August 1st-7th
The Austro-Hungarian empire in the early 19th-century was a breeding ground for the operetta. Audiences couldn't get enough of the catchy tunes, the light comedy, and the magnificent spectacle of being seen at the opera. Naxos celebrates this heritage with a 2-CD set featuring highlights of works by Johann Strauss II, Franz Léhar, Emmerich Kálman, Robert Stoltz and Carl Zeller.
August 8th-14th
The virtuosic compositions of Archangelo Corelli come to glorious life in the playing of Maurice Steger. He performs the complete Opus 5 of Corelli with orchestral editions by Francesco Geminiani and ornamented versions by several masters of the Baroque period. This isn't your 5th grade recorder recital!
August 15th-21st
Vassily Primakov's 2009 release of Chopin Mazurka's was named "Best of the Year" by National Public Radio. He's back this time with a collection of dances by Franz Schubert. Following in the footsteps of Johannes Brahms, who edited a set of dances by Schubert in 1869, Primakov, with the assistance of Vera Gornostaeva, have compiled three sets on his latest recording.
August 22nd-28th
Eric Whitacre is one of the brightest stars in the choral music constellation. His works have been performed by the best ensembles from around the world, and he is constantly at work on new commissions which are almost always guaranteed successes. One of Canada's premiere vocal ensembles, the Elora Festival Singers, has brought together a collection of Whitacre's most-acclaimed works on this release. Included are his inventive "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine," the mournful "When David Heard," and "Sleep," a composition originally paired with the Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
August 30th-September 4th
Guitarist John Schneidermann and Oleg Timofeyev created The Czar's Guitars to revive the legacy of the Russian guitar. The Russian seven-string guitar, an instrument that differs significantly from the Spanish guitar in construction, tuning, and technique, became popular in Russia late in the eighteenth century. "Souvenirs of Russia" is a collection primarily of 19th-century guitar music from the pen of Fernando Sor, Mikhail Glinka, and Vladimir Morkov, among others.