Takako Nishizaki

Composers

Biography

Born: April 14, 1944  
Violinist Takako Nishizaki is perhaps the most frequently recorded concert violinist of the digital era. She was also the first violinist to learn by way of the Suzuki method; her father, Shinji Nishizaki, worked with Shinichi Suzuki in developing the method, and Takako Nishizaki took instruction from both teachers. She made her debut at the age of 9, and further studied with Broadus Erle, starting in Japan and later at Yale University. Nishizaki Read more finished her violin studies at Juilliard under Joseph Fuchs and in 1967 won second prize in the Leventritt International competition behind Pinchas Zukerman.

One would surmise that with her talent and beauty that American record companies would be getting in each other's way to obtain Nishizaki's recording contract. But they weren't, and by 1974 Nishizaki settled in Hong Kong, where she established a career as the pre-eminent violin virtuoso on the Chinese concert circuit. This was no small feat, as in China they take the violin seriously and its literature is central to the entire establishment of Chinese classical music. Along the way Nishizaki met and married German businessman Klaus Heymann, founder of HNH International, the corporate parent to the popular classical label Naxos. Heymann sponsored Nishizaki in an extensive series of recordings of Chinese classical music on his Marco Polo label. Some of these recordings sold into the millions of copies in China, providing the nest egg that launched the Naxos label in the late 1980s.

With Naxos, Nishizaki has recorded much of the standard Western violin literature, as well, but has made a special mission of recording key violin literature that is known in concert and in the classroom, but seldom represented on records. The most celebrated example of this tendency is her recordings of the concertos of Chevalier de St-Georges, but it also includes her interpretations of Charles August de Bériot, Louis Spohr, and Joseph Joachim. All of Nishizaki's recordings are notable for her generous, singing tone; flexible rhythmic sensibility; her sense of architectural symmetry in regard to whole movements; her ability to excite; and the sheer beauty of Nishizaki's sound. Read less

Featured Takako Nishizaki CDs & DVDs:

Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos / Nishizaki, Jean
Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos / Nishizaki, Jean
Release Date: 06/30/1992   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8550153   Number of Discs: 1
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Franck, Grieg: Violin Sonatas / Takako Nishizaki, Jenö Jandó
Franck, Grieg: Violin Sonatas / Takako Nishizaki, Jenö Jandó
Release Date: 02/15/1994   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8550417   Number of Discs: 1
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Beethoven: Works For Violin And Orchestra / Nishizaki
Beethoven: Works For Violin And Orchestra / Nishizaki
Release Date: 06/30/1992   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8550149   Number of Discs: 1
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Brahms, Bruch: Violin Concertos / Nishizaki, Gunzenhauser
Brahms, Bruch: Violin Concertos / Nishizaki, Gunzenhauser
Release Date: 06/30/1992   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8550195   Number of Discs: 1
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Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 5 & 9 / Nishizaki, Jando
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 5 & 9 / Nishizaki, Jando
Release Date: 06/30/1992   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8550283   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 1-25 of 158 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Naxos: The Anniversary Collection
    Naxos: The Anniversary Collection
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8503293 Release Date: 04/14/2017   Number of Discs: 30
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Johannes Brahms,  Anton Bruckner  ... 
    Performer:  Bettina Eger,  Ute Hartwich,  Martin Kevenhörster,  Hans-Martin Kothe  ... 
    Conductor:  Helmut Müller-Brühl,  Georg Tintner,  Robert Stankovsky,  Leonard Slatkin  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cologne Chamber Orchestra,  Royal Scottish National Orchestra,  Kosice Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $58.99
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  • 2.
    My First Classical Albums
    My First Classical Albums
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8509003 Release Date: 10/14/2016   Number of Discs: 9
    Composer:  Gioachino Rossini,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Antonio Vivaldi,  John Adams  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Jénö Jandó,  Jürgen Schuster,  Idil Biret  ... 
    Conductor:  Michael Halász,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Marin Alsop,  Keith Clark  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Éder String Quartet,  Danubius String Quartet,  German Wind Soloists  ... 
    CD: $48.99
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  • 3.
    Relaxation: Soothing Sounds of Classical Music
    Relaxation: Soothing Sounds of Classical Music
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578341 Release Date: 09/09/2016   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Schubert,  Edvard Grieg,  Erik Satie,  Georges Bizet  ... 
    Performer:  Nora Shulman,  Judy Loman,  Takako Nishizaki,  Wolf Harden  ... 
    Conductor:  Peter Breiner,  Jérôme Kaltenbach,  Alfred Walter,  Jorma Panula  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Nancy Lyric Symphony Orchestra,  Budapest Strauss Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 4.
    Purple Classics Presents: Quiet Time – The Music of Mozart
    Purple Classics Presents: Quiet Time – The Music of Mozart
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578322 Release Date: 06/17/2016   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Jenö Jandó,  Takako Nishizaki,  Patrick Gallois,  Roderick Shaw  ... 
    Conductor:  András Ligeti,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Patrick Gallois,  Mátyás Antal
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concentus Hungaricus,  Capella Istropolitana,  Swedish Chamber Orchestra  ... 
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  • 5.
    Purple Classics Presents: The Baroque Collection
    Purple Classics Presents: The Baroque Collection
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578320 Release Date: 06/17/2016   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Johann Pachelbel  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Daniel Rothert,  Ladislav Kyselak,  Maria Kliegel  ... 
    Conductor:  Béla Bánfalvi,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Jaroslav Dvorák,  Helmut Muller-Brühl  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Budapest Strings,  Capella Istropolitana,  Cologne Chamber Orchestra  ... 
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  • 6.
    Chinese Melodies for Violin & Guitar / Nishizaki, Garcia
    Chinese Melodies for Violin & Guitar / Nishizaki, Garcia
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225837 Release Date: 03/11/2016   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Huang Zi,  Lan Ping Zhou,  Zhao Yuan Ren,  Chow Shusan  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Gerald Garcia
    CD: $17.99
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  • 7.
    Hong Kong TV & Movie Classics / Nishizaki, Hong Kong Philharmonic
    Hong Kong TV & Movie Classics / Nishizaki, Hong Kong Philharmonic
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225835 Release Date: 03/11/2016   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Joseph Koo,  Ching Hsi Weng,  Michael Lai,  Chia-Chang Liu  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Varujan Kojian,  Kenneth Jean,  Henry Shek
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
    CD: $17.99
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  • 8.
    Popular Chinese Violin Pieces / Takako Nishizaki
    Popular Chinese Violin Pieces / Takako Nishizaki
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225833 Release Date: 03/11/2016   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  He Zhan Hao,  Traditional,  Yong Cheng Qin,  Yao Xian Ma  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Yitkin Seow
    Conductor:  Lim Kek-Tjiang
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Nagoya Philharmonic
    CD: $17.99
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  • 9.
    Du Mingxin: Violin Concerto; Piano Concerto
    Du Mingxin: Violin Concerto; Piano Concerto "Spirit of Spring"
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225832 Release Date: 01/08/2016   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Du Ming-xin
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Jénö Jandó
    Conductor:  Kenneth Jean,  Chen Zuohuang
    CD: $15.99
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  • 10.
    Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto / Nishizaki, Zhanhao, Gumma Symphony Orchestra
    Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto / Nishizaki, Zhanhao, Gumma Symphony Orchestra
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225819 Release Date: 11/13/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  He Zhan Hao,  Huang Zi,  Traditional
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Henry Shek
    CD: $17.99
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  • 11.
    Popular Chinese Violin Pieces
    Popular Chinese Violin Pieces
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225818 Release Date: 11/13/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Li Huanzhi,  Hu Huiming,  Sha Hankun,  Zhang Jing-ping  ... 
