conception of the keyboard. With its heroic, noble themes, the Third Piano Sonata was Rubinstein’s own favourite of the set. The final Piano Sonata No. 4 represents the composer at the height of his creative command, pouring a lifetime of emotions into a single piece and distilling the paradoxical tensions between intellect and impulse, Germanic structure and Russian ardour. Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 , played by Han Chen, can be heard on 8.573989. Key features: • This release completes Han Chen’s survey of Anton Rubinstein’s four piano sonatas, following on from the Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 on Naxos 8.573989. This was received positively by critics, with The WholeNote declaring that ‘Chen successfully conveys the music’s varied moods, from tender to agitated to triumphant. I found all these attractive works… a pleasure to listen to.’. • A fearless performer with seemingly limitless imagination and possessed with uncanny energy, pianist Han Chen plays scores old and new with rare rigour and insight. Alex Ross, classical music critic of The New Yorker selected Chen’s Naxos disc of the Ligeti Études and Capriccios (8.574379) as a ‘Notable Classical Recording of 2023’, and characterising him as follows: ‘The Taiwanese pianist Han Chen, a noted interpreter of the Ligeti Études and other modernist repertory, has made a blistering album of the [Liszt] opera transcriptions’ ( The New Yorker referring to Opera Transcriptions on Naxos 8.573415).

8.574706

Playing time: 71:34 Release date: 22 May 2026

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Listen to an excerpt from Piano Sonata No. 3 in F major, Op. 41: I. Allegro risoluto e con fuoco LISTEN

Tracklist Piano Sonata No. 3 in F major, Op. 41 (1855) 1 I. Allegro risoluto e con fuoco 2 II. Allegretto con moto 3 III. Andante 4 IV. Allegro vivace Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 100 (1877) 5 I. Moderato con moto 6 II. Allegro vivace 7 III. Andante 8 IV. Allegro assai

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

About Han Chen, Piano GRAMMY Award-nominated pianist Han Chen is a fearless performer with seemingly limitless imagination and uncanny energy, playing scores old and new with rare rigour and insight. His performance of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement alongside the Malmö Opera Orchestra led by John Jeter (Naxos 8.559952) was nominated in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards. Chen’s musical vision is manifest in his four solo Naxos albums, focusing on Liszt (8.573415), Rubinstein (8.573989), Adès (8.574109) and Ligeti (8.574397).

Anton Rubinstein, Composer

‘These are big works with tons of notes on every page. Chen’s ability to sort through it all and bring out the big romantic melodies and fairly straight-forward harmonies with the utmost of musicality and, of course, the requisite virtuosity is superb.’ – American Record Guide

‘A comprehensive programme of beautiful well-crafted 19th century piano music which should be better known. Lovely performances by Martin Cousins are presented here of the complete Six Preludes, Op. 24 and Six Etudes, Op. 81 .’ – Lark Reviews

‘Gallo’s performance is beautifully nuanced, nudging notes where needed, yet retrenching where critically needed. …[He] exquisitely unfolds the thoughts with delicate discernment. Brilliant. The collection of pieces by Anton Rubinstein is a mini-treasure trove. Delicate, tasteful and irresistible.’ – ConcertoNet.com

‘Ukrainian pianist Regina Chernychko plays with verve but never in a way that makes it seem like she wants to shine through pure virtuosity. Her playing is soft in timbre and never harsh. With moderate rubato, she brings out the music’s romantic expressive diversity to great effect.’ – Pizzicato

For the full list of Anton Rubinstein’s discography on Naxos, visit www.naxos.com/Bio/Person/Anton_Rubinstein/26317

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Opéra Comique Collection, Vol. 2 Various Artists The Opéra Comique in Paris has a long tradition of giving stylish performances dating back to the 18th century. Five imaginative and critically acclaimed productions are featured in this collection of French operatic masterpieces. Bizet’s Carmen , which received its premiere at the Opéra Comique in 1875, is performed on period instruments conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet features the stellar French baritone Stéphane Degout in the title role. Messager exemplifies the spirit of La Belle Époch in Fortunio ; Gounod fuses Romanticism with the supernatural in La Nonne sanglante ; and the outstanding French soprano Sabine Devieilhe takes the lead role in Delibes’s tragic tale of passion and loyalty, Lakmé – one of the jewels of the Opéra Comique. Key features: • Carmen is conducted by world famous Sir John Eliot Gardiner with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique on period instruments. ‘ Anna Caterina Antonacci ’s Carmen, finally on DVD, is legendary, a detailed artist at her most nuanced’ ( Opera News ). • Hamlet was a Gramophone Choice release: ‘[ Stéphane Degout ] gives one of his greatest performances here, marvellously sung and acted, with every gesture, vocal and physical, affording us insight into Hamlet’s disturbed psyche: it’s an extraordinary achievement.’ ( Gramophone ). • Messager’s Fortunio was ‘…pure enchantment from start to finish’, wrote Classica , whilst Gramophone wrote ‘For gentle, escapist charm – and many of us require large doses of that right now – Fortunio would seem to be the perfect remedy’. • Of Gounod’s La Nonne sanglante , Fanfare wrote that ‘every single voice, down to the smallest comprimario roles, is a pleasure to hear: clear, steady, elegant, pleasant in timbre, in tune, and on the beat… Laurence Equilbey is in full command from the podium of all her forces, leading with energy and grace, and the orchestra and chorus are in stellar form.’. • Delibes’ Lakmé : ‘ [Raphaël] Pichon conducts with flexibility and energy, and he is one of the major reasons for the success of this performance’ ( Fanfare ).

