The Montreal Symphony Orchestra has released a CD featuring Beethoven’s Symphony Nos. 1 and 7 on the Analekta label. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra has released two recordings on its own label: A Portrait of Augusta Read Thomas, who served as composer in residence at the orchestra from 2009 to 2011; and William Walton Project Disc II, featuring performances of Walton’s Symphony No. 2, Spitfire Prelude and Fugue, Crown Imperial, and the Viola Concerto. In March 2015, the New York Philharmonic will release a recording of live performances with Philip Smith, its longtime principal trumpet, who retired in June. Distributed by Naxos, the recording will include music by Mahler, Mussorgsky, Ives, Copland, Gershwin, Respighi, and Handel. The Riverside Symphony, based in New York City, has launched its own record label, Riverside Symphony Records; the first release features three works by Marius Constant: Turner, Brevissima, and 103 Regards dans l’eau. On the Seattle Symphony’s new recording on its own label, Ludovic Morlot leads Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Raskatov’s Piano Concerto (“Night Butterflies”), with pianist soloist Tomoko Mukaiyama.
Pianist Valentina Lisitsa has a new recording on Decca/Universal Music Classics, featuring Chopin Études Op. 10 and 25; Schumann Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13; and Chopin’s Trois Nouvelles Études. Pianist Leon Fleisher has released his first solo recording in nearly a decade, All the Things You Are, featuring works by Bach, Kirchner, Gershwin, George Perle, Federico Mompou, Dina Koston, and Jerome Kern. Theremin player Carolina Eyck and pianist/composer Christopher Tarnow have released Improvisations for Theremin and Piano, featuring eight original compositions, on the Butterscotch Records label. Sony Masterworks has released The Leonard Bernstein Edition, an 80-CD boxed set featuring works recorded in New York between 1950 and 1976. Decca/Universal Classics has released the 19-CD boxed set Lorin Maazel: The Cleveland Years, Complete Recordings, featuring recordings Maazel made between 1973 and 1979, while music director of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Singer/songwriter Neil Young has released his latest album, Storytone, in a version including seven tracks with symphony orchestra, as well as three tracks with a big band. Singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder is preparing to release an album, When the World Began, featuring versions of his songs with symphony orchestra.
December 11, 2014