    Performer:  Chan Siufan,  Koo Kwok Kuen,  Takako Nishizaki
    CD: $15.99
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  • 12.
    Du Ming-xin: Ten Xinjang Dances
    Du Ming-xin: Ten Xinjang Dances
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225814 Release Date: 09/11/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Du Ming-xin
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Choo Hoey
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Singapore Symphony Orchestra
    CD: $17.99
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  • 13.
    Du Ming-Xin: Violin Concerto; The Goddess of River Luo; Autumn Thoughts
    Du Ming-Xin: Violin Concerto; The Goddess of River Luo; Autumn Thoughts
    Label: Marco Polo   Catalog: 8225810 Release Date: 04/28/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Du Ming-xin
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Kenneth Jean
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
    CD: $17.99
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  • 14.
    The Butterfly Lovers Concerto / Nishizaki [Vinyl]
    The Butterfly Lovers Concerto / Nishizaki [Vinyl]
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: SRM033LP Release Date: 03/10/2015   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Chen Gang
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Fan Chengwu
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Shanghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra
    On sale! $39.99
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  • 15.
    Love And Passion In Music
    Love And Passion In Music
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 7828990 Release Date: 11/11/2014   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Léo Delibes,  Claude Debussy,  Alexander Glazunov  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Rivka Golani,  János Selmeczy
    Conductor:  Peter Breiner,  Andrew Mogrelia,  Alexander Rahbari,  Konstantin Krimetz  ... 
    On sale! $19.99
    CD: $13.99
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  • 16.
    Animals In Music
    Animals In Music
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 578281 Release Date: 04/29/2014   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  George Frideric Handel,  Edvard Grieg,  Modest Mussorgsky  ... 
    Performer:  John Artore,  Balazs Szkolay,  Giorgio Koukl,  Takako Nishizaki  ... 
    Conductor:  Kees Bakels,  Peter Breiner,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  David Lloyd-Jones  ... 
    On sale! $19.99
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  • 17.
    A Musical Journey: Austria - Hohenwerfen, Weissensee, Styria, Linz, Aggstein, Hallein, Baden
    A Musical Journey: Austria - Hohenwerfen, Weissensee, Styria, Linz, Aggstein, Hallein, Baden
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 2110335 Release Date: 05/28/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Stephen Gunzenhauser
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Capella Istropolitana
    On sale! $12.99
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  • 18.
    Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies; Concertos; Overtures
    Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies; Concertos; Overtures
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8501204 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: 12
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Ruxandra Donose,  Hasmik Papian,  Manfred Fink,  Claudio Otelli  ... 
    Conductor:  Béla Drahos,  Barry Wordsworth,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Kenneth Jean
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia,  Capella Istropolitana,  Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
    CD: $98.99
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  • 19.
    Great Chamber Music
    Great Chamber Music
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8501064 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Franz Joseph Haydn,  Franz Schubert,  Felix Mendelssohn  ... 
    Performer:  Tamás Szabo,  Gábor Fias,  Attila Falvay,  György Éder  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Kodály String Quartet,  Auer String Quartet,  Villa Musica Ensemble  ... 
    CD: $68.99
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  • 20.
    A Musical Journey - Italy: Lucca, Tivoli, Tuscany, Liguria
    A Musical Journey - Italy: Lucca, Tivoli, Tuscany, Liguria
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 2110327 Release Date: 03/26/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Oliver Dohnányi
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Capella Istropolitana
    On sale! $12.99
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  • 21.
    A Musical Journey - France: Burgundy, Pays De La Loire, Franche-comte
    A Musical Journey - France: Burgundy, Pays De La Loire, Franche-comte
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 2110298 Release Date: 11/13/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki
    Conductor:  Michael Halász,  Kenneth Jean
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
    On sale! $12.99
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  • 22.
    A Musical Journey - Germany - Nuremberg
    A Musical Journey - Germany - Nuremberg
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 2110307 Release Date: 06/26/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Wolf Harden
    On sale! $12.99
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  • 23.
    Great Classical Masterpieces: Bestselling Recordings 1987-2012
    Great Classical Masterpieces: Bestselling Recordings 1987-2012
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578217 Release Date: 05/29/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hildegard of Bingen,  Johannes Brahms,  Carl Orff,  Henryk Mikolaj Górecki  ... 
    Performer:  Norbert Kraft,  Klára Körmendi,  Takako Nishizaki,  Kathryn Selby  ... 
    Conductor:  Jeremy Summerly,  István Bogár,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Antoni Wit  ... 
    CD: $5.99
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  • 24.
    Great Baroque Masterpieces
    Great Baroque Masterpieces
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8501061 Release Date: 04/24/2012   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  George Frideric Handel,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Georg Philipp Telemann  ... 
    Performer:  Nadja Schubert,  Daniel Rothert,  Corinne Chapelle,  Karl Kaiser  ... 
    Conductor:  Helmut Müller-Brühl,  Kevin Mallon,  Bradley Creswick,  Jozef Kopelman  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cologne Chamber Orchestra,  Aradia Ensemble,  Northern Sinfonia  ... 
    Recommendation
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  • 25.
    Great Violin Concertos
    Great Violin Concertos
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8501058 Release Date: 04/24/2012   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Antonio Vivaldi,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Louis Spohr  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Simone Lamsma,  Ilya Kaler,  Misha Keylin  ... 
    Conductor:  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Oliver Dohnányi,  Patrick Gallois,  Kenneth Jean  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Capella Istropolitana,  Sinfonia Finlandia,  Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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