Welcome to Naxos –
The World’s Leading Classical Music Group
Naxos Music Group – A World of Classical Music
Naxos was founded in 1987 and has developed from being known primarily as a budget label focusing on standard repertoire into a virtual encyclopaedia of classical music with a catalogue of unparalleled depth and breadth. Innovative strategies for recording exciting new repertoire with exceptional talent have enabled the Naxos label to develop one of the largest and fastest-growing catalogues of unduplicated repertoire. Over 10,000 titles are currently available at affordable prices, recorded in state-of-the-art sound, both in hard format and on digital platforms. Naxos works with artists of the highest calibre and its recordings have been recognised with numerous international honours, including GRAMMY, ICMA, Opus Klassik and Gramophone Editor’s Choice Awards.
The company has also transformed into a global music group that owns, administers and/or distributes a large number of other independent record labels. Some of these labels are listed in this catalogue.
The Naxos name is synonymous not only with music recordings, but also with other products and services, from audio-visual products to books, e-books, audio books, apps and musical scores, as well as a wide range of online resources and services, for both general and professional consumption.
With its suite of subscription streaming platforms, Naxos continues as a leader and innovator, particularly in the area of education. Launched in 2002, NaxosMusicLibrary.com is used by thousands of educational institutions and libraries around the world. With over 188,000 albums from hundreds of labels and more than 1,000 albums being added every month, it has become the listening source of choice for generations of students and professional musicians as they explore classical music. Together with the Naxos Video, Jazz, World Music and Spoken Word libraries, our online resources have had a great impact in developing future audiences for these genres.
Independent labels included in this catalogue:
The Naxos label’s 2023 musical milestones
The Naxos label is famous for its many projects to record either a composer’s complete oeuvre, or complete cycles of works from within that output. Cycles completed in 2023 include three series of works for piano: Albéniz’s complete works for piano in nine volumes; the 15-volume set of Godowsky’s Études; and all of Czerny’s works for piano and orchestra. From the symphonic repertoire, Marin Alsop gave us Schumann’s complete symphonies as re-orchestrated by Mahler, and JoAnn Falletta concluded her survey of Kodaly’s orchestral works.
2023 saw the launch of Adam Fischer’s project to record all of Haydn’s late symphonies, adding to the ongoing initiatives that include our wide-ranging Music of Brazil series; orchestral works by Wranitzky, Novák and Zádor; Marschner’s overtures and stage music; the complete piano music of Liszt and Guarnieri, together with all of Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas; and complete editions of Brahms’ songs, Haydn’s piano trios and Sinigaglia’s works for string quartet. Our Great Composers in Words and Music series also continues.
We continued to add some truly outstanding releases throughout the year, reflected in our receipt of the ICMA’s 2023 Label of the Year Award. As regards individual artists, pianist Alessandro Marangoni won the ICMA 2023 Special Achievement Award for his edition of Rossini’s Péchés de vieillesse; pianist Boris Giltburg received a Choc de Classica award for his recording of piano concertos by Rachmaninov; and a programme of Derek Bermel’s music for clarinet and strings received the 2023 GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Gramophone’s Best Classical Music Albums of 2023 included Han Chen’s recording of Ligeti’s Piano Études and Capriccios, and a programme of Chesnokov’s sacred choral music by the Cambridge University Chamber Choir.
Our leading Naxos artists again featured on a number of acclaimed new recordings. These included Boris Giltburg’s album of Beethoven’s Third and Fourth Piano Concertos, which concluded ‘what has been an impressive Beethoven cycle.’ (Gramophone); Marin Alsop’s programme of orchestral works by Kevin Puts was noted for its ‘vitality and a brilliant level of execution.’ (Fanfare); Antoni Wit was commended for his ‘fascinating interpretation’ (Pizzicato) of orchestral works by Penderecki; and JoAnn Falletta was lauded both for her ‘supercharged readings’ (Fanfare) of Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy and Symphony No. 2, and the recording of Hailstork’s First Piano Concerto ‘by the Buffalo Philharmonic with their conductor JoAnn Falletta, than whom there is no one better in relaying the warmhearted and exuberant nature of this concerto. I loved it.’ (Gramophone)
Opera lovers were treated to a wide selection of both audio and audiovisual recordings. Notable among the latter were two Dutch National Opera productions: Humperdinck’s Königskinder, which enjoyed ‘excellent lead performances’ (The Flip Side) and Puccini’s Tosca which was ‘destined to remain in the memory for a long time.’ (Crescendo) For Offenbach’s La vie Parisienne, the critics advised ‘…if you think you know the work, you will be in for an intriguing surprise.’ (Limelight), while Theater an den Wein’s production of Cavalieri’s Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo was deemed ‘a gripping production that gives a contemporary vitality to Cavalieri’s masterpiece.’ (American Record Guide) Among our audio opera recordings, Auber’s rarely-performed Le philtre prompted Allmusic.com to suggest that ‘listeners will come away feeling that it deserves a full-scale revival.’
