Archive for the “Chatter About Naxos” Category

Sky+is+Falling Classical Revolution: Top 5 Reasons I Dig ItRun! The sky is falling!

Or at least, that’s what most of the media would tell you when it comes to classical music. But there is a classical revolution happening right in our back yard. As the older, traditional ways of performing classical music inspire less and less audience participation and subscription, newbies to the scene are bringing classical music to the masses. And not in conventional ways.

Take for example a great article on WBEZ today. Lynette Kalsnes interviewed a group called Classical Revolution and asked them all sorts of questions about playing chambercityroom 20090708 lkalsnes 1630264 Clas large Classical Revolution: Top 5 Reasons I Dig It music in bars and pubs in Chicago. One of my favorite quotes is from Mike Muszynsk, the group’s bassoon player,

“I remember the first time I played, there was some guys watching the Hawks game and they were getting pretty hammered. At the end of every movement that we played, they were the loudest people in the bar, showing their praise for us.”

Classical Revolution isn’t the only classical group bringing their music to the masses. Classical music is also beginning to dominate the New York Club scene. Take for example, Le Poisson Rouge. One of our Naxos artists, Ge Gan-Ru, is actually performing there on July 8, 2009 at 9:00pm. In fact, one of our other artists, Philippe Quint, had an wildly successful CD Release party at Le Poisson Rouge last month, primarily because of all his fans! There are tons of these small, intensely loyal classical music communities bubbling up in major metropolitan areas in the US as well as in the UK. In fact, one of my favorite classical newsletters comes from the UK: DilettanteMusic.

So my Top 5 Reasons for digging the classical revolution taking place in the US are:

  1. Combining 2 of my favorite past times: Drinking adult beverages & listening to great music
  2. Hanging out with people who also dig classical music in a relaxed environment
  3. Clapping, whistling and generally carrying on when a musician does something extraordinary
  4. Watching friends faces as it dawns on them that classical music is cool
  5. Meeting the musicians afterward and congratulating them on great performances!

Have you gone to any of these kinds of performances before? What was your impression? Would you go again? Who’s been your favorite performer to watch?

I wish I could’ve been at Le Poisson Rouge for Ute Lemper, or for either one of Peter Breiner’s CD release parties. One of my all time favs was the New Amsterdam/Non-Classical Records concert. Talk about wild! That party featured artists such as The Elysian Quartet, John Matthias & Nick Ryan, NOW Ensemble, DJ Gabriel Prokofiev and Sam Z. Solomon. Most of these guys also played at SXSW, which I got to see when I was there back in March. It rocked.

I think opening up classical music to the masses and making it accessible can almost be synonymous with making the Bible available in languages other than Latin. Exposing my friends and family to all the great classical musicians and composers is a great first step, but I’m hoping to turn them into lifelong devotees! Well, at least expand their horizons…for now. .

Tags: blog.naxos.com, chamber, Classical, classical musicians, Ge Gan-ru, Le Poisson Rouge, Naxos, Peter Breiner, Philippe, Prokofiev, Quint

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annalisa 200x300 Article About the Artist Catacoustic ConsortAn article from New to Cincinnati by John B. Vinturella about our artist Catacoustic Consort

Catacoustic Consort, Inc. is a nonprofit chamber music organization, specializing in “early music,” that of the Renaissance and Baroque periods…

… Catacoustic Consort is the Grand Prize Winner of the 2003 national Early Music America / Naxos Recording Label Live Recording Competition…

… award-winning Italian laments program on the Naxos label, which was released to international critical acclaim in 2006…

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Tags: Annalisa Pappano, baroque, blog.naxos.com, Catacoustic Consort, Renaissance

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wk an213 1jpcla f 20081002154900 WSJ: The Unsung Success of Live Classical MusicAn article from Wall Street Journal by Leon Botstein

Glenn Gould, the legendary and eccentric Canadian pianist, was the most articulate proponent of a vision of the future in which recordings would replace live performance…

… thanks in large part to the pioneering strategy of the Naxos label, today’s public is blessed with an inexhaustible archive of recorded performances…

… The real attraction of classical music is the power and sensuality of the live sounds. The excitement that ensues from the unpredictability and drama of live performance is comparable to watching spectator sports…

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Tags: blog.naxos.com, Classical Music, Leon Botstein, popularity, resurgence, Wall Street Journal

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An article from The City Paper by Ron Wynn

Naxos of America has been among the nation’s finest classical labels for the last 31 years. But since 1986…

… might even slightly exceed it due to the presence of both unseen concerts and also some musicians who haven’t exactly been overexposed in prior CD or DVD sets…

… his early ‘60s sextet that included his brother Nat on cornet and Yusef Lateef on tenor (and several other instruments) was perhaps his finest band…

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Tags: blog.naxos.com, Jazz, Jazz Icons DVD, Kenny Drew, Nat Lateef, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Reelin’ In the Years Productions LLC, Sonny Rollins, Yusef Lateef

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SCHOENBERG, A.: Pelleas und Melisande / Erwartung album cover Guitar Recital: Aguirre, Rafael album cover

Here are a couple of reviews from Otago Daily Times by Geoff Adams on SCHOENBERG, A.: Pelleas und Melisande / Erwartung and Guitar Recital: Aguirre, Rafael

The polyphonic tone poem Pelleas und Melisande Op.5 provoked audience riots in 1905…

… A very large orchestra builds complex layers of dark and sombre sound…

… The Spanish virtuoso presents a widely varied programme by eight cosmopolitan composers…

… The recital ends with Variations on Carnival of Venice (the melody made famous by Paganini)…

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Tags: 8.572064, 8557527, blog.naxos.com, Finland, guitar, Pelleas und Melisande, Philharmonia Orchestra, Poulenc, Rafael Aguirre Minarro, Rautavaara, Robert Craft, Sarabande, Schoenberg, Stravinsky

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747313800247 Review: Jazz Icons   Series 3Don’t mean to toot our own horn, but here is a review from eJazz News by John Stevenson on Jazz Icons Box Set – Series 3

These wondrous performances highlight the individualistic artistry of canonical jazz figures such as Sonny Rollins, Oscar Peterson, Lionel Hampton, Nina Simone, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk…

… These deluxe-edition DVD’s also underscore a high degree of technical skill in the art of craft of moving image photography…

… not seen Oscar Peterson shows from 1963, 1964 and 1965 showcasing the late Canadian piano maestro in his prime…

… There is a bonus disc accompanying the boxed set that is described as a “treasure-trove” of great performances featuring two-short Sonny Rollins sets together with interviews…

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Tags: Bill Evans, blog.naxos.com, box set, Cannonball Adderley, dvd, Jazz Icons, Lionel Hampton, Oscar Peterson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, series

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