Tchaikovsky's final symphony, known as the "Path�tique", is a work of haunting beauty and emotional depth-a journey from darkness to fragile light. From it's doom-laden opening to the desperate, fading sorrow of it's final notes, this is music that doesn't just tell a story, it feels one. Tchaikovsky never revealed the symphony's hidden narrative, but with it he created new, intensely personal possibilities for the musical form. With Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda leading the London Symphony Orchestra, this recording captures the full force of Tchaikovsky's vision. Noseda's deep connection to the Russian musical tradition brings out the symphony's vivid colors, sweeping melodies, and aching vulnerability. The album then journeys further into the heart of Russian history with Mussorgsky's Prelude to Khovanshchina, an atmospheric piece that evokes the break of dawn over the Moscow River, as the city slowly stirs to life.

Composed in 1803, while Beethoven was also writing the ‘Eroica’ Symphony, Christ on the Mount of Olives (Christus am Ölberge) is the composer’s only oratorio and combines the emotive force of his later Missa Solemnis with the theatre of a Bach Passion. With orchestra, chorus and soloists, it tells the story of Jesus’ prayer and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and also reflects the emotional pressure Beethoven was under at the time.

This recording by Sir Simon Rattle, with acclaimed singers Elsa Dreisig, Pavol Breslik and David Soar was made during the London Symphony Orchestra’s celebration of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary.

“When I came to the Mount of Olives, I immediately was simply puzzled. Why isn’t this piece played? Of course, it’s a mixed piece and there are weird flaws and edges but so there are in the Ninth Symphony, they’re part of the personality.

“It’s a fascinating moment in his life when he was starting really to deal with his hearing loss. He’d written the Heiligenstadt Testament, where he really confessed to his suicidal thoughts on losing the single-most important ability a musician could have. There is a kind of unearthly, underground sensation of some of it, there’s also a real feeling of naive belief in the possibility of things being better. I think it is completely heaven.” - Sir Simon Rattle

“What Rattle made clear is that the music is full of life. It is hard to imagine this performance being bettered.” - Financial Times ? “Backed by London Symphony Chorus, the soloists in this performance are well up to the challenge, bass David Soar providing the grounding over which tenor Pavol Breslik, as Jesus, sings out with noble plangency, while the sound of soprano Elsa Dreisig, as the Seraph, rings angelically through the hall.” - The Independent

“Christ on the Mount of Olives is full of things to appreciate: there’s an anticipation of the heroism in the face of darkness that would characterise Fidelio, but there are also passages that hark back to the best of Mozart” - Bachtrack

Certain moments in history gave composers the possibility of saying something deeply personal, says LSO Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda. "And Shostakovich speaks equally to us today". As Noseda and the LSO continue their journey through Shostakovich's symphonies, which span the composer's lifetime, they take on one of his biggest creations, the Seventh. Written during the siege of Leningrad in World War II, it is shattering in scale and impact. For Noseda, "you can hear the march of the soldiers, the obsessive repetition, a loop you cannot escape," in the relentless, pounding rhythms, the struggle towards a fragile victory.

BEETHOVEN: PIANO CONCERTO NO.2 TRIPLE CONCERTO

Stravinsky sent shockwaves through classical music in the 20th century. His first three ballets -The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, all composed between 1909 and 1913 - brought a new and frenzied sense of rhythm, so distressing to audiences that it caused uproar; The Rite of Spring even caused a riot. And it's not hard to see why. Is there any moment in music more demonic than the opening to The Firebird, a terrifying rumble of strings that would make Jaws tremble? There are few pieces more unsettling than The Rite of Spring with it's carnal, tribal rhythms; or Petrushka with it's impish Punch and Judy puppets. A notable voice of authority on the works of Stravinsky, Sir Simon Rattle masterfully brings these three creations to life in this dramatic performance, recorded live in the Barbican Hall as part of his inaugural season as LSO's Music Director.

BRUCKNER: SYMPHONY NO.6

Celebrating the union of classical and jazz, LSO Live's latest release encapsulates the very best of the two genres with an irresistible selection of works by Bernstein, Stravinsky and Golijov, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Argentinian tango and jazz course through Golijov's vibrant Nazareno. Superstar piano duo Katia and Marielle Lab�que are flanked by brass, percussion and cellos in this special arrangement for two pianos and orchestra by Gonzalo Grau. LSO Principal Clarinettist Chris Richards steps into the spotlight in Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto. The work is an era-defining amalgamation of jazz and classical, reflecting back the variety of a rapidly changing world, at turns frenetic and agitated, mournful and bluesy. This fluidity extends into Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue and Riffs - an exuberant display of contrasting musical ideas, harmoniously intertwined together.