![HUMPERDINCK, E.: Königskinder [Opera] (DNO, 2022) (NTSC)](jpg/2.110759.jpg "HUMPERDINCK, E.: Königskinder [Opera] (DNO, 2022) (NTSC)")
![PUCCINI, G.: Tosca [Opera] (DNO, 2022) (NTSC)](jpg/2.110752.jpg "PUCCINI, G.: Tosca [Opera] (DNO, 2022) (NTSC)")
![OFFENBACH, J.: Vie parisienne (La) [Operetta] (Palazzetto Bru Zane, 2021) (NTSC)](jpg/2.110753-54.jpg "OFFENBACH, J.: Vie parisienne (La) [Operetta] (Palazzetto Bru Zane, 2021) (NTSC)")
![CAVALIERI, E. de': Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo [Opera] (Theater an der Wien, 2021) (NTSC)](jpg/2.110750.jpg "CAVALIERI, E. de': Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo [Opera] (Theater an der Wien, 2021) (NTSC)")
![AUBER, D.-F.: Philtre (Le) [Opera]](jpg/8.660514-15.jpg "AUBER, D.-F.: Philtre (Le) [Opera]")
Our incomparable American Classics series grew to a total of 570 albums with the addition of 13 new entries. Notable among them were an album of works by Jennifer Higdon that featured her Concerto for Orchestra in ‘a spectacular recording and performance.’ (BBC Music Magazine); a recording of concertos by Kevin Puts that was hallmarked by ‘vitality and a brilliant level of execution.’ (Fanfare); and a programme of guitar works and arrangements by Justin Holland ‘which will upend one's notions of Black contributions to the world of the guitar.’ (Soundboard) An album of John Corigliano's works for solo piano, together with his First Piano Concerto, was awarded 5 stars by BBC Music Magazine; and a recording of two 1930s stage works by James P. Johnson was welcomed by The New York Times as ‘American art music ambrosia.’
In total, the Naxos label added 141 new audio and audio-visual releases to the catalogue, 58 of which featured world premiere recordings of music across a range of genres. These first recordings included Laurent Petigirard's ballet score for Si Yeou Ki, ‘a fascinating tale and scintillating music … a striking musical achievement.’ (Fanfare); Adolphe Adam’s music for the ballet Orfa, ‘a glorious discovery that should be given the attention it so richly deserves … passionately recommended.’ (Classical Music Daily); Claudio Santoro’s Symphonies Nos. 11 and 12, ‘These impressive and rarely heard works are all played with absolute conviction and panache.’ (Gramophone); and music by Vitĕzslav Novák, ‘a terrific display of Novák’s orchestral music, including the previously unrecorded.’
![PETITGIRARD, L.: Si Yeou Ki (The Journey to the West) [Ballet]](jpg/8.574392.jpg "PETITGIRARD, L.: Si Yeou Ki (The Journey to the West) [Ballet]")
![ADAM, A.: Orfa [Ballet]](jpg/8.574478.jpg "ADAM, A.: Orfa [Ballet]")
New recordings from our affiliated labels
Our affiliated labels released 469 fine new recordings, many of which were recognised with prestigious awards, including Ondine’s programme of orchestral music by Lotta Wennäkoski, which received the Gramophone Award for Contemporary Music Album of the Year, while their album of John Cage’s choral works was named Choral Music Album of the Year. Additionally, Ondine received wide recognition for its album of Schubert Trios, notably by MusicWeb International for ‘the excellence of the sound, the balance and comprehensiveness of the programme and, above all, the virtuosity of the playing.’ The VOX label’s remastered re-releases of landmark performances by conductors Leonard Slatkin and Maurice Abravanel were eagerly received by collectors, while the Orfeo label marked the Bavarian State Orchestra’s 500th anniversary with a 3-LP box set of Carlos Kleiber’s famed, rare recordings of Beethoven Symphonies.
The Naxos label and its growing roster of affiliated labels, offers something for everyone, newcomers and collectors alike. Whether you are an early music fan, guitar enthusiast, opera buff or connoisseur of historical performances, you will find a host of new discoveries that will both surprise and delight.
News from our digital services
Our educational platforms and streaming services, namely the Naxos Music Library, Naxos Music Library Jazz, Naxos Music Library World, Naxos Video Library, Naxos Spoken Word Library and Naxos MusicBox, together with the Naxos for Education portal – all continue to develop and provide access to an incredible wealth of music, spoken word content, educational texts and other musical composition information.
In 2023, 28 labels joined our various libraries, enhancing the already rich content of these valuable resources.
The Naxos Spoken Word Library continues to grow with new features, publishers and other enhancements, both online and offline. We launched our totally rewritten platform in November.
The Naxos Works Database also experienced significant growth, following continued collaboration with leading music publishers and music information centres, and now offers more than 150,000 works from nearly 6,500 composers.
For those who prefer to listen to and explore classical music through streaming, Naxos and its affiliated labels are present on all major platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and YouTube Music, both on a number of playlists, and under their own curated profiles, including Naxos, Naxos Moods, Grand Piano Records, and several others. Our ATMOSphere playlist on Apple Music features Naxos recordings that have been remastered in Dolby Atmos, an immersive spatial format that brings the concept of ‘surround sound’ to a new level.
All this, together with the development of mobile apps for our libraries, demonstrates the Naxos commitment to providing the best possible access to recorded classical music in the world. For more information on Naxos’ products and services, please visit www.naxosmusicgroup.com.
Founding Chairman, Naxos Music Group