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Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Maurice Ravel, Lennox Berkeley & Adam Pounds: Orchestral Works (2024)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Maurice Ravel, Lennox Berkeley & Adam Pounds: Orchestral Works (2024)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Maurice Ravel, Lennox Berkeley & Adam Pounds: Orchestral Works (2024)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 221 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 153 Mb | 01:05:50
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

The three composers whose works appear on this album are interconnected: Ravel was a mentor to Lennox Berkeley, and Berkeley to Pounds. Le Tombeau de Couperin marks Ravel’s movement towards neoclassicism, its forms and style a re-invention of ones from the French baroque. Originally written for solo piano, the movements of the suite were dedicated to friends whom Ravel had lost in the First World War. In 1919 he orchestrated four of the six movements (the version performed here).

Sinfonia of London Chorus, Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé (Complete Ballet) (2023)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London Chorus, Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé (Complete Ballet) (2023)

Sinfonia of London Chorus, Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé (Complete Ballet) (2023)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 180 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 126 Mb | Digital booklet | 00:54:09
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

Ravel’s early masterpiece, Daphnis et Chloé, was commissioned by Serge Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes, and was premièred in the Théâtre du Châtelet in July 1912. Described by Ravel as a ‘symphonie chorégraphique’ (choreographic symphony), the work was performed just twice in that 1912 season, and was given only three more performances the following year. Press reaction was muted, and it is now much more often performed as a concert work than as a ballet.

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (Complete Original Score) (2023)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (Complete Original Score) (2023)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (Complete Original Score) (2023)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 488 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 231 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:39:43
Classical, Musical | Label: Chandos Records

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! was first performed in 1943, and was a significant turning point in the history of musical theatre. It was the first musical to put drama and plot to the fore, portrayed by rounded, believable characters. It swept aside traditions that had their roots in vaudeville – star turns, comic sketches, and endless lines of high-kicking chorus girls. Oklahoma! does feature dance, but in the hands of the choreographer, Agnes de Mille, this was idiomatic to the plot, and revolutionary in terms of the fifteen-minute dream-sequence ballet at the close of Act I. The first collaboration between composer and writer, the show was a hit, running for more than five years on Broadway, and paving the way for their masterpieces to come.

Martin Owen, BBC Philharmonic & John Wilson - Martin Owen Plays Strauss, Schumann & Weber (2023)

Posted By: delpotro
Martin Owen, BBC Philharmonic & John Wilson - Martin Owen Plays Strauss, Schumann & Weber (2023)

Martin Owen, BBC Philharmonic & John Wilson - Martin Owen Plays Strauss, Schumann & Weber (2023)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 248 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 152 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:05:32
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

Regarded as one of Europe’s leading horn players, Martin Owen appears as a soloist and chamber musician around the world. Currently principal horn at the BBC Symphony Orchestra, he has previously served as principal horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and as solo horn of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Weber’s Concertino was written for the old, valveless ‘natural horn’; its limited range of notes (tied to the harmonic series) was extended mechanically with additional tubing (‘crooks’) and, more artfully, by virtuoso players bending notes, and varied hand stopping. The technical demands of the Concertino are testament to the extraordinary facility of the hornists of the period.

Adam Walker, Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Kenneth Fuchs: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (2023)

Posted By: delpotro
Adam Walker, Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Kenneth Fuchs: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (2023)

Adam Walker, Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Kenneth Fuchs: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 (2023)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 199 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 137 Mb | Digital booklet | 00:59:16
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

The Grammy-Award-winning Kenneth Fuchs (born 1956) is without doubt one of American music’s leading orchestral composers. His orchestral output has grown and developed to encompass a wide range of genres, from overtures and tone poems to suites and concertos (ten to date, including ones for string quartet, electric guitar, and piano, the last entitled Spiritualist), inspired by a diverse range of subjects, testimony to his wide sympathies and fields of knowledge.

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra & John Wilson - Coates: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (2023)

Posted By: delpotro
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra & John Wilson - Coates: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (2023)

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra & John Wilson - Coates: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (2023)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 277 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 155 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:06:50
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

John Wilson’s third volume devoted to music by Eric Coates combines some of the composer’s larger-scale works with miniatures and two marches. The Cinderella Phantasy frames the well-known fairy-tale from Cinderella’s perspective, glossing over the more brutal elements of the original, with some notably descriptive writing for the dream sequences, the ball, and of course the happy ending.