Distinguished orchestral players with enviable reputations in their own right, the Lso Percussion Ensemble returns with a vibrant, jazz-infused album of music by Gwilym Simcock, Steve Reich, Chick Corea & Makoto Ozone. Quartet Quintet centers around the world premiere of Quintet, a five-movement suite by the British pianist and composer Gwilym Simcock that pulls inspiration from seminal jazz fusion acts Steps Ahead, Yellowjackets and Weather Report, and Steve Reich's 2013 Quartet for two vibes and two pianos. The album also includes new arrangements of classic pieces by jazz legends Chick Corea, Makoto Ozone and Joe Locke.

The Music of King's features some of the choir's contemporary favorites presented alongside psalms, folksongs and other exceptional works that have stood the test of time. A celebration of choral music through the ages, it traces choral styles across the globe. Highlights include Faur�'s famous Pie Jesu and Mozart's Ave verum alongside classic hymns and folksongs such as 'Amazing Grace' and 'Shenandoah'. Label: KING'S COLLEGE

In celebration of the Britten anniversary year, Richard Farnes, Music Director of Opera North, conducts an all-English cast in Britten's the Turn of the Screw - his most ingeniously crafted opera. Soloists include Andrew Kennedy, Sally Matthews, and 11-year old Michael Clayton-Jolly in the role of Miles. Originally scheduled to be conducted by Sir Colin Davis, Farnes was the natural replacement, having been mentored by the late conductor. Premiered in 1954, Britten's opera sets Henry James's remarkable ghost story about a governess and a housekeeper who vow to protect two children from the strange happenings that occur in the grounds of their home.

The London Symphony Orchestra's cycle of Brahms symphonies was Bernard Haitink's first set of recordings on the LSO Live label, originally released individually throughout 2004-05, and then as a boxed set in 2005. This collection of remastered recordings is now available on SACD, and digitally in spatial audio. Bernard Haitink's revelatory Brahms recordings with the LSO have demonstrated why fresh new interpretations of his major works are so important, and why the composer's music is still so relevant today. After struggling for years to come to terms with his fear of comparison to Beethoven, Brahms finally completed his First Symphony at the age of 43. It was hailed as a triumph and the remaining three symphonies followed relatively easily. His Symphony No.2 overflows with a relaxed, pastoral beauty, while the Third Symphony contains some of the most dramatic music Brahms was to compose. Finally, loaded with German Romanticism and including variations on a Bach cantata, Brahms' final symphony is a remarkable example of his mastery of symphonic composition. A rich, warm work that builds on a sense of movement and intensity right up to the final bars. Along with the symphonies, this release also includes Brahms' Double Concerto, Tragic Overture and Serenade No.2.

