Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3 exudes an essential Russianness reacting both the country's distinctive character and the exiled composer's nostalgia for the homeland he left in 1917. Contrastingly, the natural beauty of Rachmaninoff's country estate, Ivanovka, is evoked in 10 Songs, delicately orchestrated by the grandfather of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Vladimir Jurowski and sung here by Vsevolod Grivnov. Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in live concert recordings of this fascinating combination of works.
The head of a musical dynasty, Neeme Jarvi is one of today's most respected maestros. He conducts many of the world's most prominent orchestras and works alongside soloists of the highest caliber. Jarvi has a special affinity with the music of Dvorak and this CD adds to his acclaimed recording of the Requiem released on the LPO label in 2009. In this wonderful live concert recording, he conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. This release presents a strong lineup of soloists from superlative soprano Janice Watson, bass Peter Rose, and tenor Peter Auty.
Julian Anderson is one of the UK's most exciting living composers. He has been described by the Times as 'a composer to cherish' and by the Evening Standard as 'one of the finest composers of his generation.' His work Harmony opened the 2013 BBC Proms and his opera Thebans will be premiered at English National Opera in May 2014. This season he also starts a three-year post as Composer in Residence at Wigmore Hall, and he's been the London Philharmonic Orchestra's Composer in Residence since 2010. This is the first album of his works performed by the orchestra, and includes one world premiere performance and two world premiere recordings. This world premiere performance of 'The Discovery of Heaven' won a 2012 Sky Arts Award in the Classical category. This disc is conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, the LPO's Principal Conductor; and young British conductor/composer Ryan Wigglesworth, who is rapidly making a name for himself on the international scene.
• Commissioned to celebrate the bicentenary of the United States Declaration of Independence, Olivier Messiaen's Des canyons aux etoiles (From the Canyons to the Stars) was inspired by the composer's tours around Utah's magnificent landscapes. • The work's unusual instrumentation creates a texture that evokes the majesty and loneliness of the landscape, as well as it's inhabitant birds with astonishing effect. • This recording presents a rare opportunity to hear a work not available extensively on record and infrequently performed live. • Recorded in concert at Royal Festival Hall on 2 November 2013, as part of Southbank Centre's The Rest Is Noise year-long festival of 20th c. music, inspired by Alex Ross's bestselling book of the same name. • Christoph Eschenbach, a champion of 20th - 21st c. music, has gained a reputation as a key interpreter of more unusual and challenging works. • Pianist Tzimon Barto is one of America's foremost pianists, and has enjoyed a close musical collaboration with Christoph Eschenbach for 25 years. • "... it's the teeming richness of the whole that overwhelms, and Eschenbach and his players had the measure of the music's vast perspectives." (Evening Standard)
This live 2011 concert recording from Royal Festival Hall features two of Britain's finest soloists: tenor Toby Spence and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, who is particularly renowned for her Mahler interpretations. LPO Principal Guest Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin has a great affinity with the German Romantic repertoire. His previous LPO Label disc, Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem, received great critical acclaim and is one of the most popular discs on the label.
