London Philharmonic Orchestra / Vladimir Jurowski SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 11 'The Year 1905'

 

SYMPHONY No. 11 "THE YEAR 1905"

 

London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir / Vladimir Jurowski VLADIMIR MARTYNOV Utopia

 

UTOPIA

 

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Vladimir Jurowski RACHMANINOFF The Isle of the Dead - Symphony No. 1

Recorded live at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London on 3 October 2014 (The Isle of the Dead) and 14 December 2016 (Symphony No. 1).

“Jurowski drove The Isle of the Dead forward... drawing exceptional intensity from the LPO.” - The Guardian, 2014

The performance of The Isle of the Dead was widely critically acclaimed. Bachtrack noted Vladimir Jurowski’s “hypnotic” conducting, noting particularly that “the clarity and control he exercised in [The Isle of the Dead] were very fine. He drew a sonorous cello sound, later matched by lower woodwinds, and the harp and pizzicato strings... brought an eerie chill to the Festival Hall.”

Rachmaninoff’s youthful Symphony No. 1 is not frequently performed or recorded. This is the first time it has been released on the label.

This is the second recording of The Isle of the Dead on the LPO’s own label. It was recorded live as part of the opening concert of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s highly praised 2014-15 season Rachmaninoff: Inside Out, which explored the life and works of the composer.

Symphony No. 1 was also recorded live in concert. The Financial Times described the performance as “a fascinating experience” and Colin Anderson, in Classical Source, noted “The LPO was in superb form.”

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Kurt Masur BEETHOVEN Symphonies 3 & 5

Recorded live at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London on 24 November 2004 (Symphony No. 3) and 27 November 2004 (Symphony No. 5).

This recording features former Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra Kurt Masur, who conducted more than 150 performances in London and internationally during his tenure.

Masur inaugurated the launch of the LPO’s own label in 2005 with live performances of Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 5.

Kurt Masur was renowned for conducting Beethoven with insight and cohesion; these concert performances were conducted from memory. He sadly passed away in December 2015; this captivating pair of concert recordings from 2004 pays tribute to his musical legacy.

The concert performances of these symphonies were praised at the time. The Daily Telegraph said of the Fifth Symphony “it was the joyous conclusion of the Fifth, with all Beethoven’s guns blazing, that left the packed audience in a euphoric mood… Masur shaped the whole symphonic drama... with the hands of a master.” - The Daily Telegraph