Two acclaimed Naxos recordings received accolades as the nominees for the 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on January 7, 2003.
Audio engineer John Newton was recognized with a nomination for Best Engineered Album, Classical for his work on a volume of orchestral works by George Whitefield Chadwick. The album includes a selection of Chadwick’s symphonic poems played by the Nashville Symphony, with Kenneth Schermerhorn conducting. With a recorded sound that is “just right, with enough ambiance for warmth, yet still with plenty of detail,” the recording is brought to life through Newton’s masterful touch. This is another fine addition to the Nashville Symphony’s Naxos recordings, which also include works by Bernstein, Ives, and Hanson.
A nomination for Best Instrumental Solo Performance with Orchestra went to James Buswell for his brilliant solo work on Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, supported by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Marin Alsop conducting. Deemed “a performance with a genuine heart, superbly played, with a marked care for detail, instrumental colour and melodic inflection” (Geoffrey Norris, The Daily Telegraph), the performance is not to be missed. Rounding out the album are Barber’s Souvenirs (Ballet Suite) Op.28 and Serenade for Strings Op.1, creating a substantial programme filled with the stirring complexities of Barber’s works.
Both recordings are part of Naxos’ American Classics series, which is devoted to presenting a comprehensive collection of American art music. The series includes repertoire by familiar names such as Ives, Sousa, and Copland as well as lesser-known composers including George Frederick McKay and Elie Siegmeister.
The GRAMMYs, given by the US-based Recording Academy (National Academy for the Recording Arts and Sciences), are among the highest honours given in the American recording industry. The 2003 GRAMMYs will be presented on February 23rd in New York.
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