2.106002 [6 DVDs] Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Sound format: PCM stereo and DTS 5.1

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PCM stereo and DTS 5.0 (Carmen) AC3 2.0 and DTS 5.1 (Hamlet)

Language: French Subtitles: French, English, German, Italian (Carmen only), Chinese (Hamlet only), Japanese, Korean Region code: 0 (worldwide) No. of disc/s: 6 (DVD 9) Release date: 8 May 2026

Also available on Blu-ray video: NBD0191VX Picture format: HD 16:9 Sound format: PCM stereo and DTS-MA 5.1 PCM stereo and DTS-MA 5.0 (Carmen) Language: French Subtitles: French, English, German,

Italian (Carmen only), Chinese (Hamlet only), Japanese, Korean

Region: A, B, C No. of disc/s: 5 (BD 50) Release date: 8 May 2026

Anna Caterina Antonacci

Stéphane Degout

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Laurence Equilbey

Raphaël Pichon

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

2.110685-86 [DVD] NBD0127V [Blu-ray] Carmen

2.110640 [DVD] NBD0103V [Blu-ray] Hamlet

2.110672 [DVD] NBD0119V [Blu-ray] Fortunio

2.110632 [DVD] NBD0097V [Blu-ray]

2.110765 [DVD] NBD0177V [Blu-ray] Lakmé

La Nonne sanglante

Other Opéra Comique audiovisual releases

‘Delightful collection… Florie Valiquette shows a lively stage presence as Madelaine… Sébastien Rouland keeps the musical matters moving along expertly. All in all this is an enjoyable outing.’ – MusicWeb International

‘A moving and well-staged account, intimate in scale and musically strong. The choral work is good, the fine instrumentalists of Les Arts Florissants make an appealing period sound, and the direction of William Christie has his customary authority in such repertoire.’ – MusicWeb International

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‘Refined and colourful both scenically and musically… Jordi Savall restores the work with great probity, nevertheless showing more rigor than flame. Its direction is done precisely in the service of the dramatic expression giving account, without excess of prettiness.’ – new-classis.co.uk

‘The production is enchanting and inventive and the magnificent solo performances under conductor William Christie lead one to wonder why it took so long for this wonderful work to be staged.’ – MusicWeb International

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MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Giacomo PUCCINI (1858–1924) Tosca Melodramma in three acts, SC 69 (1895–99) Libretto by Luigi Illica (1857–1919) and Giuseppe Giacosa (1847–1906) Based on the dramatic play La Tosca (1887)

by Victorien Sardou (1831–1908) First performance: 14 January 1900 at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome Vanessa Goikoetxea, Soprano Piero Pretti, Tenor Alexey Markov, Baritone Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Daniele Gatti, Conductor

Giacomo Puccini’s much-loved opera Tosca contains some of his most famous lyrical arias. It is also a powerful and tragic theatre piece set in politically dangerous times featuring moments of courage and romantic tenderness. The expressive force of its narrative and the power of Puccini’s strikingly inventive score has made it one of the most frequently staged operas of all time. Daniele Gatti conducts this live performance from Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with a cast acclaimed for its impressive vocal and dramatic characterisation. Key features: • This release of Puccini’s dramatic opera Tosca is the audio version of a video production released on the Dynamic label in February 2025 (DVD: DYN-38057 / Blu-ray: DYN-58057). • Recorded live at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre in 2024, the audiovisual version was acclaimed in operaramblings : ‘ [Vanessa] Goikoetxea is a very good Tosca. Vocally she’s got the chops and her characterisation is nicely balanced. … Piero Pretti is a good match as Cavaradossi. He’s always solid and occasionally has that rare Italian tenor frisson that makes the hairs on your neck stand up. …the chorus and orchestra are excellent with Daniele Gatti giving a full-blooded reading of the score.

8.660607-08

Playing time: 1:59:33 Release date: 8 May 2026

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Listen to an excerpt from Act I: Scene 9: Tre sbirri, una carrozza – Te Deum laudamus LISTEN

Vanessa Goikoetxea Floria Tosca

Piero Pretti Mario Cavaradossi

Alexey Markov Il Barone Scarpia

Gabriele Sagona Cesare Angelotti

Matteo Torcaso Il sagrestano

Dario Giorgelè Sciarrone

Children’s Chorus of the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

About Daniele Gatti, Conductor Daniele Gatti is the chief conductor of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. He has held prestigious roles at important musical institutions including the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Opernhaus Zürich and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam. Gatti served as chief conductor at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino from 2022 to 2024, conducting numerous productions including Orphée et Eurydice , Ariadne auf Naxos , Il barbiere di Siviglia , Don Carlo , The Rake’s Progress , Pulcinella , Falstaff , Don Pasquale , Tosca , Madama Butterfly and the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies.

Recommended opera recordings

‘Notable in the discipline exhibited by the chorus, crisply in sync with the spirited, characterful playing from the Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under conductor James Conlon. Outstanding among the roster of principals is María José Siri, whose performance

‘Robert Dean Smith… is a very respectable Otello. He sings very musically; he hits all the notes; and his dramatic ability seems satisfactory …the chorus and orchestra perform very well under Friedrich Haider.’ – American Record Guide

is unfailingly vibrant.’ – BBC Music Magazine

Remy Franck’s Journal about Classical Music

‘This new interpretation brings detail and intellectual rigour while the voice remains an exceptional one… Meister and his forces provide an honourable account of one of the 20th century’s great operas.’ – BBC Music Magazine

‘Georgian tenor Mikheil Sheshaberidze sings a powerful Nerone, hitting his high notes with confidence. Franco Vassallo lives up to his reputation as a great Verdi baritone, singing the role of Simon Mago with remarkable expressiveness. Baritone Roberto Frontali convinces in the role of the Christian leader Fanuel with his expressive singing.’ – Pizzicato

Remy Franck’s Journal about Classical Music

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MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Hindemith in Paris Christopher Park, Piano Guilhem Kusnierek, Trombone

Paul Hindemith is among the most significant German composers of the 20th century. The Sonata for Trombone and Piano – one of a multitude of sonatas he composed for various instruments – is a lively tour de force, performed here with an additional Ruhig movement from a sonata left unfinished before he was forced to emigrate. Hindemith’s songs lean towards the refined simplicity of the French mélodie and are performed alongside Poulenc’s lyrical Oboe Sonata , Koechlin’s brooding Trois Pièces , and selections by Ravel and Debussy, all specially arranged to display trombonist Guilhem Kusnierek’s expert musicianship. Key features: • The two key drivers behind this recording are trombonist Guilhem Kusnierek’s superb performances on trombone of works from the French repertoire that aren’t normally associated with that instrument, and secondly, his friend and chamber music partner Christopher Park’s desire to champion Paul Hindemith’s all too often neglected Sonata for Trombone and Piano . • Released on our Naxos Deutschland label, this recital not only raises the profile of the trombone as a solo/chamber music instrument, but also presents rarely heard works such as Koechlin’s sparse but also deliciously expressive Trois Pièces , and songs that show a lyrical side of Hindemith’s output that few people will have encountered .

8.551478

Playing time: 57:45 Release date: 22 May 2026

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Tracklist

Paul HINDEMITH (1895–1963) 1 Sainte (1944) 2 – 6 Sonata for Trombone and Piano (1941) Claude DEBUSSY (1862–1918) 7 Rêverie, L. 68 (1890) Paul HINDEMITH 8 Eau qui se presse (1942) Charles KOECHLIN (1867–1950) 9 – ! Trois Pièces, Op. 34 (1898–1907) Paul HINDEMITH @ C’est de la côte d’Adam (1942) # La Cigale et la Fourmi (1942)

Francis POULENC (1899–1963) $ – ^ Sonata for Oboe and Piano, FP 185 (1962) Paul HINDEMITH & Lampe du soir (1942) Claude DEBUSSY * Beau soir, L. 84 (1891) Paul HINDEMITH ( On arrange et on compose (1942) Maurice RAVEL (1875–1937) ) Sainte (1896)

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About Guilhem Kusnierek, Trombone Trombonist Guilhem Kusnierek is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions including Lieksa (Finland), Porcia (Italy), and Jeju (South Korea). He won third prize in 2015 at the 64th ARD International Music Competition in Munich. Since then, he has performed both nationally and internationally, appearing as a soloist with major orchestras such as the Munich Chamber Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the German Radio Philharmonic, the Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Joensuu City Orchestra. Guilhem Kusnierek studied with Abel Thomas, Michel Becquet, Jörgen van Rijen and Daniel Lassalle (on historical trombone).

About Christopher Park, Piano ‘ Christopher Park is a pianist who captivates with his fascinating technical mastery, astounding musical maturity, and a particularly intense performance style’ – Leonard Bernstein Award. Orchestras with which Park has performed include the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestras, DSO Berlin, National Orchestra of Spain, Seoul Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Hungarian National Philharmonic, and the Munich and Bamberg Symphony Orchestras. Conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Järvi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Sebastian Weigle and Dmitrij Kitajenko are among his previous collaborators.

Other chamber works by Paul Hindemith

‘The Quintet is such a rarity – and the performances are excellent. Everything about this issue is exemplary. I loved every minute and it shows us yet another side of this multi-faceted and multi-talented composer.’ – MusicWeb International

‘The performances are all outstanding… the playing here never sounds dry or mechanical, and the sonics are first rate. Connoisseurs of chamber music will find this disc an endless source of pleasure.’ – ClassicsToday.com

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INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW OUTSTANDING

‘Of Paul Hindemith’s seven string quartets these are two of the most enjoyable and rewarding… This recording was made by… [the] Amar Quartet… and is a model for the clarity, body, and rich sound that good string quartet recording demands. The… Amar has responded brilliantly.’ – American Record Guide

‘The performances are excellent. …played with appropriate amounts of both grit and elegance. Anyone interested in these pieces should certainly get this.’ – American Record Guide

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For the full list of Paul Hindemith’s discography on Naxos, visit www.naxos.com/Bio/Person/Paul_Hindemith/23323

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MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Playing time: 60:38 Release date: 8 May 2026

8.579178

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Dušan BOGDANOVIĆ (b. 1955) Music Gardens of the World DUO Goni-Perretta – Antigoni Goni, Eleonora Perretta, Guitars

Listen to an excerpt from Music Garden Suite: II. Mon joileux souvenir LISTEN

Dušan Bogdanović’s inspiration behind this project came from writing a compilation of world music pieces for his young son, but after hearing the duo of Antigoni Goni and Eleonora Perretta perform he greatly expanded the idea. The abundant spirit of these folk inspirations is exemplified by their variety – from 17th-century chanson to Irish fiddle jigs; humorous Dalmatian songs to a Sephardic romance; and from the dances of southeastern Iran to Balinese rice-pounding music. To introduce a popular flavour, he has added arrangements of three beloved Neapolitan songs. Key features: • Dušan Bogdanović has been called ‘a composer of masterful craft with a genuine clarity and purity of vision’ ( Guitar Review ). He received the only First Prize at the Geneva Competition and gave a highly acclaimed debut recital at Carnegie Hall in 1977. Over 200 of his compositions – including solo guitar pieces, chamber music, and orchestral works – have been published.

Tracklist

Three Neapolitan Songs (arr. Dušan Bogdanović, 2025) * Ernesto DE CURTIS (1875–1937)

1 Torna a Surriento (1894)

Enrico CANNIO (1874–1949) 2 ’O surdato ’nnammorato (1915)

Mario Pasquale COSTA (1858–1933)

3 Era di Maggio (1885)

Dušan BOGDANOVIĆ 4 – 9 World Music Primer (2022) * 0 – ‡ Look at the Big Birds (2013) ° – b Music Garden Suite (2024) *

* WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

About the DUO Goni-Perretta Antigoni Goni and Eleonora Perretta ’s musical collaboration is a harmonious symbiosis of different generations, cultural backgrounds and artistic sensibilities. What began as a teacher-student relationship at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel (KCB) soon developed into a creative artistic partnership fuelled by mutual respect, admiration, artistic exchange and a shared passion for the classical guitar’s boundless expressive potential. It finds its first recorded expression in the works of Dušan Bogdanović, a composer whose bold, genre-transcending music aligns perfectly with the artists’ approach, with their collaboration described by the composer as ‘splendid and glorious’.

