London Philharmonic Orchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Stanisław Skrowaczewski – Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:18:50 minutes | 1,40 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © London Philharmonic Orchestra

This live concert recording features renowned Bruckner expert Stanisław Skrowaczewski, who commands a rare position within the international musical scene, being both a renowned conductor and a highly-regarded composer.

This recording is an interpretation of humility from nonagenarian Stanisław Skrowaczewski, a performance in which the listener can hear the remarkable connection between conductor and the London Philharmonic Orchestra; the Orchestra has performed Bruckner’s symphonies under his baton many times.

Anton Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony is one of the grandest of his so-called ‘cathedrals in sound’. From the first movement’s monumental tone, via the dance-haunted Scherzo, to the beautiful yet finally enigmatic Adagio, Bruckner’s ‘fantastic’ Fifth ends with a triumphant orchestral finale, among the finest ever written.

Skrowaczewski’s interpretation of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 with the LPO is also available on the LPO’s record label (LPO-0084). Released in 2015, the recording received excellent reviews, with BBC Radio 3 commenting that ‘it sounds throughout as if the LPO is completely in sympathy with the conductor’s carefully controlled approach … It feels right, end to end.’

This recording was taken from a live concert performance at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 31 October 2015.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra, Stanisław Skrowaczewski – Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor ‘Wagner Symphony’ (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 56:48 minutes | 543 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © London Philharmonic Orchestra

From its opening expectant hush via its central Adagio movement (composed in memory of Bruckner’s mother) to its Austrian folk dance-influenced final movement, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 displays both the key influence of Wagner on the composer, and his structural flair, which earned his symphonies the description ‘cathedrals of sound’.

Stanisław Skrowaczewski, currently the world’s oldest major working conductor, is renowned for his affinity with Bruckner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra has performed Bruckner’s symphonies under his baton many times. Skrowaczewski’s decorations include the Knight’s Cross of Polonia Restituta, one of Poland’s highest decorations, six honorary Doctorates, and the Gold Medal from the Mahler-Bruckner Society; each indicating the massive contribution he has made to music-making throughout his career.

This recording was taken from a live concert performance at Royal Festival Hall, London, in March 2014, which was very well received critically.

Skrowaczewski uses his own, unpublished, edition of the Symphony in this recording, offering the listener a unique experience, and an opportunity to get inside the mind of Bruckner’s greatest interpreter.

Skrowaczewski’s interpretation of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 with the LPO is also available on the LPO’s record label (LPO-0071). Released in 2013, the recording received rave reviews, with Gramophone commenting that ‘It has a quiet dignity and integrity, and one is left in no doubt that the man on the podium comes with a wealth of experience and is in love with every bar.’
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