Holst: The Planets: Jupiter

From Greensleeves to Jerusalem this selection of music in celebration of England’s green and pleasant land will evoke fond memories of summer holidays, end-of-term assemblies and listening to the wireless alongside a nostalgic pride in our country and its unique heritage.

This programme contains a representative collection of important works written between 1901 and 2000. This period is sometimes thought of as the era of ‘modern’ music, when composers sought to break free from the Romantic styles of the 19th century by experimenting with daring new harmonies and forms, but much of the music written after 1900 still harked back to the familiar style of the past. The first CD opens with composers who still wrote in the Romantic style, including Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Holst and Elgar, and we also hear part of the slow movement of the most successful concerto written during the 20th century, the Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo. Then come the early innovators who broke new ground like the Second Viennese School of Webern, Berg and Schoenberg, as well as others who continued to use the more traditional methods of composition but who wrote in a more advanced style such as Stravinsky and Bartók. These are followed by later composers who wrote in a wide range of so-called ‘modern’ styles including Takemitsu, Tavener and Adès. The large and prolific school of American composers active during the 20th century is represented by some extremely popular pieces like Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, as well as more adventurous works by Ives, Reich and Adams. The set also includes extracts from choral pieces by Boulez, Pärt, Tavener, Rutter and Jenkins, and ends with one of the 20th century’s most successful choral works, Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Recorded at Henry Wood Hall, London on 7 & 8 March 2012.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra takes part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June as part of the 1000 boat flotilla celebrating the Queen’s 60th anniversary. Its musicians will play works chosen for their association with British history and London landmarks, recorded here to capture the spirit of the occasion and to serve as a memento of a unique day.

Highlights of the music include Percy Grainger’s Country Gardens, Jupiter from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, Thomas Arne’s Rule, Britannia!, the James Bond Theme, The Dam Busters by Eric Coates and two works by Elgar – Nimrod from Enigma Variations and Pomp & Circumstance March No. 1. The CD closes out with a performance of the National Anthem.

A collection of music by great British composers, including Elgar - Land of Hope and Glory, Enigma Variations; Holst – The Planets; Walton – Crown Imperial; Orb & Sceptre and Parry – Jerusalem. Full of highly recognisable themes, this album captures and celebrates the great British spirit.

Released in time for the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Katherine Middleton, which takes place on the 29th April 2011. With street parties up and down the isle and a national bank holiday, the biggest Royal event since the Marriage of Prince Charles to Princess Diana is set to be celebrated in style.

Lang Lang has recorded the official soundtrack for the highly anticipated block buster video game Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation®.

The game is launched on 24th November 2010.

All eleven tracks on the album have been newly recorded especially for this purpose.

All works on the album are part of the video game.

The 3rd movement of Prokofiev’s Sonata No.7 (track 10) is used in full length in the opening sequence of Gran Turismo.

Bach’s Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring (track 11) is featured in the final sequence.

The soundtrack consists entirely of very recognisable pieces of music.

Lang Lang’s extraordinary ability to reach out to a broad audiences and his affinity for new technologies make him the perfect artist for this project and give him scope to introduce classical music to a new and massive target group of gaming enthusiasts.

The first recording of the newly refurbished Norman & Beard concert organ in Edinburgh's Usher Hall, built in 1914. In an eclectic selection of repertoire ranging from transcriptions of popular orchestral works to Liszt's tortuous Weinen, Klagen, internationally acclaimed organist John Kitchen demonstrates the instrument's sonic versatility and brilliance of tone.

"Kitchen brings rhythmic swagger and élan…The great Edwardian, Elgar, is represented by the Larghetto from his Serenade for Strings, giving Kitchen the chance to demonstrate the organ's quasi-orchestral strings, before letting rip in the celebrated 'Nimrod' from Enigma Variations." London Evening Standard, May 2004