Here is Part II of the three part series on our Staff Picks. 2009 was an incredible year for music all over the world! We wanted to share our top picks from Naxos and our family of Distributed Labels with you. Many of us couldn't pick just one or even 5 top albums, so the list is pretty extensive!Randall (Licensing & Biz Dev Manager)

Kelly (ePress & eMarketing)




Katie (Digital/Marketing/Label Manager)Low and behold, here are my top 10 classical records from 2009…in no particular order.

Movement three of the Flute Concerto is quite possibly one of my favorite pieces of music ever. Period. Thank you to my colleague, Matt Whittier for introducing me. Oh yes, and amazing flute playing by Sharon Bezaly.

Marc Minkowski (and Naïve) can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. The sound is crystal clear and the performance of these three very different celebrations of St. Cecilia (the patron saint of music) is astounding.

What is most interesting about this piece of music is the history and the political/ religious undertones (or perhaps, overtones). Although not one of Bernstein’s best-known, it is by far his most enormous, calling for a full orchestra, multiple choruses AND a marching band! Alsop’s interpretation has such meaning as she was a student of Bernstein and she did an incredible job of putting it all together…definitely something I’d love to see in person one of these days.

One of many interesting releases from the NYC-based New Amsterdam label this year. Incredible interpretations of works by the likes of Nico Muhly, Judd Greenstein and Marcos Balter. Favorite tracks on this disc: 2, 4 and 6.

A beautifully performed Symphony No. 2 by the French composer Paul Marie Theodore Vincent D’Indy. This is the second volume in this new series from the Chandos label featuring the Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rumon Gamba.

Paul Hillier and Ars Nova Copenhagen are both expert interpreters of early music. Schutz, although seemingly lesser-known than Bach or Monteverdi, is regarded as one of the most important composers of the 17th century and this Dacapo recording of his St. Luke’s Passion is magnificent.

All I can say is that the Schnittke Viola Concerto, in usual Schnittke fashion, is bizarre, but I love it for that reason. Dramatic and unpredictable, it certainly is no easy task to perform and David Aaron Carpenter does it well. As for the Elgar, I concur with Sean Hickey in saying that “DAC proves the Elgar concerto works well on an instrument held under the chin.”

This Beethoven cycle was completed at the end of 2008 and has been hailed as one of the best of all-time. I would have to agree. With so many recordings of the Beethoven symphonies out there, it is difficult to pick any one that stands out from the rest. Given the BIS label’s incredibly high standards for sound quality and Osmo Vanska’s interpretation, this is without a doubt, one of the very best.

These Sarasate violin works are so much fun to listen to and it is obvious in his performance that Gil is very passionate about this music. If you don’t believe me, watch this lovely viral video the Canary team put together for promotion of this record -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQgjmMVqUPw
Michael Daugherty is one of America’s foremost living, active composers. This world premier recording of works commissioned by the DSO is undoubtedly one of the most exciting releases from Naxos this year. This was the second of two Daugherty releases on the label in 2009. The other was his Metropolis Symphony with the Nashville Symphony and Giancarlo Guererro.
Erica (Exec Sales)
As one of the most famous fashion designers of all time, Coco Chanel transformed the fashion industry with her controversial silhouettes and introduction of costume jewelry into daily wear. Featuring commentary from Karl Lagerfeld, head of the fashion house today, this DVD provides an in-depth look at the development and inspiration behind the fashion house that continues to lead the industry today. A must-see for all fashionistas!
Paula (Press and Media)













Anne (NML Customer Support & Sales)
Wow! Amazing recording!

I got to re-live the concert experience on the CD. I thought it was a breath-taking concert, and I was SO excited to hear it on CD.

It's amazing how many note-worthy modern composers were born in 1938! I had no idea! I learned so much from this CD. I enjoyed the selection of works and interviews with several of the composers.
Elysha (Production/Label Manager)







Ben (Graphic Designer)


Lea (Sr. Marketing Manager/Label Manager)
James MacMillan, 7 Last Words from the Cross
The first time I heard this recording, I stopped everything I was doing, listened, and wept. I was immediately lost in the music. The music is at times thorny and uncomfortable, and at other moments incredibly beautiful. It is not always an easy listen, but it is worth it. I feel that this is the best setting of the Seven Last Words that I have heard. Whether you are spiritual or agnostic, this disc is worth an hour of your time.

