Holst: The Planets - R. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain & Edward Gardner

• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949): Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, TrV 176:
• 1 Sehr breit 01:59
• 2 Von den Hinterweltlern 03:27
• 3 Von der großen Sehnsucht 01:54
• 4 Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften 01:51
• 5 Das Grablied 02:05
• 6 Von der Wissenschaft 04:10
• 7 Der Genesende 04:52
• 8 Das Tanzlied 07:13
• 9 Nachtwandlerlied 04:01
• Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934): The Planets, Op. 32:
• 10 I. Mars, the Bringer of War 07:10
• 11 II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace 07:40
• 12 III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger 03:42
• 13 IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity 07:27
• 14 V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age 08:30
• 15 VI. Uranus, the Magician 05:18
• 16 VII. Neptune, the Mystic 07:46
• Total Runtime 01:19:05

Info for Holst: The Planets - R. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra

For its very first album on Chandos, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain devotes its characteristic energy and musical mastery to an explosive programme that transcends daily life and earthly experience. It is helped by the enthusiastic, encouraging, and experienced baton of Edward Gardner as well as by the sumptuous yet detailed acoustic of Symphony Hall, Birmingham, all fully revealed in this HiRes recording.

Their performance of Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra and Holst’s The Planets is already a point of reference in the UK after the immensely successful Prom concert that preceded the recording. The concert’s five-star review in The Daily Telegraph praised in particular the orchestra’s ‘great attack and complete absence of anything routine’, while The Guardian emphasised the great performance of the orchestra in this ‘graceful and evocative programme’, especially the ‘depth and richness of sound that belied their youth’.

This unique album is a first milestone in what promises to be a superb discography for the NYO.

“... Here these showpieces are played with all the zest and freshness one may hope for from these highly skilled young musicians..." (Daniel Jaffé, BBC Music magazine)

“... Edward Gardner’s conducting of Strauss’s Nietzsche-inspired symphonic poem is impressively flowing and direct while still being flexible and also alive to small details; in return the member of the National Youth Orchestra play with confidence poise and bravura, and a lack of indulgence on Gardner’s part is refreshing to the music as a whole... However, it’s The Planets that takes the bouquets ... this is a notable version of The Planets.” (Colin Anderson, classicalsource.com)

“... one is struck by the warmth and intensity of the string sound and the quality of the wind solos. Edward Gardner’s finely balanced conducting ensures this is one for collectors as well as supporters.” (Erica Jeal, Guardian)

“... Working in the excellent acoustics of Symphony Hall, Birmingham Ralph Couzens and Jonathan Cooper have delivered the goods. There are many versions of both works in the catalogue but I’ve yet to hear a recording of either that is as excitingly engineered. Having heard this orchestra quite a few times in recent years I wasn’t surprised by the accomplishment on display in these performances. However, it’s great to have a permanent reminder on disc of the excellence of this ensemble.” (John Quinn, MusicWeb-International)

CBSO Youth Chorus
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
Edward Gardner, conductor

No biography found.

Booklet for Holst: The Planets - R. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra