NEW ON NAXOS | DECEMBER 2022
Archibald JOYCE (1873–1963) British Light Music, Vol. 13 Caravan Suite
Toto • Dreams of You • A Thousand Kisses • Acushla Dreaming • Songe d’automne • Brighton Hike • Bohemia RTÉ Concert Orchestra • Andrew Penny
Archibald Joyce was known as ‘The English Waltz King’. The composer of delectable vignettes directed his own dance band which, depending on the size of the venue, sometimes numbered a hundred. Convinced that the Viennese waltz was not to British tastes he wrote smoother examples that included Dreaming , his most famous work, which sold over a million copies, and is a perfect example of the ‘hesitation’ waltz. His evocative music also included theatrical numbers, dramatic suites and the ‘concert valse’, designed for the silver screen. Key Features: • On its first appearance on Marco Polo, Gramophone wrote that ‘There is an irresistible innocence, grace and charm to the music that clearly captivated Andrew Penny and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra , and which they in turn succeed in capturing quite magically for the listener.’ • 8.555192 contains Vol. 12, the music of Trevor Duncan: ‘They [Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra] sound relaxed, playing with dapper phrasing and timing under the direction of Andrew Penny. The production by Murray Khouri and Hubert Geschwandtner is satisfyingly full and deep... This collection of Duncan’s music is too good to pass up’ ( MusicWeb International) . Click to listen to Dreaming LISTEN Ermanno WOLF-FERRARI (1876–1948) Das Himmelskleid (‘The Garment of Heaven’) Angelina Ruzzafante, Soprano • Anna-Maria Dur, Mezzo-soprano Sibrand Basa, Reinhard Leisenheimer, Peer-Martin Sturm, Michael Kurz, Tenors Sergio Gómez, Bass • Stefan Adam, Baritone Hagen Opera Chorus • Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra • Gerhard Markson Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari is best known for his comic operas. With this reputation established, the appearance of Das Himmelskleid in 1927, with its ‘symbolical twilight world… that rises musically to religious greatness and a world of dreams’ was a surprise for critics of the day. The narrative is a parable of a young princess who is born with the ‘Garment of Heaven’, but she forgets this true gift in her greedy pursuit of wealth and power. Das Himmelskleid is perhaps the most profoundly mature of Wolf-Ferrari’s operas, with an amazing sensitivity and feeling for sound and colour that were never bettered. Key Feature: This 3-disc set from the mid-1990s is a re-release from our Marco Polo label (8.223261-63). This is a recording that has lost none of its sparkle over the years, and it remains the only commercially available recording of this significant work. With its striking combination of Wagnerian heft and Italianate lightness this work is overdue for a return to the mainstream. ‘The strength of the Hagen ensemble is revealed right down to the choruses of Air Spirits, Moon-Maidens and Children of the Sun, and Gerhard Markson conducts with a feeling for the idiom.’ ( BBC Music Magazine )
8.555218 Release Date: 2 Dec 2022
Companion Titles – Previous releases in the British Light Music series
8.555171
8.555192
8.555193
8.555194
8.660518-20 [3 Discs] Release Date: 2 Dec 2022
Companion Titles – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Composer
8.573582
8.660385
Click to listen to Ah! – Ha! Welche Schmach!
LISTEN
8.660386-87 8.660225-26
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