Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34, Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 & Scheherazade, Op. 35 Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra & Vasily Petrenko

• Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908): Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34:
• 1 Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34: I. Alborada 01:12
• 2 Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34: II. Variazioni 05:08
• 3 Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34: III. Alborada 01:10
• 4 Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34: IV. Scena e canto gitano. Allegretto 05:03
• 5 Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34: V. Fandango asturiano 03:18
• Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov:
• 6 Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 15:03
• Scheherazade, Op. 35:
• 7 Scheherazade, Op. 35: I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship 09:42
• 8 Scheherazade, Op. 35: II. The Tale of The Kalendar Prince 12:11
• 9 Scheherazade, Op. 35: III. The Young Prince and The Young Princess 09:48
• 10 Scheherazade, Op. 35: IV. Festival at Baghdad – The Sea – The Shipwreck 12:16
• Total Runtime 01:14:51

Info for Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34, Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 & Scheherazade, Op. 35

It was Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov's older brother, Voin, who first put ideas of travel, ships and the sea into the would-be composer's head. The young Nikolay had never set foot aboard a boat but Voin's evocative letters home from the Far East, where he was stationed in the Imperial Russian Navy, proved more than sufficient. In 1856, he enrolled as a naval cadet and completed six years of training.

Barely a year into his studies at the naval academy, the young Nikolay saw his first opera. Soon he heard symphonies by Beethoven and Mendelssohn and encountered a piece by his senior Mikhail Glinka, Jota Aragonesa. Even before he embarked on a three-year voyage around the world aboard a clipper, Rimsky knew he wanted to be a composer, not a seaman. Afterwards, having sailed into some of the great ports of the world, he returned home happy never to leave Russia again the only journeys Rimsky wanted to make were musical. The Oslo Philharmonic under the baton of Vasily Petrenko perform Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34, coupled with the Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 and Scheherazade, Op. 35, Symphonic Suite On this brand new recording from Lawo Classics.

Vasily Petrenko is one of the most significant and galvanizing musicians alive. He is one of the most acclaimed classical recording artists alive and has won numerous accolades for his recordings of Russian repertoire, including two Gramophone awards. With the Oslo Philharmonic, he has recorded Shostakovich and Szymanowski concertos, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, as well as two major cycles of orchestral works by Alexander Scriabin and Richard Strauss respectively. This new recording of Rimsky-Korsakov with the Oslo Philharmonic continues their journey together and is sure to generate critical acclaim.

Previous Strauss recordings were selected as "Editor's Choice" by Gramophone Magazine and were universally critically acclaimed: Gramophone Magazine: "There's no lack of excitement or, where needed, bombast, and the Osloers' sound at full throttle is thrilling, their playing superb." The Sunday Times: "As Petrenko's tenure in Oslo begins to wind down, he revels in the standards of orchestral virtuosity he has attained with this excellent band in two Strauss tone poems that challenge all instrumental departments...the Osloers shine brilliantly."

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenk, conductor

Vasily Petrenko
was appointed Principal Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 and in 2009 became Chief Conductor. He is also Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Mikhailovsky Theatre of his native St Petersburg, and Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He was the Classical BRIT Awards Male Artist of the Year 2010 and 2012 and the Classic FM/Gramophone Young Artist of the Year 2007. He is only the second person to have been awarded Honorary Doctorates by both the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University (in 2009), and an Honorary Fellowship of the Liverpool John Moores University (in 2012). These awards recognise the immense impact he has had on the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the city’s cultural scene. He now works regularly with many of the world’s finest orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Russian National, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras, the National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome, and the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin. His wide operatic repertoire includes Macbeth (Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Parsifal and Tosca (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic), Le Villi, I due Foscari and Boris Godunov (Netherlands Reisopera), Der fliegende Holländer, La Bohème and Carmen (Mikhailovsky Theatre), Pique Dame (Hamburg State Opera) and Eugene Onegin (Opéra de Paris, Bastille). Recordings with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra include Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony [Naxos 8.570568] (2009 Classic FM/Gramophone Orchestral Recording of the Year), an ongoing Shostakovich cycle, and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, Second and Third Symphonies and complete Piano Concertos.

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