Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in this live 2010 concert performance including the Symphony's original second movement 'Blumine'. 'Jurowski made the first movement magnificent, generating a tremendous dramatic radiance.' Paul Driver, the Times, 12 Dec 2010. 'This poised and delicate account showed Blumine's freshness and charm as part of an overall reading with an absolute identification with the material, demonstrating Jurowski's flair for Mahler.' George Hall, the Guardian, 6 Dec 2010.

LPO Principal Conductor Vladimir Jurowski completes his survey of Brahms's four symphonies. Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 were recorded live in concert at Royal Festival Hall in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Brahms Third Symphony is one of the composer's most personal works. The Fourth Symphony's extraordinary passacaglia finale - based on a Bach cantata - seems to sum up the composer's symphonic mastery. 'a performance of colossal proportions' (The Guardian, No. 4).

This recording captures the UK premiere performance of James MacMillan's Christmas Oratorio at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, performed and recorded in the presence of the composer. The world premiere of the work was given by the Dutch Radio Philharmonic and Choir in Amsterdam in January 2021. The LPO was due to give the world premiere of the work however, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the performance came on December 4 2021, a year later than planned. Composed in 2019, this work reflects MacMillan's Scottish roots and Catholic faith, embracing a Scots Gaelic lullaby, English poetry, Latin texts and Bible passages recounting the Nativity. The work, commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, is split into two parts with seven movements each. Both parts start and finish with short orchestral movements, creating a palindromic structure. Soprano Lucy Crowe and baritone Roderick Williams shine in this performance, both performing two arias each and singing with the London Philharmonic Choir in the Tableaux.

GENIUS OF FILM MUSIC: HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS 1960S

FLORENTINE TRAGEDY & SIX MAETERLINCK SONGS

This is the first commercially available recording of Tippett's first opera in over 50 years, recorded in a landmark performance conducted by Tippett enthusiast Edward Gardner. Performed at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, this performance was a thrilling start to Edward Gardner's tenure as Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

This release is the sixth on the LPO label conducted by Yannick N�zet-Seguin. The performances on this album, recorded in 2013 and 2014, were part of his final season as Principal Guest Conductor. The Organ Concerto was performed by James O'Donnell as part of the Pull Out All The Stops festival, celebrating the restoration of the Royal Festival Hall organ, which had been out of use since 2005. These performances were very well reviewed at the time: "Yannick N�zet-S�guin is a master-painter and drew a rich spectrum of colours from the London Philharmonic Orchestra to decorate each of these scores in a distinctive way" (Bachtrack). "Yannick N�zet-S�guin [was] alive to the solemn and dramatic aspects of Poulenc's setting, it's radiance, jauntiness, pealing vitality and ritual dance" (Classical Source). The album features performances from star soloists: organist James O'Donnell; soprano Kate Royal; pianist Alexandre Tharaud. The Times said of the Organ Concerto: "under the meticulous direction of Yannick N�zet-S�guin, the London Philharmonic Orchestra's strings formed a pale gold halo around the organ as James O'Donnell navigated the crazy-mirror harmonies of Poulenc's concerto with brisk, unflappable agility."

Brett Dean was the London Philharmonic Orchestra's Composer-in-Residence from 2020-2023; this release brings together seven works recorded live in concert during his tenure. Together with five leading conductors and five outstanding soloists, the LPO skilfully navigates the diverse facets of Dean's orchestral writing, from the vivid soundscapes and virtuosity of the Viola and Cello Concertos, to the drama of In spe contra spem - quoting letters and speeches by Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots - and the theatrical accordion work The Players, which revisits scenes from Dean's award-winning 2017 opera Hamlet.

LPO Principal Conductor Edward Gardner loves the music of Michael Tippett, he says, because of it's 'otherworldly, luminous and elemental' qualities, which 'strike right from his inspiration to a listener's heart.' In 2022 the LPO and Gardner released a landmark live recording of Tippett's opera The Midsummer Marriage, which won a Gramophone Award, and on this disc Gardner continues to shine a spotlight on this fascinating 20th-century composer. The ferociously difficult Piano Concerto is executed flawlessly by Steven Osborne, while the Second Symphony revels in the newfound clarity, intricate textures and formal rigor that would become the hallmarks of Tippett's later works.

WAGNER: ORCHESTRAL EXCERPTS FROM WAGNER'S OPERAS

CARMINA BURANA

The Genius of Film Music: Hollywood Blockbusters 1980s to 2000s is the second compilation of film music on the LPO label. It joins a previous LPO release, which took music from films of the 1960s to 1980s. The two releases form a great set of some of the best film scores of the last 60 years, including well loved classics such as The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Psycho but also an opportunity to discover some less well known scores. The London Philharmonic Orchestra has a long history with film music, having recorded the original soundtracks to films as varied as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Lawrence of Arabia, Philadelphia, The Mission, and many more. The conductor, Dirk Brosse is a film music specialist, and internationally well respected as both a conductor and a composer. His score for 2012's Parade's End was nominated for an Emmy Award and he was chosen by John Williams as Principal Conductor of the 'Star Wars in Concert World Tour.'

This is the first solely Prokofiev release on the LPO label. Until now only excerpts from the Chout Suite have been available. This is also the first chance to hear renowned virtuoso violinist Vadim Repin on the LPO label. Repin won his first competition at the age of five, and at 17, he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition. This is Repin's first commercial release of the First Violin Concerto. This performance of Chout is narrated in English by stage and screen legend Simon Callow. Callow brings to life the story of a buffoon who, through many tricks and deceptions, outwits seven other buffoons. This release includes the full score of the 1921 ballet Chout. The full ballet is rarely performed and has only been recorded a handful of times in it's history, the first being in 1985. Alexander Lazarev has been praised for his interpretations of Prokofiev. David Nice notes his "refreshing emotional directness," and The Scotsman reported that his performance "swaggered with confidence and fizzed with electricity."

This final volume contains the recording of the world premiere of Mambo, Blues and Tarantella with soloist Christian Tetzlaff, as well as the first released recordings of on Opened Ground and Texan. "After three years working with Turnage, their composer in residence, the LPO speak his language brilliantly."

Taken from the LPO's final concerts with the late Aldo Ciccolini (1925-2015), when he was in his mid-eighties, these performances were much praised at the time. Most notably for Ciccolini's soulful and sensitive interpretation that was 'illuminated from within and sounded fresh, spontaneous and heartfelt' (Classical Source, May 2009). Aldo Ciccolini was a musical legend. Through his teachers he inherited the musical influences of Busoni and Liszt, and he was himself a teacher of many world-famous pianists including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Artur Pizarro and Nicholas Angelich. These live recordings were conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin while he was Principal Guest Conductor (2008-14) and his close relationship with the Orchestra is apparent. Mozart's Piano Concerto marked a shift in tone towards a new, more mature style for the composer. He helped to redefine the piano concerto as a sophisticated and expressive artform, rather than a form of polite public entertainment. Rachmaninoff poured his heart and soul into his Second Piano Concerto, and with it created one of the most beloved works of all time.