Watch Naxos Musical Journeys

2015
3 Seasons

Naxos Musical Journeys was a television series that aired from 2000 to 2003, featuring filmed performances of classical music pieces set against stunning natural landscapes from around the world. Produced by Naxos Records, the show aimed to showcase the beauty of both music and the world we live in.

Each episode of the series explored a specific region or city, such as Vienna, Venice, or Salzburg, and delved into its unique cultural and musical heritage. The show featured a variety of performers, from renowned orchestras and conductors to local musicians and folk artists, highlighting the diversity of musical styles and traditions across different regions.

One of the standout features of Naxos Musical Journeys was the breathtaking visuals that accompanied the music. The camera work was expertly done, capturing the natural beauty of each location, from the glistening canals of Venice to the majestic mountains in the Swiss Alps. The footage was often interspersed with shots of local landmarks and cultural events, such as festivals or religious ceremonies, giving viewers a holistic view of the region's culture and history.

The soundtrack of the show was equally impressive. Each episode included a carefully curated selection of classical music pieces that were either composed in or inspired by the region being explored. The music ranged from well-known classics like Mozart's Requiem or Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 to lesser-known pieces by regional composers or traditional folk songs. The quality of the performances was outstanding, with top-notch soloists and ensembles bringing the music to life.

Naxos Musical Journeys was not only a feast for the eyes and ears but also a great educational resource. The show included informative narration that provided context and historical background on the music and the region being explored. Viewers could learn about the composer's life, the historical events that shaped the music, or the cultural significance of particular pieces. The narration was accessible and engaging, making the show suitable for both specialists and amateurs.

Overall, Naxos Musical Journeys was a high-quality production that brought together great music and stunning visuals to create a unique and immersive viewing experience. The show was a testament to the power of art to connect us to other people and places, and to enrich our understanding of the world. Whether you are a music lover or simply someone who enjoys discovering new places, Naxos Musical Journeys is not to be missed.

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Seasons

3 2 1

25. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Yunnan

Scenes of Yunnan are matched with traditional music. The tour starts with the Old Town of Lijiang, with its narrow cobbled streets and closely packed traditional buildings. Later the tour moves to Shuhe, otherwise known as Longquan Village, which is a few kilometers north of Lijiang but boasts comparable traditional buildings as a place where the minority Naxi People have long lived.

24. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music -Tibet

The tour is accompanied by Tibetan music, the chanting of monks and other vocal and instrumental music matched with remarkable views of the country, its buildings and mountain scenery. The tour starts with views of the Potala, the White Palace and the Red Palace, built in the 17th century. The Jokhang, dating from the 7th century, houses a revered image of the Buddha.

23. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Sichuan

The tour is accompanied by music played on traditional instruments. The tour starts in Chengdu in a park, where there is a replica of the thatched cottage in which the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu (Tu Fu) took refuge for years. Temples in the province include the elaborate Wuhou Memorial Temple, the temples on Qingcheng Mountain and the legendary Fulong Temple.

22. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Xinjiang

The tour is accompanied by traditional music and instruments. The tour of Xinjiang (Sinkiang) starts in the old town of Kashgar, with its Uighur shops and alleys. Travelling to Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) in the Tianshan Mountain range, we see Kazakh yurts and flocks of sheep, and something of the varied flora and fauna of the area. There are views of strange rock formations in the countryside.

21. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Shanxi

The journey is accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments and music. This Naxos China Travelogue tour of Shanxi starts with the ancient walled city of Pingyao, once a thriving commercial center. The former wealth of the province is witnessed by the Courtyard Houses of the Qu and Wang families, extensive compounds dating principally from the 18th century. Shuanglin Temple is also seen.

20. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Guilin

Performing the music are wind and string ensembles known as 'silk and bamboo', from their silk strings and bamboo pipes, and ensembles that also include percussion. Guilin, in Guangxi Province, is famous for its scenic beauty, in which nature seems to imitate Chinese art in a remarkable way. Other districts boast the extraordinary rock formations that are a feature of the area.

19. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Xi'an

The music chosen for this tour of Xi'an is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Of particular interest is the tomb of the Emperor Huang, regarded as the founder of the unified Chinese nation, and the remarkable terracotta warriors and horses discovered around the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang Di, founder of the Qin dynasty.

18. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Hangzhou

The music chosen for this tour of Hangzhou is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Unusually there is a Bach Minuet, transcribed for the Chinese dulcimer, the yangqin, used to accompany a visit to a silk museum. Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, held a position of importance from the time of the Sui dynasty and is sited at the end of the Grand Canal with linked waterways.

17. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Shanghai

The music chosen for this tour of Shanghai is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Performing the music are the wind and string ensembles known as 'silk and bamboo', from their silk strings and bamboo pipes, and ensembles that also include percussion. The city of Shanghai, China's most important port, owes some of its prosperity to the so-called unequal treatises forced on China.

16. A Cultural Tour with Traditional Chinese Music - Beijing

The instruments to be heard include the Chinese flute (dizi), the zither (qin), the Chinese lute (pipa), the three-string lute (sanxian) and the two-string Chinese fiddle (erhu). Many of the historical remains come from the period of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and the following Qing (1644-1911). These include the former imperial palace, known as the Forbidden City, and other palaces and parks.

15. Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy

In a remarkable way Mahler, in his symphonies and songs, has seemed to reflect the twentieth century in all its bewildering variety and has now won an established place in concert repertoire. The journey starts in Switzerland, in the canton of Thurgau, leading from Steckborn and the Bodensee to the Rhine Falls. From Syria, in Austria, comes Hochosterwitz Castle and from Bavaria Weikersheim Castle.

14. Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France Night Music Vol. 1

Included are movements from Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Symphony No. 40, and from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, with Pachelbel's ingenious Canon. Most of the places visited reflect a spirit of calm and tranquility, although the glimpse of Venice dwells briefly on carnival revellers. Other scenes range from the Bavarian Chiemsee and the tracts of the Camargue in the South of France.

Music for the tour includes Debussy's evocative Prélude l'apr¨s-midi d'un faune, two Gymnop©dies by Erik Satie and Ravel's two suites from his ballet Daphnis et Chlo©, followed by his Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and

13. Music for the tour includes Debussy's evocative Prélude l'apr¨s-midi d'un faune, two Gymnop©dies by Erik Satie and Ravel's two suites from his ballet Daphnis et Chlo©, followed by his Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and

Music for the tour includes Debussy's evocative Pr©lude l'apr¨s-midi d'un faune, two Gymnop©dies by Erik Satie and Ravel's two suites from his ballet Daphnis et Chlo©, followed by his Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet. The tour opens with views of the Camargue. Views of the C´te d'Azur are intercut with glimpses of the Munich Glyptothek with its statuaries.

12. A Musical Tour of Provence

Music for the tour consists of string quartets by Claude Debussy and by Maurice Ravel, thirteen years his junior. The region of southern France known as Provence has enjoyed a varied history, occupied by Ligurian and Celtic tribes, followed by Greek settlers, and finally by absorption into the Roman Empire. The Roman period is represented by the surviving Romanesque and Gothic buildings.

11. A Musical Tour of Seville - Spain

Music for the tour includes two of the suites drawn from the French composer George Bizet's opera Carmen, first staged in Paris in 1875 and drawing on Spanish traditions for its plot and setting and for its transformation of traditional Spanish dances. The ancient city of Seville, capital of Andaluca, was an Iberian settlement, of importance during the period of Roman domination.

10. Castles and Towns in Bohemia and Moravia - Czech Republic

Music for the visit is by Mozart and consists of his four Horn Concertos, written during the last decade of his life, when he was in Vienna. The Places The visit to the Czech Republic starts with Hlubok¡ Castle, a massive building that for over three hundred years belonged to the Schwarzenberg family. The present building is modelled in part on England's Windsor Castle.

9. A Musical Tour of the Graubunden - Switzerland

Music for the tour is taken from four Concerti grossi by Handel. The canton of the Graub¼nden, the Grey Leagues, covers the largest territory of all Swiss cantons, while remaining the most sparsely populated. Geographically it borders the Southern Tyrol, Austria and Liechtenstein, and linguistically has a population in part Romansch-speaking, German, Italian and French.

8. A Musical Tour of the Lienz Dolomites - Austria and Italy

Music for the tour is by Franz Schubert, the son of a schoolmaster who had settled in Vienna. The beauty of the Austrian landscape is reflected in his music and, in particular, in his songs. Tyrol was divided into three regions, Southern Tyrol being ceded to Italy. The Eastern Tyrol, Austrian territory, is bounded to the south by the Lienz Dolomites, with the town of Lienz the regional capital.

7. A Musical Tour of the Southern Tyrol - Italy

Music for the tour is by Mozart, born in Salzburg in 1756. The Southern Tyrol was in earlier times part of the Habsburg Empire, governed from Vienna, and ceded to Italy in 1919. Of particular interest are the rock-formations of the Dolomites and the many castles and fortified houses of the province. The tour shows two historic buildings, Scholss Velthurns and Schloss Runkelstein.

6. Switzerland Museo Vela at Ligornetto

Music for the visit is by Chopin, with his piano Preludes, written principally during the winter of 1838-39 that he spent in Mallorca with his mistress, the writer George Sand. The Museo Vela is at Ligornetto in the Swiss-Italian canton of Ticino. The galleries have remarkable collections of the works of the Vela family, Lorenzo, Vincenzo and his son Spartaco.

5. A Musical Tour of Bavaria - Frauenau - Regensburg, Weltensburg - Germany

Music for the tour is by Telemann, a friend and contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, founder of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum. The places seen here start with the Bavarian Forest and its traditional craft of glass-blowing. Other scenes are of the great palace of the Thurn und Taxis Princes at Regensburg and the fine baroque monastery church of St George and St Martin at Weltenburg.

4. A Musical Tour of Baroque Churches in Bavaria - Germany

Music for the tour is by Johann Sebastian Bach and is taken from the works Bach wrote for the organ. The tour visits four notable baroque churches in Bavaria, the Monastic Church of the Assumption at Rohr, the Benedictine Abbey Church of Ottobeuren, the Alte Kapelle in Regensburg and the Monastic Church of St George and St Martin at Weltenburg near Kelheim.

3. A Musical Tour of the Country's Past and Present - Uzbekistan

Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic suite Sheherazade, based on episodes_4-18 from The Arabian Nights, provides an apt accompaniment to a tour of Uzbekistan. The music chosen also includes the musical picture Sadko.This tour of Uzbekistan takes us to Bukhara and to Khiva, former oases on the old Silk Road that joined East and West.

2. A Musical Tour of Bach's Homeland - Germany

The music for this tour of Germany is taken from three keyboard concertos by Bach, originally written for harpsichord but here heard on the piano, an instrument only beginning to develop in Bach's time. This tour of Germany and, in particular, Thuringia, takes us to places associated with Johann Sebastian Bach, to his birth-place, Eisenach, to Arnstadt where he had early employment, and to Leipzig

1. Musical Tour of the City's Past and Present - Austria

The music for this tour of Austria is taken from two concertos by Mozart, his Clarinet Concerto and his Oboe Concerto, K.314, written in Salzburg in 1777. This tour of Austria takes us from the historic towns of Stein-Krems and Salzburg to the former imperial country residence at Laxenburg, the Imperial Treasury in Vienna and the vivid contemporary architecture of Fritz Stowasser.

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