London Philharmonic Orchestra / Gardner,Edward - Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

This is Edward Gardner's sixth on LPO tag, and the third that celebrates the 20th anniversary of the tag in 2025. This Britten program was recorded at London's Royal Festival Hall (Sinfonia da Requiem and The Prince of the Pagodas) and Saffron Hall (Winter Words). A bold, early masterpiece written at just twenty-six and originally commissioned to commemorate Japan's 2600th imperial anniversary, Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem was rejected for being too solemn, but emerged as his only major purely orchestral work and a powerful response to the growing threat of war. Winter Words Britten's poignant song cycle originally for tenor and piano, set to texts of 8 poems by Thomas Hardy is presented here in a new orchestration by Robin Holloway-a world premiere recording. The Prince of the Pagodas, Britten's ballet with Edward Gardner's distilled concert suite from The Prince of the Pagodas-another world premiere recording-fulfils Britten's unrealised ambition to arrange his full-length ballet into a dramatic orchestral suite. Album Tracks 1. Britten Sinfonia Da Requiem, Op. 20 I. Lacrymosa 2. Britten Sinfonia Da Requiem, Op. 20 II. Dies Irae 3. Britten Sinfonia Da Requiem, Op. 20 III. Requiem Aeternam 4. Britten Winter Words, Op. 52 (Orch. Robin Holloway) I. at Day-Close in November 5. Britten Winter Words, Op. 52 (Orch. Robin Holloway) II. Midnight on the Great Western (Or the Journeying Boy) 6. Britten Winter Words, Op. 52 (Orch. Robin Holloway) III. Wagtail and Baby (A Satire) 7. Britten Winter Words, Op. 52 (Orch. Robin Holloway) IV. the Little Old Table 8. Britten Winter Words, Op. 52 (Orch. Robin Holloway) V. the Choirmaster's Burial (Or the Tenor Man's Story) 9. Britten Winter Words, Op. 52 (Orch. Robin Holloway) VI. Proud Songsters (Thrushes, Finches and Nightingales) 10. Britten Winter Words, Op. 52 (Orch. Robin Holloway) VII. at the

The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner present two works that stand at opposite ends of Richard Strauss's creative life, effectively bookending the two World Wars of the 20th century. Strauss's depiction of a day in the life of an Alpine mountain was completed as the First World War took hold, while his deeply personal threnody for German musical life was written in the final months of the Second World War. Now in the fifth year of his tenure as Principal Conductor of the LPO, Ed Gardner continues to be one of today's most sought-after conductors. These recordings are a testament to the strength of the partnership between the LPO and Gardner, showcasing the Orchestra at both it's most epic and it's most intimate. Album Tracks 1. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Nacht (Night) 2. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise) 3. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Der Anstieg (The Ascent) 4. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Eintritt in Den Wald (Entering the Woods) 5. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Wanderung Neben Dem Bache (Wandering By the Stream) 6. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Am Wasserfall (By the Waterfall) 7. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Erscheinung (Apparition) 8. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Auf Blumige Wiesen (In Flowery Meadows) 9. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Auf Der Alm (On a Mountain Pasture) 10. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Durch Dickicht Und Gestrüpp Auf Irrwegen (Wrong Turns Through Thicket and Undergrowth) 11. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Auf Dem Gletscher (On the Glacier) 12. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Gefahrvolle Augenblicke (Perilous Moments) 13. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Auf Dem Gipfel (On the Summit) 14. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Vision 15. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Nebel Steigen Auf (Mists Rise) 16. Strauss An Alpine Symphony - Die Sonne Verdüstert Sich Allmählich (The Sun Is Gradu

a deeply felt, thoughtful and, where needed, highly dramatic interpretation of an indisputable masterpiece. (Gramophone) Inchorchestral textures were sensuously coloured, and the vast symphonic structure flawlessly paced and handled. The choral singing, thrilling in it's immediacy and clarity, can only be described as electrifying from start to finishInch (The Guardian) InchFor Davis, Elgar is a European composer, and the links to Wagner are clear... Davis is the star guiding shaping, enhancing the beauty and the flow.Inch (The Times) Album Tracks 1. No. 1, Prelude to Part One 2. No. 2, InchJesu, Maria - I Am Near to DeathInch 3. No. 3, InchKyrie Eleison... Holy Mary, Pray for HimInch 4. No. 4, InchRouse Thee, My Fainting SoulInch 5. No. 5, InchBe Merciful, Be GraciousInch 6. No. 6, InchSanctus Fortis, Sanctus DeusInch 7. No. 7, InchI Can No MoreInch 8. No. 8, InchRescue Him, O LordInch 9. No. 9, InchNovissima Hora EstInch 10. No. 10, InchProfisciscere, Anima ChristianaInch 11. No. 11, InchGo, in the Name of Angels and ArchangelsInch 1. No. 12, Prelude to Part Two 2. No. 13, InchI Went to SleepInch 3. No. 14, InchMy Work Is DoneInch 4. No. 15, InchLow-Born Clods of Brute EarthInch 5. No. 16, InchThe Mind Bold and IndependentInch 6. No. 17, InchI See Not Those False SpiritsInch 7. No. 18, InchPraise to the HoliestInch 8. No. 19, InchGlory to HimInch 9. No. 20, InchBut Hark! a Grand Mysterious HarmonyInch 10. No. 21, InchAnd Now the Threshold As We Traverse ItInch 11. No. 22, InchPraise to the Holiest in the HeightInch 12. No. 23, InchThy Judgment Is Now NearInch 13. No. 24, InchJesu! By That Shuddering DreadInch 14. No. 25, InchPraise to His NameInch 15. No. 26, InchTake Me AwayInch 16. No. 27, InchLord, Thou Hast Been Our RefugeInch 17. No. 28, InchSoftly and Gently, Dearly-Ransomed SoulInch