Epic Orchestra - New Sound of Classical NDR Radiophilharmonie, Ben Palmer & Michael England

• Hans Zimmer (b. 1957):
• 1 The Blue Planet 03:13
• Hans Zimmer & Alex Gibson (b. 1974):
• 2 Interstellar Cornfield Chase 02:08
• Chilly Gonzales (b. 1972):
• 3 Advantage Points 03:44
• Howard Shore (b. 1946):
• 4 The Lord of the Rings: The Council of Elrond "Aniron" (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen) 04:24
• Karl Jenkins (b. 1944):
• 5 Adiemus 04:03
• 6 Palladio: I. Allegretto 03:49
• Alexandre Desplat (b. 1961):
• 7 The Imitation Game 02:38
• Ramin Djawadi (b. 1974):
• 8 A Lannister Always Pays His Debts 02:55
• Ennio Morricone (b. 1928):
• 9 Once Upon a Time in the West 03:24
• Philip Glass (b. 1937):
• 10 String Quartet No. 3, "Mishima": VI. Mishima / Closing 02:58
• Johannes Motschmann (b. 1978):
• 11 Tristia für Streichorchester 05:25
• Vladimir Martynov (b. 1946):
• 12 Come In!: IV. Movement 05:34
• Max Richter (b. 1966):
• 13 The Four Seasons Recomposed: Spring I 02:38
• Ludovico Einaudi (b. 1955):
• 14 I giorni: Andante 06:08
• Total Runtime 53:01

Info for Epic Orchestra - New Sound of Classical

Außergewöhnliches Klangerlebnis: Die bekanntesten Werke der größten lebenden Komponisten erstmals in ihrer gesamten akustischen Fülle und als epische Klangreise mit Orchester und herausragenden Solisten. "Epic Orchestra - New Sound of Classical" ist eine epische Klangreise mit Orchester. Die NDR Radiophilharmonie hat einige der bekanntesten Werke der größten lebenden Komponisten in einer zusammenhängenden Klangreise verbunden. In einer überaus aufwendigen Produktion mit herausragenden Solisten, Chor und jeder denkbaren Erweiterung des Orchesters erscheinen die Meisterwerke dieser Komponisten erstmals in ihrer gesamten akustischen Fülle. Mit über 90 Mikrophonen lotet "Epic Orchestra" die Möglichkeiten des akustischen Orchesterklangs aus - ganz ohne Midi- und Synthesizerunterstützung - und erschafft ein Kaleidoskop der Klänge, von intimer Kammerbesetzung, wie bei "Mishima - Closing", bis zum gigantischen Orchesteraufbau mit mehreren Orgel- und Pianostimmen bei "Interstellar". Komponisten: Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi, Alexandre Desplat, Ennio Morricone, Howard Shore, Philip Glass, Max Richter, Karl Jenkins, Vladimir Martynov, Johannes Motschmann, Chilly Gonzales and Ludovico Einaudi. Solisten: Cameron Carpenter, Eldbjørg Hemsing, Sebastian Knauer, Olga Peretyatko, Johanna Röhrig, Rahel Senn, The Modern String Quintet, Vokalensemble Pop-Up NDR Radiophilharmonie mit Ben Palmer, Michael England

Olga Peretyatko, Sopran
Cameron Carpenter, Orgel
Eldbjørg Hemsing, Violine
Johanna Röhrig, Violine
Rahel Senn, Klavier
Sebastian Knauer, Klavier
The Modern String Quintet
The Modern String
Vokalensemble Pop-Up
NDR Radiophilharmonie
Michael England, Dirigent
Ben Palmer, Dirigent

Ben Palmer
is Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck in Darmstadt, and Founder and Artistic Director of Covent Garden Sinfonia, one of London’s most dynamic and versatile chamber orchestras. As a guest conductor he works regularly with the Hallé, BBC Singers, the Orchestra of Opera North, and Grimethorpe Colliery Band. Other recent engagements include the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, London Mozart Players, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, and Sinfonietta de Lausanne. In the 2019/20 season he will conduct the Hong Kong Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and Heidelberger Sinfoniker for the first time, and return to the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and Czech National Symphony Orchestra.

