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
Browse 1-25 of 176 Available Recordings
1 2 ... 7 8
  • 1.
    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  ... 
    CD: $19.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $19.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $15.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 2.
    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
    DVD: $9.99
    In Stock
    BUY 
    DVD:  $9.99 Add DVD to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 3.
    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: $48.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $48.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $79.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 4.
    The Complete Beethoven: Symphonies; Concertos; Overtures [12-CD Set]
    The Complete Beethoven: Symphonies; Concertos; Overtures [12-CD Set]
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8501204 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: 12
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Stefan Vladar,  Claire Rutter,  Matilde Wallevik,  Marta Fontanals-Simmons  ... 
    Conductor:  Béla Drahos,  Barry Wordsworth,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Kenneth Jean
    CD: $58.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $58.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $95.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 5.
    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
    DVD: $9.99
    In Stock
    BUY 
    DVD:  $9.99 Add DVD to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 6.
    Rsvp: Classical Music For Entertaining
    Label: Mood Media Entertainment   Catalog: 57757 Release Date: 01/01/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  César Cui,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Johann Pachelbel,  Camille Saint-Saëns  ... 
    Performer:  Jeffrey Biegel,  Tamas Benkocs,  Stéphane Lemelin,  Kimball Sykes  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ensemble Villa Musica,  Stuttgart Piano Trio,  Concentus Hungaricus
    CD: $23.99
    In Stock
    BUY 
    CD:  $23.99 Add CD to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 7.
    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
    DVD: $9.99
    In Stock
    BUY 
    DVD:  $9.99 Add DVD to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 8.
    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
    DVD: $9.99
    In Stock
    BUY 
    DVD:  $9.99 Add DVD to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 9.
    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,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Carl Orff  ... 
    Performer:  Jénö Jandó,  Norbert Kraft,  Klára Körmendi,  Takako Nishizaki  ... 
    Conductor:  Jeremy Summerly,  István Bogár,  György Lehel,  Stephen Gunzenhauser  ... 
    CD: $5.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $5.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 10.
    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
    CD: $48.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $48.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $79.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 11.
    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  ... 
    Recommendation
    CD: $48.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $48.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $79.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 12.
    My First Tchaikovsky Album
    My First Tchaikovsky Album
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578214 Release Date: 03/27/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
    Performer:  Oxana Yablonskaya,  Maria Kliegel,  Joseph Banowetz,  Ilona Prunyi  ... 
    Conductor:  Michael Halász,  Philippe Entremont,  Gerhard Markson,  Ondrej Lenárd  ... 
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 13.
    My First Violin Album
    My First Violin Album
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578215 Release Date: 03/27/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Niccolň Paganini,  Sir Edward Elgar,  Jules Massenet,  Felix Mendelssohn  ... 
    Performer:  Ilya Kaler,  Jénö Jandó,  Takako Nishizaki,  Caspar Frantz  ... 
    Conductor:  Kenneth Jean,  Carl Davis,  Theodore Kuchar,  Stephen Gunzenhauser  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ferenc Sánta & His Gypsy Band
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 14.
    My First Beethoven Album
    My First Beethoven Album
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578206 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Jénö Jandó,  Takako Nishizaki,  Stefan Vladar,  Gyorgy Eder  ... 
    Conductor:  Béla Drahos,  Ondrej Lenárd,  Barry Wordsworth,  Kenneth Jean  ... 
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 15.
    My First Classical Music Album
    My First Classical Music Album
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578203 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Gioachino Rossini,  Antonio Vivaldi,  John Adams,  Gabriel Fauré  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Dong-Suk Kang,  Pascal Devoyon,  Jürgen Schuster  ... 
    Conductor:  Michael Halász,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Marin Alsop,  Mats Rondin  ... 
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 16.
    My First Mozart Album
    My First Mozart Album
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578204 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Hana Mullerova,  Jirí Válek,  Jénö Jandó,  Takako Nishizaki  ... 
    Conductor:  Pier G. Morandi,  Barry Wordsworth,  Petter Sundkvist,  Richard Edlinger  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Concentus Hungaricus,  German Wind Soloists
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 17.
    The Mozart Effect: Music For Children
    The Mozart Effect: Music For Children
    Label: Children's Group   Catalog: 85005 Release Date: 08/30/2011   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Dag Ingram,  Michael Copley,  Takako Nishizaki,  Hana Mullerova  ... 
    Conductor:  Johannes Wildner,  Richard Edlinger,  Nicholas Ward,  Stephen Gunzenhauser  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cambridge Buskers,  Capella Istropolitana,  German Wind Soloists
    CD: $19.99
    In Stock
    BUY 
    CD:  $19.99 Add CD to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 18.
    Classical Chill: The Romantic Collection, Vol. 2
    Classical Chill: The Romantic Collection, Vol. 2
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8578009-10 Release Date: 08/31/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Felix Mendelssohn,  Antonín Dvorák,  Ottorino Respighi,  Gioachino Rossini  ... 
    Performer:  Ernst Ottensamer,  Benjamin Frith,  Ilya Kaler,  János Bálint  ... 
    Conductor:  Anthony Bramall,  Jaroslav Krcek,  Enrique Bátiz,  Johannes Wildner  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Capella Istropolitana,  Budapest Rossini Ensemble
    CD: $19.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $19.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $15.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 19.
    The Ultimate Lullaby Collection
    The Ultimate Lullaby Collection
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8570514-15 Release Date: 08/31/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Felix Mendelssohn,  Edvard Grieg,  Louis Spohr,  Christoph W. Gluck  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Judy Loman,  Nora Shulman,  Einar Steen-Nökleberg  ... 
    Conductor:  Anthony Bramall,  Stephen Gunzenhauser,  Libor Pesek,  James Judd  ... 
    CD: $19.99
    Low Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $19.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $15.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 20.
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 1
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 1
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572378 Release Date: 05/25/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Luigi Boccherini,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Jean-Baptiste Lully,  Ambroise Thomas  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Terence Dennis,  Stefan Laux,  Ulf Bastlein  ... 
    Conductor:  Miklós Erdélyi
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Budapest Chorus,  Hungarian State Orchestra,  Danubius String Quartet
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 21.
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 2
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 2
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572379 Release Date: 05/25/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Giovanni Battist Martini,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Christian Pezold,  Antonín Dvorák  ... 
    Performer:  Terence Dennis,  Takako Nishizaki,  János Sebestyén,  Maria Kliegel
    Conductor:  Jaroslav Dvorák
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Capella Istropolitana
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 22.
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 3
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 3
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572380 Release Date: 05/25/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Friedrich Seitz,  Franz Schubert,  Johannes Brahms,  Antonio Vivaldi  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Terence Dennis,  Alexander Jablokov
    Conductor:  Peter Walls,  Oliver v. Dohnányi
    Recommendation
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 23.
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 4
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 4
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572381 Release Date: 05/25/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Antonio Vivaldi,  Carl Maria von Weber,  Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf,  Francesco Maria Veracini  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Terence Dennis,  Maria Kliegel,  Alexander Jablokov
    Conductor:  Peter Walls,  Oliver v. Dohnányi
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 24.
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 5
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 5
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572382 Release Date: 05/25/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Arcangelo Corelli,  Joseph-Hector Fiocco,  Jean-Philippe Rameau,  George Frideric Handel
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Terence Dennis
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

  • 25.
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 6
    Takako Nishizaki Plays Suzuki Evergreens, Vol. 6
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572383 Release Date: 05/25/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Arcangelo Corelli,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Terence Dennis,  Bob van Asperen,  Lucy Van Dael  ... 
    Conductor:  Jaroslav Krcek
    CD: $9.99
    In Stock
    MP3 Available
    BUY 
    CD:  $9.99 Add CD to Cart

    MP3:  $7.99 Add MP3 to Cart
    WISH LIST

1 2 ... 7 8