In the terrible period when we were all deprived of culture, Mozart's music has really been life-saving for me, it has truly filled my life. To make up for these months of solitary confinement, I have worked on several recording and composition projects. But for want of partners, audiences, encounters, I was overwhelmed with a great feeling of emptiness. Music only makes sense if is shared.' For Rapha�l S�v�re, this recording represents a return to the artist's life, and a rebirth with Mozart. 3760127226277 MIRR626.2 42875796 16.30 23.98 .18 MIRARE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 11/18/2022 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/77/4119577-2861160.jpg 34 1 N RANIERI,LUCA CONTRASTI 8054117480189 IMT1748018.2 42877448 16.24 24.99 .24 IMPORTS COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CHAMBER MUSIC & RECITALS 07/15/2022 0 1 N CAPOVILLA,PIERPAOLO PIERPAOLO CAPOVILLA E I CATTIVI MAESTRI 196587482329 IMT8748232.2 42876618 18.96 29.99 .11 IMPORTS COMPACT DISCS POP INT'L & WORLD MUSIC ITALY 08/05/2022 0 1 N BARRE,PHILLIPS / DANIELE,ROCCATO CONFLUENCE 8058333579986 PADE3357998.2 42877936 16.24 24.99 .14 PARCO DELL COMPACT DISCS POP JAZZ 07/15/2022 0 1 N YOUNG,VAL SEDUCTION Japanese re-issue, part of Universal Japan's 'Throwback Soul Soul/Funk, classic and hard-to-find titles' campaign. 2022. 4988031522066 UNIJ3152206.2 42876779 9.02 13.99 .19 UNIVERSAL JAPAN COMPACT DISCS POP R&B / SOUL / FUNK 09/30/2022 0 1 N STANLEY,CHUCK FINER SINGS IN LIFE Japanese re-issue, part of Universal Japan's 'Throwback Soul Soul/Funk, classic and hard-to-find titles' campaign. 2022. 4988031522295 UNIJ3152229.2 42876878 9.02 13.99 .18 UNIVERSAL JAPAN COMPACT DISCS POP R&B / SOUL / FUNK 09/30/2022 0 1 N WANG,YUJA / OTTENSAMER / CAPUCON WORKS BY RACHMANINOFF & BRAHMS Japanese MQA x UHQCD pressing. Universal. 2022. 4988031523797 UNIJ3152379.2 42877059 18.96 29.99 .20 UNIVERSAL JAPAN COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CHAMBER MUSIC & RECITALS 09/09/2022 0 1 N WALKER: SEASON ONE (2021) WALKER: SEASON ONE (2021) WALKER, a reimagining of the long-running series Walker, Texas Ranger, stars Jared Padalecki (Supernatural) as Cordell Walker, a widower and father with his own moral code. Upon returning home to Austin, Texas, after being undercover for nearly a year, he discovers there's harder work to be done at home as he attempts to reconnect with his creative and thoughtful son, August, and his headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenaged daughter, Stella. At work, Walker's former colleague, Larry James, is now his Ranger Captain, and both men need time to adjust to their new dynamic. Walker also finds unexpected common ground with his new partner, Micki Ramirez (one of the first women in Texas Rangers history). The intense first season closely follows Walker as he takes on new challenges while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife's death. This 4-disc Blu-ray collection includes all 18 episodes plus exclusive special features. 810103682108 CBMO3682108BR 42878506 32.21 37.99 .32 CBS MOD BLU-RAY MOVIE ACTION / ADVENTURE 09/20/2022 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/57/4119857-3370461.jpg 0 4 Y LETTERS TO GOD LETTERS TO GOD Tyler Doherty is an extraordinary eight-year-old boy armed with strong faith and courage as he faces his daily battle against cancer. Surrounded by a loving family and community, Tyler's prayers take the form of letters he sends to his ultimate pen pal, God, on a daily basis. These letters find their way into the hands of Tyler's postman, Brady, who is at a crossroads in his life searching for meaning. Brady at first is confused over what to do, but his decision ultimately is a testament to the power of Tyler's shining spirit, bravery and grace. Inspired by a true story, Letters to God delivers a message of hope, faith and courage that others can apply to their own personal struggles regardless of what they may face in their everyday lives. 767685167588 CIMM8516758DVD 42878520 9.32 10.99 .16 CINEDIGM MOD DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE DRAMA 08/30/2022 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/62/4119862-3369194.jpg 0 1 N LEGACIES: SEASON 4 LEGACIES: SEASON 4 As Season 4 begins, Hope must choose between saving the boy she loves and ending Malivore's threat once and for all. This choice will have life-changing consequences for Alaric Saltzman and the Super Squad. Working together, these young and powerful vampires, witches and werewolves will face their darkest and most deadly threat of all and The Salvatore School will be torn apart in the process. 