Recommended guitar works

‘[The album] opens with Scenes from West Side Story , and one is immediately aware of the adherence of the arrangements to the original score and their creative scoring for guitar trio (by trio member Vandenbemden) as well as the pristine recording quality, aided, of course by the technical skills of these excellent musicians.’ – American Record Guide

‘The often-contrapuntal Musica para dos guitarras by Carlos Farinas shows the strong connection between the performers with effective, abrupt dynamic shifts and contrasting moods. Concluding the programme are “Los Guitarristas” (2024) by Eleonora Coloma Casaula and Ludoteca by Florencia Novoa, clearly the most obtuse pieces on the recording, requiring a lot of work on the part of the performers to deliver this complex music.’ – American Record Guide ‘The arrangements themselves are beautiful, maximising the use of various effects such as palm muting and artificial harmonics to evoke not just the sounds of the orchestra but the sights and smells of the Spanish campo. The performances, too, are beautiful…’ – Gramophone

Remy Franck’s Journal about Classical Music

NEW

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

Javier CONTRERAS (b. 1983) Works for Two Guitars CEM, Samba • Suite Latinoamericana Sonata for Two Guitars Dúo Sudamericano – José Antonio Escobar, Javier Contreras, Guitars

This album showcases recent works for two guitars by the Chilean composer and guitarist Javier Contreras. He is joined by fellow Chilean guitarist and pedagogue, José Antonio Escobar – a decisive figure in Contreras’s musical development – to explore the composer’s inventive harmonic and cosmopolitan influences, which range from South American folk music to jazz. The Sonata for Two Guitars evokes the uniquely versatile sirilla dance in a work that marries introspection with vitality and virtuoso flourish. Elsewhere, Patagonian folkloric elements, exotic dances, high-speed dialogues and exquisite colours are conjured up in music of subtlety and energy. Key features: • Dúo Sudamericano seeks to primarily expand Latin American guitar duo repertoire: José Antonio Escobar is one of Chile’s foremost classical guitarists, acclaimed for his refined musicianship and his contributions to the Latin American repertoire and has recorded widely for Naxos. • ‘[Escobar] is an excellent player, with a fluent technique and an expressive imagination. He is an excellent advocate for this music’, wrote American Record Guide on 8.570341, and of his Milan album on 8.573305 Fanfare wrote, ‘there’s no denying the loveliness of [Escobar’s] playing. His touch is very clean, in the sense that the extra-musical noises one sometimes encounters on discs of music for plucked instruments are virtually absent here’. • Javier Contreras, a former student of Escobar and the winner of multiple composition and performance competitions is developing a notable career as a composer and classical guitarist.

8.574044

Playing time: 60:07 Release date: 22 May 2026

7 47313 40447 6

Listen to an excerpt from Tres Nacimientos: No. 3. Allegro vivace LISTEN

Supplementary marketing materials: • Social media assets

Tracklist

1 – 3 Tres Nacimientos (2018) (version for two guitars) 4 CEM, Samba (2017)

5 – 9 Suite Latinoamericana (2013–20) 0 – @ Sonata for Two Guitars (2019) # – % Tres Piezas Patagónicas (2018) ^ – * Tres Atemporías (2020)

(version for two guitars, 2018)

MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS

About José Antonio Escobar, Guitar José Antonio Escobar is one of Chile’s foremost classical guitarists, acclaimed for his refined musicianship and his contributions to the Latin American repertoire. An international soloist, he has performed in more than 30 countries, appearing in major venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Purcell Room in London, the Brahms-Saal in Vienna, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Hakuju Hall in Tokyo and Taipei National Concert Hall. The winner of several major international guitar competitions, including the prestigious Francisco Tárrega International Guitar Competition, he has recorded multiple acclaimed albums for Naxos. Escobar currently resides in Chile, where he serves as professor at the Instituto de Música of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

About Javier Contreras, Guitar Javier Contreras , a former student of Escobar and the winner of multiple composition and performance competitions is developing a notable career as a composer and classical guitarist, as well as creating other diverse group projects. He has recently appeared as a soloist at the invitation of the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg and artistic director Rolando Villazón, and performed at the inauguration of La Ballena Azul at the Centro Cultural Néstor Kirchner in Buenos Aires in 2015.

Other guitar recordings featuring José Antonio Escobar

‘[Jose Antonio Escobar] is an excellent player, with a fluent technique and an expressive imagination. He is an excellent advocate for this music.’ – American Record Guide

‘The playing here is clean, warm, resonant and full of colour, and with impeccable technique, the fast tremolo in the Campanas del Alba ( The Bells of Dawn ) being particularly brilliant.’ –The WholeNote

‘José Antonio Escobar… is a guitarist worth listening to, or, if you’re a composer, worth writing for… Long may José Antonio Escobar’s delightful tour of regional guitar music continue. He’s scored another big hit here.’ – MusicWeb International

‘The music is idiomatic and always expressive… Recorded in Barcelona to the usual Naxos high standards, it’s a fascinating [disc].’ –The WholeNote

CD OF THE WEEK

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