To know, that is, to really understand, music, you need to separate the particular characteristics of the music itself, the instrument you play and your own ego.

The Fine Arts Quartet, ‘one of the gold-plated names in chamber music’ (Washington Post), is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy, including several Naxos CDs.

This year Naxos will make a number of new recordings featuring leading artists. Here are some of the exciting highlights from our recording schedule to whet your appetite.

JoAnn Falletta shares her thoughts on several of her Naxos recordings, on working with the Buffalo Philharmonic and why the ‘crisis’ in classical music today is nothing new in this interview with Stephen Schafer.

Gerard Schwarz, Music Director of Seattle Symphony since 1985, Principal Conductor of the Eastern Music Festival, and Conductor Emeritus of New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, boasts an extensive, highly acclaimed and ever-growing discography on Naxos.

Once set aside by retailers as cheap music, the Naxos label now rivals the big guns in quality, writes Sam Olluver

Twice a winner of the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik for her Naxos recordings, Elizabeth Farr is on the faculty of the University of Colorado where she teaches harpsichord and organ, conducts the Early Music Ensemble, and offers classes in performance practices and basso-continuo playing.

For a real treat, watch an exceptional master class run by Maxim Vengerov that includes the acclaimed British violinist Chloë Hanslip, who was only 11-year-old at the time, on YouTube:

British lutenist Nigel North discusses his abiding love of Dowland’s music with Stephen Schafer and mused about what he’d do with a million dollars.

Marin Alsop is recognised as one of today’s leading conductors and boasts a number of outstanding Naxos recordings. She recently shared some thoughts about her career with Stephen Schafer, Editorial Manager for Naxos International Marketing.

On January 10, Naxos releases the 4th and final recording in a series of orchestral transcriptions by Leopold Stokowski led by Stokowski’s protégé, the GRAMMY award-winning conductor and composer José Serebrier, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.