883929795772 WARA2979577DVD 42878759 27.98 32.99 .33 WARNER ARCHIVES DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE DRAMA 09/20/2022 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/03/4119903-3006364.jpg 1 4 Y DAWN TRAIL (1930) / RIDIN' FOR JUSTICE (1932) DAWN TRAIL (1930) / RIDIN' FOR JUSTICE (1932) DAWN TRAIL: Osage County, Texas is the setting for dissension between the cattlemen and the sheepherders who have settled there. They both use the same watering stream - causing much discord. When the son of a wealthy cattleman quarrels with and kills one of the settlers it puts Sheriff Williams in a delicate position: Mart is his best friend and the Sheriff is engaged to his sister. Sworn to duty, Sheriff Williams arrests Mart, angering the cattlemen. Matt is helped to escape and the Sheriff is left wounded. RT: 66 min, B&W, 1.33:1, NR, 1930 RIDING' FOR JUSTICE: A happy-go-lucky cowhand comes into town; he heads for the Red Front Saloon. There he refuses to comply with the town ordinance to give up his firearms and escapes the altercation with Marshal Slyde and his chief deputy Frame. Cowhand Randall seeks shelter in the Marshal's house and meets Mary Slyde, the young, pretty, charming & unhappy wife of Marshal Slyde. Frame, being left behind to protect Mary while the Marshal & posse are out combing the countryside for Randall, tries forcing his unwanted attention on Mrs. Slyde. Frame is shot and Mary, in shock, believes she did it. Randall returns to the house and comes to the same conclusion. The Marshal and his men return. Randall takes the blame for Frame's death and is held for murder. RT: 61 min, B&W, 1.33:1, NR, 1932 089859731426 VCIE7314DVD 28488101 9.58 14.95 .19 VCI ENTERTAINMENT DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE WESTERNS ADULT MATERIAL 07/02/2015 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/24/4117324-2960902.jpg 0 1 N JOHNNY MACK BROWN WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURE VOL 2 JOHNNY MACK BROWN WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURE VOL 2 One of Hollywood's Top 10 Silver Screen Cowboys, Johnny Mack Brown starred in over 200 B-Westerns and was hero to millions of admiring fans. Action-packed double western starring Johnny Mack Brown in Law Of The Range and Raiders Of San Joaquin. LAW OF THE RANGE: When Wolverine Kid (Hill) shoots a man a rivaling family is suspected for the killing. Our hero must step in to save an innocent man! RT: 60 min, B&W, 1.33:1, NR, 1941 RAIDERS OF SAN JOAQUIN: In the second feature, our hero is called to defend the rights of the ranchers when outlaws are stealing their lands and selling them to the railroad company. Full of twirlin' and spinnin' six-shooter shooting and fancy riding! RT: 59 min, B&W, 1.33:1, NR, 1943 089859722622 VCIE7226DVD 42852308 9.30 14.95 .22 VCI ENTERTAINMENT DIGITAL VIDEO DISC MOVIE WESTERNS 10/11/2022 https://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/c/500/8/2/1/7/1877128.jpg 0 1 N LINDGREN,MAGNUS / BREINSCHMID,GEORG JAZZ AT BERLIN PHILHARMONIC XIII: CELEBRATING The centenary of the birth of Charles Mingus, in April 2022, has served to reinforce his importance in twentieth-century music. The indomitable spirit of the legendary bassist truly came to life in an unforgettable concert at Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic. Featuring Magnus Lindgren, georg breinschmid, Shannon Barnett, Tony Lakatos, pianist Danny Grissett and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. 614427995520 AECT9955.2 42854111 10.73 15.99 .13 ACT COMPACT DISCS POP JAZZ 09/09/2022 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/75/4117475-2864048.jpg 0 1 N LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & RATTLE SYMPHONY 4 The air shimmers and glows, and somewhere in the mists, a solitary horn gives a lonely call. The stuff of fairytales? The truth is, it's impossible to write about Bruckner's majestic Fourth Symphony without letting the imagination soar; he never wrote anything more colorful, or more poetic. In Germany, they call it the 'Romantic' symphony, and it's easy to hear why. Sir Simon Rattle loves Bruckner's Fourth, and on this new recording from LSO Live, he conducts the work in all it's splendor: music that never gets any less stirring, and has never sounded so fresh. He is aware, too, that Bruckner's inspiration burned so brightly that he ended up with more ideas than he could actually use. There is much wonderful music which remains almost entirely unplayed" he says. On this album he steps inside Bruckner's workshop, bringing to light some of the music that didn't make the final cut. This edition of the symphony and it's discarded Scherzo and Finale by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs was published in 2021. The world premiere performance with Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO is a must-listen for lovers of Bruckner's music, and gives us a glimpse into the composer's untold musical thoughts.

