Rachmaninoff: The Bells & Symphonic Dances London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir & Edward Gardner

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): The Bells, Op. 35:
• 1 Rachmaninoff: The Bells, Op. 35: I. Allegro ma non tanto (The Silver Sleigh-Bells) 06:32
• 2 Rachmaninoff: The Bells, Op. 35: II. Lento (The Mellow Wedding Bells) 10:57
• 3 Rachmaninoff: The Bells, Op. 35: III. Presto (The Loud Alarm Bells) 08:43
• 4 Rachmaninoff: The Bells, Op. 35: IV. Lento lugubre (The Mournful Iron Bells) 11:19
• Symphonic Dances, Op. 45:
• 5 Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: I. Non allegro 11:40
• 6 Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: II. Andante con moto (Tempo di valse) 09:35
• 7 Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: III. Lento assai - Allegro vivace 13:03
• Total Runtime 01:11:49

Info for Rachmaninoff: The Bells & Symphonic Dances

Rachminov's Symphonic Dances was one of the first four releases on the LPO Label. As a celebration of the LPO 20 Anniversariy, they are releasing a new recording of the Symphonic Dances, recorded in March of 2023, paired with Rachmaninov's The Bells. Both recordings are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of our prinicpal conductor, Edward Gardner. The Bells, a choral symphony incorporates Edgar Allan Poe's namesake poem, with a traditional Georgian melody Dies Irae. Motifs of Dies Irae can also be heard in the final movement of the Symphonic Dance; where the Dies Irae theme represents Death.

Kristina Mkhitaryan, soprano
Dmytro Popov, tenor
Kostas Smoriginas, bass-baritone
London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Choir
Edward Gardner, conductor

Edward Gardner
born in Gloucester, has been Artistic Advisor to the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo since 2022 and will become its Music Director in 2024. He has also been Chief Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra since the 2021/22 season. He has held the same position with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra since 2015, with whom he has toured in Berlin, Munich and Amsterdam, at the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival, among others. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he was Music Director of English National Opera from 2006 to 2015. As an opera conductor, he has made several guest appearances at the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Chicago Lyric Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the Opéra national de Paris. He has appeared on the concert platform with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, he made his debut at the Bavarian State Opera with Peter Grimes.

Booklet for Rachmaninoff: The Bells & Symphonic Dances