Ben Palmer is one of Europe’s foremost specialists in conducting live to film. His repertoire includes the Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Home Alone, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Back to the Future, Casino Royale, Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Pink Panther, Under the Skin, Psycho and Casablanca. He is also an experienced conductor of silent films such as Metropolis, The Snowman and The Gold Rush, and gave the world premieres of Neil Brand’s scores for The Lodger and Oliver Twist. Highlights of 2019/20 include The Lodger at the closing concert of Le Giornate del Cinema Muto (the world-famous Pordenone Silent Film Festival), Skyfall with the Hallé, and a return to the Royal Albert Hall for E.T. and Brassed Off.

2019 sees the release of recordings with Covent Garden Sinfonia (Max Richter, Peteris Vasks and Arvo Pärt with violinist Fenella Humphreys), the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck (a live disc of film music) and, for Sony Germany, the NDR Radiophilharmonie. Other recordings include an acclaimed disc of Antonio Lotti with chamber choir The Syred Consort, selected as BBC Radio 3 Record Review’s “Disc of the Week”, and chosen as one of Presto Classical’s Top Ten Recordings of 2016.

A trumpeter and composer by training, he studied music at the University of Birmingham, graduating with first class honours in 2003. He stayed on at Birmingham to complete an MPhil in composition, before moving to London in 2005 to study composition at the Royal Academy of Music. From 2011-16 he worked as assistant conductor to Sir Roger Norrington, and has twice acted as rehearsal conductor for Bernard Haitink, as well as assisting Paul McCreesh with the Gabrieli Consort & Players. In addition to his work as a conductor, he is sought after as a composer, arranger and orchestrator. In 2017 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), and is more than three quarters of the way through his lifetime ambition to conduct all 107 Haydn symphonies.

Michael England
has established a reputation as a highly versatile conductor of an extremely wide repertory, including musical theatre, classical, ballet, film and live television.

He has conducted many of the top UK orchestras including the Philharmonia (at Buckingham Palace in the presence of HRH, The Prince of Wales), City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Scottish National, Royal Philharmonic Concert, BBC Concert, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Orchestra of Opera North, National Symphony Orchestra. International engagements include the NDR Radio Philharmonie, Shanghai Opera House Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Slovenia Radio Symphony, Stockholm Sinfonietta and the Estonian Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta.

He made his ballet debut with Shanghai Ballet, conducting their new production of Hamlet, choreographed by Derek Deane, for which he created the score, adapting and orchestrating music by Tchaikovsky. Hamlet was awarded a gold medal at the 2016 Chinese Lotus Awards, the highest honour given in China for dance productions. Michael has since returned to them to conduct revivals of Hamlet, as well as productions of Romeo & Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty and their new production of The Lady of the Camellias. Following the pandemic he returned to them in April 2023 to conduct the world premiere of a ballet of The Fantôme de l'Opéra with a new score by Carl Davis OBE. Later in 2023 he makes his debut with the Queensland Ballet.

He has worked at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as cover conductor on the Royal Ballet productions of The Rite of Spring, Giselle, Chroma, Concerto, Monotones, The Judas Tree, La Valse, The Human Seasons and Marguerite & Armand, working under both Koen Kessels and Barry Wordsworth.

In London’s West End, he has been Musical Director for productions of Les Misérables; The Phantom of the Opera, Jerry Springer – The Opera (also BBC TV), Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Producers and Miss Saigon. 


He conducted the cast album of Cameron Mackintosh's new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables and worked on the 2012 film. Michael also conducted the UK debut concert performance of George Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing at the Royal Festival Hall.

Television includes work as conductor and orchestrator for the live broadcast of BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2017, and he was Musical Director for the UK television premiere, The Sound of Music - Live, broadcast on ITV television. He has conducted concert performances of movies with live orchestra for screenings of Love Actually, Joker, and The Holiday. His radio broadcasts include conducting Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night, with programmes ranging from film music to an evening devoted to Tchaikovsky.

Michael has composed music for the Royal Ballet’s Draft Works (Clore Studio) and New Works (Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House). For Deaf Men Dancing he has created sound design and electronic compositions for Rosa (Sadler’s Wells), See Hear, Exceptional & Extraordinary (UK Tour), and is currently working on a new project entitled Hut 8 based on the work of Alan Turing.

He has composed various choral pieces, including a 40 minute Requiem.

In addition to this Michael was commissioned by the Royal Ballet School to compose a traditional 40- minute classical ballet, La Destinée, which premiered on the main stage at the Royal Opera House.

Booklet for Epic Orchestra - New Sound of Classical