Tag: London Symphony Orchestra
-
Britten: War Requiem – Gianandrea Noseda, London Symphony Orchestra
“a scintillating achievement…Sabina Cvilak’s soprano has the focus … Bostridge brings piercing sincerity … Keenlyside – sonorous, commanding … an important issue: Noseda’s judgement of pace is unerring, and the orchestra and chorus simply superb. (BBC Music 4*) “LSO and Chorus are on cracking form, the soloists are as good as you will get…No one…
-
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7 – Sir Colin Davis, LSO
“What makes Davis’s Sibelius compelling is that he manages to have it both ways. He gives these fine players the encouragement to turn individual passages into moments of spine-tingling magic …But he never loses sight of the bigger objective, which is to pull together, bit by bit, the seemingly disparate themes … I doubt whether…
-
Karol Szymanowski Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4, Stabat Mater – Denis Matsuev, Valery Gergiev, LSO
[2nd] “a natural inheritor of Scriabinesque exoticism, Szymanowski brings out the best in Scriabin’s most imaginative interpreters, which is why Gergiev proves such a convincing interpreter … excellent playing from the LSO” [4th] “Matsuev has his feet…firmly planted on terra firma … the gorgeous return to lushness in the second movement suggests an almost Ravelian…
-
Beethoven: Mass in C, Finale from Symphony No. 9 – soloists, Sir Colin Davis, LSC, LSO
Colin Davis leads a superb quartet of soloists and brings out all the humanity and tenderness of the music with his customary skill. The LSO Chorus responds brilliantly’ (Classic FM) ‘Colin Davis who meets the work on its own particular ground with such imagination and style in this version. The great fugal perorations are crisper…
-
Romantic Violin – Symanowski: Violin Concerto, Violin Sonata; Hindemith Violin Concerto
“Szymanowski is among the most exciting of twentieth century composers … a highly individual style which owes nothing to anyone … Try the first few bars of this recording; I should be surprised if you wanted to (stop) before the end … his early sonata, has many signs of that strange genius … Its melodies,…
-
Bruckner: Symphony No.4 “Romantic”
“Great hushes, mighty crescendos, time for every duplet and triplet to be grounded and yet to resonate with momentum. This was Bruckner’s maximal minimalism at its most majestic” (The Times) “the LSO’s principal horn (David Pyatt) here sets down a wonderful opening benchmark for what follows … Haitink’s conducting is a master-class in the art…
-
Mozart: Requiem, K.626
this is a grandly scaled, nobly contoured reading, by turns monumental and ferociously dramatic. With biting choral attack, searing, spitting strings and scything trumpets, the Dies irae has a terrifying intensity I have rarely heard equalled. The Rex tremendae, too, is overwhelming in its desperate fervour and grimly sustained impetus, with the inexorable dotted rhythms…
-
Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 “The Year 1905”
“A superb performance with excellent sound makes this a benchmark recording and my top CD choice of the year. Shostakovich fans ignore this release at their peril !” (MusicWeb) “A searing new live account by Rostropovich, well-recorded and unmissable – (he) has something unique to say about this work, transcending any doubts about his conducting…
-
Verdi: Requiem
Sir Colin Davis conducts the Requiem with a judicious mix of fire and meditative calm’ (Gramophone) ‘a strong set of soloists … Every note fills me with affection and wonder, and that’s rare … his performance really feels like a live one as if we’re hearing this glorious score straight out of the crucible in…
-
O Fortuna: Carmina Burana
-
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini