Recorded live at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, 17-19 and 21 September 2008. Ever since the tenure of it's chief conductor Eduard van Beinum (1945-59), the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has cherished one of the greatest Bruckner traditions in the world. During his years at the helm of the Concertgebouw Orchestra (2004-2015) the late Mariss Jansons added a another glorious chapter to the orchestra's impressive performance and recording history of Bruckner's works. In Jansons's view, the refinement of Bruckner's music - however grandiose it may be - will always win out over grandiloquence. He continued the orchestra's performance traditions, focusing particularly on the detail of the sound. Under Jansons's baton, Bruckner had a warm, beating heart: his rhythms were not simply played, they were, above all, experienced, as this this recording of the Fourth Symphony demonstrates. This 2008 audiophile recording is released for the first time on 180 gram vinyl.
Building upon the success of the vinyl release of Mahler's Third Symphony under Mariss Jansons (RCO 23004), we proudly present the superb 2006 recording of the Mahler's spectacular First Symphony on 180 grams vinyl. The original 2007 SACD release of this performance has become one of RCO Live's bestselling albums, boasting exquisite playing and audiophile quality recording.
After Brass (RCO 07002) and Brass Too (RCO 14010), recorded by the Brass of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Woodwinds of the RCO proudly present their own CD. Traditionally most RCO members love to engage in chamber music as well and the woodwinds section of the orchestra is no exception. In the past woodwind ensembles like the Concertgebouw Sextet (1909-1937) and the Danzi Quintet (1958-1978) have even been very successful outside of the Netherlands. This SACD pays homage to this tradition.
With Gustav Mahler, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has a very special relationship. The composer conducted the orchestra no less than 12 times and found in Amsterdam an understanding audience. Mahler's Fourth Symphony was premiered in Amsterdam by the composer, who conducted it twice, once before and once after the interval, so that the audience could get to know the work better. With this release, Mariss Jansons and the Concertgebouw orchestra add an impressive new chapter to the RCO's recorded history of Mahler Symphonies.
Ever since the tenure of it's chief conductor Eduard van Beinum (1945-59), the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has cherished one of the greatest Bruckner symphonic traditions in the world. With this release of Bruckner's Sixth and Seventh Symphonies, Mariss Janson's and his Amsterdam-based orchestra add a new chapter to the RCO's impressive performance and recording history of Bruckner's works.
Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound. There are no more human voices, only planets and suns revolving in their orbits, wrote Gustav Mahler to his friend Willem Mengelberg, after completing the sketches for his Symphony No.8. The legendary relationship between Mahler, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Mengelberg has established a firm tradition of playing Mahler in Amsterdam. Mariss Janson's's brilliant interpretation of the Symphony of a Thousand is yet another jewel in the crown of the Concertgebouw's acclaimed Mahler cycle. Featuring a star-studded cast and excellent choral forces, this superb performance is offered in surround-sound and is accompanied by a bonus Blu-ray disc of the performance.
My aim was to convey human feelings and passions in this work, Shostakovich said of his newly completed Symphony No.10 in 1953. And it is clear exactly what it was that he wanted to relate: Stalin was dead, and after his music had been publicly denounced for being too abstract in 1948, Shostakovich had finally plucked up the courage to write another symphony. Ever since Kirill Kondrashin and Bernard Haitink first led performances of Shostakovich's symphonies in the late 1970s, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has astonished listeners with their level of refinement and involvement in this repertoire. With the tenure of Mariss Janson's, a degree of authenticity is added; like Kondrashin before him, Janson's has experienced himself what it is like to work under Soviet conditions. Following the award winning RCO Live release of his interpretation of Shostakovich's seventh symphony, Janson's's take on the composer's tenth adds another benchmark performance to the orchestra's discography.
The videos in this boxed set of live HD recordings of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra were filmed during the 2009-2011 Mahler celebration at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. The set's eleven discs include performances led by renowned conductors such as Daniele Gatti, Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez and Ivan Fischer. In addition to all ten of Mahler's ground-breaking Symphonies, the collection also includes Totenfeier and Das Lied von der Erde and features world class soloists including soprano Miah Persson, mezzo Bernarda Fink and tenor Robert Dean Smith. All of this amazing music is vividly brought to life in surround sound and lifelike high resolution video.
