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 Jorg 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." (Jorg 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 presents the fourth album in the Panufnik Legacies series. Composer Jack Sheen steps onto the podium to lead the London Symphony Orchestra in new music by some of the most exciting early-career composers of today. The works on this recording are all written by alumni of the LSO Helen Hamlyn Panufnik Composers' Scheme, which offers six composers each year the opportunity to write for a world-class symphony orchestra, guided by renowned composer Colin Matthews with support from composer Christian Mason. The Panufnik Legacies IV contains world premiere recordings of compositions by Jack Sheen, Dan Stern, Ryan Latimer, Benjamin Graves, Daniel Fardon, Amy Bryce, Daniel Kidane, James Albany Hoyle, Grace-Evangeline Mason, Cassie Kinoshi, Joel Jarventausta, George Stevenson, James Chan and Joe Bates.

On this album, the London Symphony Orchestra and Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano capture two British masterpieces that continue to astonish and inspire. Journey through the cosmos with Gustav Holst's beloved Planets suite. From the relentless energy of Mars, the Bringer of War to the jubilant optimism of Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, the work remains one of the most visionary creations of the 20th century. The voyage concludes in mystery with Neptune, the Mystic, featuring the voices of Tenebrae in a wordless, otherworldly chorus. Arnold Bax's Tintagel closes the album with a sweeping portrait of Cornwall's rugged coastline. Inspired by a visit to the legendary castle in 1917, Bax's symphonic poem evokes windswept cliffs, ancient history and mythology in music that surges like the sea itself.

YSAYE: SIX SONATAS FOR SOLO VIOLIN

Tchaikovsky's final symphony, known as the "Pathetique", 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 Labeque 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 Faure'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.

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 Jorg 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." (Jorg 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 - Poeme danse - 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 Ades' 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.