On September 25th, Naxos will release the final installment of a complete cycle of Brahms’s Symphonies featuring Marin Alsop and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with a new recording of Symphony No. 4 and Hungarian Dances Nos. 2 and 4-9, arranged by Peter Breiner for Naxos.

Alsop’s recording of Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 with the London Philharmonic met with significant praise, with such critics as Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun calling it “glowing music-making, rich in character and atmosphere.”

The first two releases also received acclaim. Adam Baer of the Los Angeles Times described Alsop’s Symphony No. 1 as “Brahms that flows and sings” while Steve Smith of TimeOut New York praised her Symphony No. 2 as “a gorgeous efflorescence . . . The results do conductor and ensemble proud.”

Alsop begins her tenure as Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony on September 28th and is the first woman to head a major American orchestra. She was also a MacArthur Fellow, the first conductor ever to receive this award, and was the first musician to win both Gramophone’s “Artist of the Year” and the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Conductor’s Award in the same season.

For more information, please contact Mark Berry at mberry [at] naxosusa [dot] com.

2007 marks the 20^th anniversary of Naxos, the world’s leading independent classical music label and a rare music industry success story. Founded by Klaus Heymann in 1987, Naxos has grown from a small Hong Kong-based budget label to the undisputed leader in new releases, depth and breadth of repertoire, music education, digital distribution, and physical distribution of independent CD and DVD labels.

As Naxos moves into its next 20 years, the company is leading the way in the digital delivery of classical music and is moving into a new stage of artistic development with top-rank American musicians such as the Baltimore and Detroit Symphonies as well as the Pacifica Quartet.

For review copies of Naxos products or photos of Klaus Heymann for press use, please contact Mark Berry at 212-681-4408 or mberry [at] naxosusa [dot] com.

Complete Press Release

• “20 Years of Naxos,” Stereophile.com, September 7th, 2007

Naxos Facts

Naxos Digital: Innovation from an “Industry Leader”

• “The Sounds of Success,” Newsweek International, July 30th, 2007

About Klaus Heymann

• “Meet Classical Music’s Biggest Record Breaker,” The Herald (Scotland), May 23rd, 2007
• “Orchestrating a Classical Success,” The Age (Australia), April 7th, 2007

Naxos Mission Statement

Naxos: Innovation and Leadership

Critical Acclaim for Naxos

Artists’ and Composers’ Comments

Naxos AudioBooks

Naxos Educational

Naxos Books