Vladimir Jurowski leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra and choir in the world premiere recording of Vladimir Martynov's Utopia symphony. The Symphony was commissioned by Singapore's Foundation for the Arts and Social Enterprise as a musical testament to Singapore. Vladimir Martynov is a composer of the Russian avant-garde and his style, which combines Soviet minimalism with Russian Orthodox chant, is exemplified in this work. The libretto is based on the Tao Te Ching and strives to reimagine the concept of Utopia.

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 Nezet-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 Nezet-Seguin 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 Nezet-Seguin [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 Nezet-Seguin, 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 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.

The late conductor, Kurt Masur, had a long relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, dating back to 1987. This recording, made during his tenure as Principal Conductor (2000-2007), highlights the close relationship between Conductor and Orchestra. This release adds to a growing collection of Shostakovich symphonies on the LPO label. Previous recordings featuring Kurt Masur have been praised for their 'emphatic style' and 'serious class.' The most recent Shostakovich release was described by BBC Music Magazine as "the most stunning Shostakovich disc I have heard this year." The 'Leningrad' Symphony is a true monument to one of the darkest times in recent history. It's famous 'Invasion' theme portrays a brooding sense of unease as an enemy approaches. It was written to bolster the people of the besieged city of Leningrad; it's Leningrad premiere in summer 1942 was broadcast through loudspeakers during the siege as an act of defiance. The London Philharmonic Orchestra gave the UK premiere of this Symphony (it's first performance outside Russia) in June 1942, after the score had been smuggled out of occupied Russia to the West on microfilm.

STRAVINSKY: SYMPHONIES OF WIND INSTRUMENTS

This release marks the 29th on the LPO label conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, and is the first Jurowski-conducted Richard Strauss release to date. Vladimir Jurowski has a strong affinity with Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow), and chose to conduct a selection of orchestral highlights from the opera rather than the composer's own published Fantasie. He went on to conduct the complete opera at the Metropolitan Opera in 2013. "If the evening can boast a hero, the honor must go to Vladimir Jurowski, who conducts with abiding passion, sensitivity and propulsion." (The Financial Times) The performances of the three works on this release were also critically well received, with the soloists within the Orchestra noted for their 'poise' and 'exquisite handling' of Die Frau ohne Schatten and Jurowski's 'perfect blending of rich textures' in Eine Alpensinfonie. The Dance of the Seven Veils was performed as part of the opening concert of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's critically acclaimed The Rest is Noise festival of music which shaped the twentieth century. "Jurowski and the LPO set the scene with an outstandingly delicate performance of the Dance of the Seven Veils." (The Financial Times)

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.

MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO.4

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.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO 3 OVERTURE

SYMPHONY NO 5 & CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA

CONFESSION OF ISOBEL GOWDIE / CHAMBER SYMPHONY

SYMPHONY NO 7