Bernstein: Mass
I never really liked this piece of music, so I was a little leery of listening to the full work when it came out this late summer. What I heard on the recording by Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was revelatory! Their performance forced me to look at the piece in a new way, and I can now say that thanks to this recording I appreciate and admire Bernstein’s Mass.

Lauridsen: Choral Works
For an American choral singer like me, listening to Lauridsen is like coming home, putting on some warm slippers, and snuggling up to a cozy fire. I looked forward to enjoying some of my favorites of Lauridsen’s pieces when I heard about this release. I was not disappointed at all; since the Elora Festival Singers are one of the finest choral ensembles around…this is a stunning recording!
Raymond (Podcasts, Radio, NML)









Janet (NaxosDirect/Interactive Marketing)
Sting drew me to this DVD, but the Schumanns’ triumphant and tragic love story, and the music they composed during their time together, which so beautifully and painfully conveyed aurally what even their eloquent words could not, tops my list for 2009 releases. I was moved to tears, and I’m not ashamed to say it. How could one ever get consumed by Twilight when real love stories like the one between Robert and Clara Schumann exist?

The Hot Club of San Francisco’s holiday album. It’s hip, man.

While I haven’t listened to all of them, I listened to the Jane Austen biography, and am finishing up
Northanger Abbey as of this post. With a 45-minute commute, these AudioBook CDs have become treasured friends. I am always amazed at the talent Naxos AudioBooks gets to narrate their classic releases, and Juliet Stevenson is no exception. She is an accomplished actress of stage and screen, and delivers captivating performances on these discs.
William (Audio Books/Marketing Manager)

Taylor (Interactive Marketing)
I am a huge fan of choral music, and a huge fan of Lauridsen. The Elora Festival Singers defintiely do his works justice.

Build is really cool! It's one of my favorites to come out of New Amsterdam. The strings are raw and Matt McBane (the composer) fuzes jazz and classical together. He's also not afraid to use a drum set to add an additional layer. Overall, it's an easy way to get into new classical music.

The Vivaldi Series is pretty amazing. The artwork on the album covers is just gorgeous, and Farnace is a lot of fun to listen to.

The KZ Musik series has an incredible wealth of history behind it. It was fascinating listening to the pieces and wondering how in the world anything of beauty survived in concentration camps. The pieces are haunting and absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend checking out one or two of the series.

This was one of my first blu-ray audio experiences, and it was unreal. I live with a guy and he (of course) has surround sound. The aural experience was something I had never experienced. I closed my eyes and sat in the middle of the room, and completely forgot I was in my house. The harp music was beautiful, and one of the coolest things about the 2L releases, is the booklet. It contains a diagram of where each instrument was during the recording, and which speaker that instrument is coming out of. You need at least 1 blu-ray audio disc in your collection, especially if you have a blu-ray player and surround!

Darwin in a Nutshell was a really interesting listen during car rides to and from work. It provided incredible insight into one of the greatest thinkers of modern science. Defintiely a great addition to my audio book library.

Hansel & Gretel is my new favorite opera. The set design, costuming, and casting is all perfect. The expressions on all the singer's faces are perfect. You don't even have to have subtitles to understand what's going on onstage! It's really great. Again, the blu-ray is incredible. The picture is perfect and the audio is amazing. Probably not suitable for kids though.

It's Tan Dun's Water Concerto - and it's amazing. The kinds of sounds he can create from water instruments is amazing.

Benvenuto Cellini is my second favorite opera! This is the coolest, hippest version of Benvenuto Cellini complete with helicopters, robots, explosions, fireworks, dueling, partying and monks. I especially love how they incorporated technology into the opera.

I am usually not a documentary lover, but this one is especially good. We get to see the life of a traveling, performing classical musician as he hits the road on a train. The fact that you see him playing on the train, then next in a concert hall is pretty cool. He also has incredible insight into his own soul that he talks about. It's a pretty amazing documentary, filled with beautiful music and an interesting story.