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2, Prelude in C# Minor (2023)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2, Prelude in C# Minor (2023)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2, Prelude in C# Minor (2023)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 232 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 148 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:04:08
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

John Wilson and Sinfonia of London release their second album of Rachmaninoff. The Second Symphony was mostly composed in Dresden – where Rachmaninoff was escaping the political and professional pressures of Russia – in 1906 – 07. An hour’s worth of music, the symphony is one of his largest works after the operas, and is widely viewed as one of his greatest works. It was possibly of some significance to the composer, following the less than auspicious début of his First Symphony (which he withdrew after the première). First performed in St Petersburg and Moscow, conducted by the composer, the Second Symphony was an immediate success with audiences and critics alike, and remains a mainstay of the orchestral repertoire to this day. Rachmaninoff dedicated the score to his teacher Sergei Taneyev, who was a pupil of Tchaikovsky.

Sinfonia Of London, John Wilson - Vaughan Williams, Howells, Delius, Elgar: Music for Strings (2023)

Posted By: Fizzpop
Sinfonia Of London, John Wilson - Vaughan Williams, Howells, Delius, Elgar: Music for Strings (2023)

Sinfonia Of London, John Wilson - Vaughan Williams, Howells, Delius, Elgar: Music for Strings (2023)
WEB FLAC (Tracks) 274 MB | Cover | 01:06:01 | MP3 CBR 320 kbps | 152 MB
Classical, Symphonies | Label: Chandos

This keenly anticipated album from Sinfonia of London and John Wilson features two of the greatest British works for string orchestra: Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, and Sir Edward Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro. Elgar’s ground-breaking work, commissioned for the newly formed London Symphony Orchestra and premièred in 1905, is inspired by the baroque concerto grosso, and features a solo string quartet contrasted with the full symphonic string section.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson - Eric Coates: London Again (2011)

Posted By: tirexiss
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson - Eric Coates: London Again (2011)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson - Eric Coates: London Again (2011)
WEB | FLAC (tracks) - 371 MB | 01:19:06
Genre: Classical | Label: Avie

John Wilson, today’s foremost conductor of film and British light music, finds himself the centre of attention this summer with a slew of performances and media appearances that cast the spotlight on his singular specialty, and particularly the music of Eric Coates, as heard on the Avie release ‘London Again’. A new album from John Wilson and the RLPO on Avie entitled ‘Made in Britain’, due for release in October, will feature music by Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Walton amongst others.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson - Made in Britain (2011)

Posted By: tirexiss
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson - Made in Britain (2011)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson - Made in Britain (2011)
WEB | FLAC (tracks) - 337 MB | 01:12:36
Genre: Classical | Label: Avie

‘Made in Britain’ is a rich and nostalgic journey through English music straddling the turn of the 20th century, with John Wilson, today’s leading proponent of British Music, at the helm of the UK’s oldest orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. ‘Made in Britain’ celebrates a rich period of English music surrounding the turn of the 20th century, including evergreens such as Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending (for years No 1 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame) and Elgar’s Salut d’amour, as well as the folk-inspired Two English Idylls by Butterworth and English Folk Song Suite by Vaughan Williams.

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3, Isle of the Dead, Vocalise (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3, Isle of the Dead, Vocalise (2022)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3, Isle of the Dead, Vocalise (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 243 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 158 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:07:14
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

Rachmaninoff’s tone poem The Isle of the Dead was composed in Dresden in 1908 – 09, inspired by the 1880 painting of that name by the Swiss symbolist Arnold Böcklin. The painting depicts a ferryman rowing a coffin towards the Isle of the Dead, and Rachmaninoff, unusually setting the piece in five beats to the bar, captures the atmosphere and the motion of oars in the water in the most extraordinary detail. Dedicated to the outstanding Ukrainian-born coloratura soprano Antonina Vasilyevna Nezhdanova, the ‘Vocalise’ was first performed, by her with the composer, in January 1916. After creating a version with orchestral accompaniment, Rachmaninoff then produced the version heard here, for orchestra alone. Following the Russian revolution and his exile to the USA, the compositional output of Rachmaninoff declined dramatically. In great demand both as a virtuoso performer and as a conductor, he toured extensively, but struggled to incorporate ‘modern music’ into his compositional style. In the mid 1930s he acquired a holiday villa in Lucerne, and surprised the world with his ‘Paganini’ Rhapsody, quickly followed by the Third Symphony. Sinfonia of London and John Wilson demonstrate exceptional ensemble playing throughout, and their glowing string sound suits this repertoire perfectly.

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Hollywood Soundstage (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Hollywood Soundstage (2022)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Hollywood Soundstage (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 261 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 141 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:00:49
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

Sinfonia of London and John Wilson present an album that celebrates the golden age of Hollywood. Sinfonia of London rose to fame in the 1950s as the leading recording orchestra of the day, appearing in the musical credits of more than 300 films, including the 1958 soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann for Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Reformed by John Wilson in 2018 as a recording orchestra, and made-up of some of London’s finest orchestral musicians, their first recording of Korngold’s Symphony in F# won the orchestral award from BBC music magazine, and drew critical acclaim worldwide. Korngold’s Overture from the private lives of Elizabeth and Essex which opens the programme is an excellent demonstration of his rich, chromatic sound-world that set a blue-print for the Hollywood sound and so many composers that followed. Although the songs were written by Harold Arlen, it was Herbert Stothart’s score for The Wizard of Oz that won the Oscar, and it is his suite from the movie that features here. There are also suites from Max Steiner’s Now, Voyager and Franz Waxman’s Rebecca (receiving here it’s premiere recording). Shorter pieces from David Raksin, Frederick Loewe, Johnny Mandel and Alfred Newman complete this rewarding programme.

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - John Ireland: Orchestral Works (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - John Ireland: Orchestral Works (2022)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - John Ireland: Orchestral Works (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 250 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 155 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:07:16
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

John Ireland was something of a child prodigy, entering the Royal College of Music at the age of fourteen. There he studied piano, organ and composition (under Charles Villiers Stanford). He quickly progressed to significant positions as an organist, whilst continuing to pursue his interests as a composer. The Forgotten Rite, from 1913, is one of his earliest orchestral compositions, and was premièred by Sir Henry Wood at the Queen’s Hall.

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Metamorphosen: R.Strauss; Korngold; Schrecker (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Metamorphosen: R.Strauss; Korngold; Schrecker (2022)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Metamorphosen: R.Strauss; Korngold; Schrecker (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 285 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 155 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:04:22
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

Following their critically acclaimed album of English Music for Strings, Sinfonia of London and John Wilson turn to Germany and three outstanding works for string orchestra. Franz Schreker’s Intermezzo, the oldest piece here, was composed in 1900, before Schreker’s rise to fame in the opera houses of Germany and Austria, but shows strong indications of what was to follow. Korngold composed the Symphonische Serenade following his return to Vienna from Hollywood after the Second World War, and shortly before he wrote his Symphony in F sharp. Korngold effortlessly conjures a vivid range of colours and textures from his large forces (32 violins, 12 violas, 12 cellos, and 8 basses) in a work that explores the virtuosity of the players to the full. Composed in 1945, as a reaction to the horrors of the war, and the desecration of German culture, Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings seems to look backwards to the German romantic tradition (a trait even more evident in his Four Last Songs, of 1948). The moving final passage, marked ‘In Memoriam’, leaves the listener to contemplate in silence.

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Ravel: Orchestral Works (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Ravel: Orchestral Works (2022)

Sinfonia of London & John Wilson - Ravel: Orchestral Works (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 269 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 193 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:23:45
Classical | Label: Chandos Records

Following their second BBC Music Magazine Award (for Respighi’s Roman Trilogy) and universal praise for their first concert (at the BBC Proms in 2021), Sinfonia of London and John Wilson turn to the orchestral works of Ravel for this their sixth studio album. Not only an outstanding pianist and one of France’s greatest composers, Maurice Ravel is acclaimed as one of the greatest orchestrators of all time. His unique ability to conjure the widest possible range of colours and textures from the orchestral palette is amply demonstrated on this album. The programme opens with La Valse, conceived as a snapshot of 1850s Vienna. The continuous sequence of waltzes becomes increasingly insistent until the sound is almost utterly overwhelming. Other ballets also feature – Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) and the notorious Boléro, both recorded here for the first time in their complete original versions. Ravel’s orchestrations of his own piano works complete the programme: Valses nobles et sentimentales, Pavane pour une infante défunte, and Alborada del gracioso, which demonstrates both Ravel’s fascination with Spanish sounds and culture and the sheer virtuosity of orchestral playing of Sinfonia of London.