History, heritage, and fate combine in this recording from Gianandrea Noseda and the London Symphony Orchestra, bringing together the music of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, brimming over with drama and emotional intensity, charts a course from darkness to a final, life-affirming glimmer of optimism. Composed in 1888 and conducted by Tchaikovsky for it's November premiere that year, the symphony makes use of a recurring main 'Fate theme' to bring together the work's four movements. Rimsky-Korsakov dug deep into Russian legends and folk tales for his opera. "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh". Follow the mythical, magical story of the 'Russian Atlantis' in this orchestral suite, told through the composer's glittering orchestral palette.

Roman Simovic, PAGANINI: 24 CAPRICES - For his debut solo album, the Leader of the London Symphony Orchestra showcases his virtuosity and innate musicality, navigating the technical and artistic challenges of Paganini's 24 Caprices for solo violin. Staples of the violinist's impressive repertoire, as a budding musician Simovic would practice these works daily in place of scales, and has gone on to delight audiences with performances across the globe. While Paganini's Caprices were intended to improve and strengthen technique, they are more commonly used to determine the wheat from the chaff, their demanding, high speed passages pushing players to their limits. With it's fast scales and arpeggios, double and triple stops, and left-hand pizzicato, the final caprice is widely considered one of the most technically challenging violin pieces ever written.

For her debut concerto album, violinist Veronika Eberle revisits a work that has endured more than two centuries, and shares a fresh interpretation featuring new cadenzas by composer J�rg Widmann. "May listeners hear the Violin Concerto-in all it's stark radicalism, it's brazen beauty and it's love of experimentation-in a new way with these cadenzas: as contemporary music of today." (J�rg Widmann) Not only is Beethoven's Violin Concerto a particular favorite of Veronika, it has been central to her career to date-most notably alongside Sir Simon Rattle, who has been Veronika's long-time supporter and collaborator. When she was just 16, Sir Simon introduced her at the 2006 Salzburg Easter Festival, where she performed this very concerto to a packed Salzburg Festpielhaus. On this album, the pair reunite to bring this sublime masterpiece to life, and to celebrate the work that first brought Veronika to international attention.

LSO LIVE - Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Debussy: Jeux - Francois Roth - Xavier - Works: Debussy: Jeux - Po�me dans� - Strauss, R: Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 2023 release.

For Gianandrea Noseda, the Ninth is Shostakovich at his most 'classical', but a modern statement nonetheless. "Stalin wanted a celebration of the victory of Russia, and Shostakovich came out with a sort of opera buffa symphony," the LSO's Principal Guest Conductor says. "Short, witty, lots of sarcasm. I can really feel his wish to go against what was expected of him." The Tenth Symphony was written after Stalin's death and allegedly portrays the tragedy, despair, terror and violence of his tenure. The second movement is a musical portrait of Stalin, a march of unremitting terror and frenzied violence, while the finale contains some of the slowest music of the whole symphony, a reminder of the desolation of the Gulag prisoners.

In a continuation of his symphony cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda conducts two curious and contrasting symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich-the Sixth and Fifteenth. Following the success of his Fifth Symphony, all eyes were on Shostakovich to create a work that would measure up to it's predecessor. The Sixth was originally intended as an immense musical monument to Lenin, to be woven with heroic melodies and folk songs. Instead his audiences were surprised to hear a quite different result-a contemplative, restrained first movement that morphs puzzlingly into a ferocious ending. The Fifteenth is another of Shostakovich's musical enigmas, with inexplicable quotes from music by Rossini, Glinka and Wagner dotted throughout, alongside references to his own music from his younger years. Written in 1970-71 when the composer's health was declining, this final symphony is one of fond reflection. Together these unconventional works showcase Shostakovich's range as a composer-from wild exhuberance to quiet introspection.

Comprising exquisite French delights, this performance by Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO was filmed live at the orchestra's home in the Barbican. Framing Dutilleux's and Delage's mysterious and exotic works are Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin and his sumptuous second suite from Daphnis et Chloe. An incomparable Leonidas Kavakos proves the ideal soloist for Dutilleux's modern masterpiece, and the luxurious voice of Julia Bullock, making her debut with the orchestra, radiates in Delage's hidden gem.

Conducting Bruckner, says Rattle, is a lifelong quest for some "extraordinary vista, some wonderful moment which leads you out of this world". This certainly rings true for Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, the opening theme for which is said to have come to him in a dream, played by an angel. This huge, glowing mountain-range of sound is all at once majestic, reverent and terrifying. This edition of the symphony by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs was first performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle in September 2022, and the recording completes a set of three albums which also features Cohrs' editions of Bruckner's Fourth and Sixth symphonies. Making use of Bruckner's discarded fragments and lesser-known material through his many revisions, this set of albums is a must-listen for lovers of Bruckner's music, and gives us a glimpse into the composer's untold musical thoughts.

Sir Simon Rattle's return to London heralded a new era for the LSO. The ten day festival that opened his inaugural season as the Orchestra's Music Director wowed critics and audiences alike, going on to win the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society award in the 'Concert Series and Festivals' category. This film captures Rattle's very first performance as Music Director; a program in which British composers took center stage. The world-premiere of Helen Grime's Fanfares, which became the first movement of the work Woven Space, opened the concert before violinist Christian Tetzlaff took to the stage to perform the concerto written for him in 2010 by Harrison Birtwistle. Two more works close to Rattle's heart followed: Thomas Ad�s' Asyla and the pocket-sized Symphony No.3 by the late Oliver Knussen. Finally, Rattle's stunning interpretation of the Enigma Variations brought the concert to a close and then the audience to it's feet, filling the Barbican Hall with rapturous applause.

Taking on the roles of both conductor and soloist, Nikolaj Znaider concludes his Mozart series on LSO Live with the great composer's first three concertos for the violin. While they were penned before he was even out of his teens, the music of Mozart's violin concertos is as characteristically elegant and uplifting as anything he would ever write. Znaider teases out the wit and charm in these delightful pieces, leading the virtuoso players of the London Symphony Orchestra as Mozart would have done, from the violin.

In 1781, the Zong - a British slave ship - left Ghana with twice the number it was designed to carry, bound for Jamaica. The ship's owners claimed that drinking water was running low, and ordered the crew to throw more than 130 living enslaved people overboard. Over 200 years later, Jamaica has become a place of significance for Witter-Johnson. As a young child, she often spent her six-week summer holiday visiting extended family in Jamaica, taking trips to a favorite beach on the south coast. It was here that she witnessed a terrible fatal accident at one end of the beach, yet at the other end, a baptism and celebration was taking place. Witter-Johnson explores this spectrum of events tied together by their central themes of ancestry, family and the ocean, noting that even amidst the darkness of death, there is still room for joy. Combining alternative R&B with classical, and with influences from soul, hip hop and reggae, Ayanna Witter-Johnson is the definition of an eclectic soul. Through her work with the LSO, she forged a friendship with LSO Principal Percussionist, Neil Percy, which became the starting point for the recording. "His enthusiasm for my music moves me to tears and was the catalyst behind our first collaboration and subsequent commission, Forever. The organic development of this project is something I will treasure forever, because above all, I have felt the fullest support in expressing myself exactly as I am, and that goes beyond words." This album showcases Witter-Johnson's special partnership with the LSO Percussion Ensemble, where her choice of rhythms and harmony and use of percussion all have symbolic meaning in relation to the songs' deep inspiration.

Since the London Symphony Orchestra's foundation in 1904, the music and spirit of Sir Edward Elgar have lived in the Orchestra's blood. Elgar conducted the LSO during it's very first 1904-5 season of concerts, and the Orchestra's first Principal Conductor, Hans Richter, was a devoted champion of the composer's music both at home and abroad. Combining a remastered collection of the LSO's finest Elgar recordings, this album demonstrates the enduring significance of the composer's work for the LSO, and showcases performances by conductors Barry Tuckwell, Rafael Fr�hbeck de Burgos, Sir Colin Davis and Sir Antonio Pappano. The album features critically acclaimed, award-winning recordings of Elgar's Symphonies Nos 1-3, alongside orchestral favorites including Elgar's "Enigma" Variations, Cello Concerto, Imperial March and Pomp & Circumstance Marches.

A 2021 GRAMMY Nominee for Best Opera Recording!

Melodious and charming, The Cunning Little Vixen is a work rooted in Czech history and folk music; a sentimental journey through the cycles of life. For Sir Simon Rattle, it’s a deeply personal and emotional work. "It’s the piece that made me want to become an opera conductor... and still one of the pieces that reduces me to tears more easily than any other," says the LSO's Music Director. Towering fanfares open Janá?ek’s Sinfonietta, an ode to the composer’s hometown of Brno in the now Czech Republic. It’s a portrait composed for a national celebration of Slavic culture, with Janá?ek’s love of musical tradition evident in dancing strings and celebratory brass.