Maestro 018: London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra Today's episode will be a special feature on the London Symphony Orchestra, also known as LSO. LSO is widely regarded to be one of the world's leading orchestras, with over 100 years of performing experience. LSO has performed all across the world and even recorded soundtracks for films, such as Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. In 2000, LSO launched their own classical label, LSO Live. Since then LSO Live has become one of the world's most talked about classical labels. Today we will be celebrating LSO Live's 10 year anniversary by playing samples from some of their best recordings and featuring a track from their newest release titled Verdi: Otello. Enjoy! video platform video management video solutions video player Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra "Enigma Variations" from "Elgar: Enigma Variations" (LSO Live) Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album During his time as Principal Conductor of the LSO, Sir Colin Davis gained a reputation as the leading interpreter of Elgar’s music and recorded the composer’s symphonies and Dream of Gerontius for LSO Live. Elgar himself was one of the LSO’s first Principal Conductors and the orchestra premiered many of his works, including the Introduction & Allegro for Strings. June 2007 sees the 150th anniversary of Elgar’s birth. The Enigma Variations was Elgar’s breakthrough work and remains one of his most popular. Although it is often thought of as whimsical and the epitome of “Englishness”, in reality it is a thrilling and ravishingly beautiful masterpiece. Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra "Messiah" from "Handel: Messiah" (LSO Live) Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Amazon MP3 Buy at eMusic More On This Album Handel’s masterpiece uses short texts from the Bible to tell the story of Christ's birth, death and resurrection. Imbued with a deep humanity and written with the imagination of a composer at the peak of powers, Messiah is intimate yet dramatic and includes some of Handel's best-loved music.Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra "Má vlast" from "Smetana: Má vlast" (LSO Live) Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album Inspired by the mythology and pastoral beauty of his Czech homeland, Smetana’s six tone poems that form Ma vlást (My Fatherland) is one of the best examples of Nationalism in music. The stirring second movement depicts the river Vltava as it flows through the countryside and into Prague. Struck with deafness in 1874, Smetana would never hear a performance of what would become his most popular work. Concert Reviews ‘Colin Davis's performance of Smetana’s Má Vlast with the London Symphony Orchestra was an irresistible pageant of Czech patriotic fervor, a depiction of ancient battles and pastoral idylls, as well as a revelation of the work’s symphonic integrity ’The Guardian (UK), 12 May 2005 ‘the LSO’s unforced brilliance constantly shining forth … The players rose to the occasion with the virtuosity and commitment that are their hallmark. Under Davis’s direction, Smetana’s depiction of natural phenomena and rustic scenes sprang to life’ Evening Standard (UK), 11 May 2005 ‘Yet the Smetana itself holds no terrors, least of all for Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra. In the first poem, how proudly Vysehrad, the guardian rock of Prague, stood out fortissimo on the skyline! And few musical rivers have accelerated with the natural grace of Davis’s Vltava, or begun its course with such lightly charming trickling flutes’ The Times (UK), 12 May 2005 Valery Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra, Elena Mosuc, Zlata Bulycheva, London Symphony Chorus "Symphony No. 2" from "Mahler: Symphony No. 2" (LSO Live) Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album ‘Faced with the London Symphony Orchestra's concentrated glare and attack, I considered cowering under my seat ’The Times (UK) ‘an account of searing intensity ... The pure, visceral thrill of the final bars,greeted with an enthusiastic ovation from the packed audience,crowned a very fine performance of this great work’ MusicalCriticsm.com (UK)Bernard Haitink, Twyla Robinson, Karen Cargill, John Mac Master, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus "Symphony No. 9 "Choral"" from "Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9" (LSO Live) Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album Benchmark Beethoven Cycle - BBC Music Magazine (UK) Classical Recordings of the Year - New York Times (US) CDs of the Year - Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden) ‘a towering achievement’ The Times (UK) CDs of the Year ‘Few music lovers saw this one coming ... Haitink has rarely sounded more suitably agitated. Even the problematic Triple Concerto has rare drama and purpose; this recording may be the best ever’ Philadelphia Enquirer (US) ‘simply masterful Beethoven … Capped by a magisterial account of the Ninth Symphony, this is the Beethoven set for our time. Even if you already have umpteen other recordings of these works, you really owe it to yourself to hear this new set’ Chicago Tribune (US) Beethoven redefined what a symphony could be, giving his works a dramatic narrative and emotional intensity that sent blood flowing through the veins of music and set the tone for Romanticism in music. Many of the symphonies have their own journeys; from darkness to light in the Fifth symphony, from death to rebirth in the Eroica, or from a bleak void to a glorious vision of love and tolerance in the Choral Symphony. London Symphony Orchestra "The Planets, Op. 32: IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from "Holst: The Planets" (LSO Live) Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album Gustav Holst's The Planets was born of his fascination with astrology. His portrayal of the planets of the solar system, from the serene, romantic venus to the warlike Mars and the magisterial Jupiter, has become an absolute classic and contains some of the most well-known music of the 20th centruy. London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, Sir Colin Davis, Gerald Finley, Allan Clayton, Ben Johnson, Matthew Rose "Otello" from "Verdi: Otello" (LSO Live) More On This Album The release of Sir Colin Davis’s eagerly anticipated recording of Verdi’s Otello marks the 10th anniversary of the LSO Live label. Opera has always formed a major part of the label’s output and among Sir Colin’s greatest triumphs was his Grammy Award-winning recording of Verdi’s final opera, Falstaff. One of the world’s most exciting young tenors joins Sir Colin to sing the title role on the new recording. New Zealander Simon O’Neill stepped in at short notice to the concerts, making his debut in the role (although he had studied it with Domingo), delivering what was universally acclaimed as a sensational performance. The villainous Jago is sung by Gerald Finley and Otello’s wife Desdemona by Anne Schwanewilms. Verdi had retired from opera following the premiere of Aida in 1871 but was eventually persuaded by his publisher to work with the librettist Arrigo Boito. As with Falstaff, Verdi’s final opera on which they would subsequently collaborate, they turned to Shakespeare for inspiration. Otello, which was premiered in 1887, marked a significant evolutionary development in Italian opera and is widely regarded as one of the great operatic masterpieces. Simon O’Neill joins Sir Colin and the LSO again for performances of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass in October before singing Siegmund in Die Walküre in a production at La Scala conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Gerald Finley performs in Guillaume Tell in Rome in October and Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in December. ‘This was an electrifying account of a masterpiece, conducted with an explosive energy that belies Sir Colin’s eighty years and pushed the LSO to the top of its game. Simon O’Neill made a tremendous debut in the title-role, giving notice that he is the best heroic tenor to emerge over the last decade … Gerald Finley was an arrestingly crisp and snakily plausible Iago … Verdi’s great music drama shone in all its power and glory’ Daily Telegraph (UK) concert review ‘a performance of Verdi’s opera that had finesse, fervour and glorious lyricism … Such is Davis’s rapport with the LSO and its rapant Chorus that he can unleash greater musical power with an elegant flick of the baton than most conductors muster with flailing arms. Gerald Finley was a superb Iago: insiduously sinister, yet sustaining a wonderfully suave line. And the New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill gave an immense performance … he will make the Moor his own’ The Times (UK) concert review ‘a thrilling performance from beginning to end … an evening to treasure; not just for Davis’s contribution, but for an impressive debut from the young New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill. O’Neill mastered Otello’s many moods with a striking musicality and an eveness of tone throughout the range. He will go far, and promises to be the outstanding Wagner Heldentenor we have been longing far … the men, led by Gerald Finley’s totally convincing and committed Iago, were splendid’ Mail on Sunday (UK) concert review