Live in Riga Thomas Gould & Sinfonietta Riga

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827): Violin Concerto in D, Op.61
• 1 I. Allegro ma non troppo 24:47
• 2 II. Larghetto 10:13
• 3 III. Rondo (Allegro) 09:20
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
• 4 The Lark Ascending 15:36
• Total Runtime 59:56

Info for Live in Riga

„Live in Riga“ is the major new album from the celebrated 31 year old British violinist Thomas Gould. Recorded live in concert with Sinfonietta Riga on April 11th 2014 at the Great Guild Hall in Riga, Latvia, it confirms Gould’s enormous potential as one of the most inventive and colourful instrumentalists of his generation. Gould is no ordinary classical musician but one of a new generation who refuse to be defined by a single genre. He has developed impressive jazz credentials, but it is in this environment as soloist/director of classical repertoire where he really excels. The Times recently described Gould as “intent on becoming the Nigel Kennedy of his generation”. Gould, however, is incomparably his own musician. Bold and courageous enough to forge his own path and follow his singular vision, he steps outside the footsteps of the greats.

‘Live in Riga’ is a defining album for Gould, his first disc of a three-album deal with forward-thinking British jazz and classical record label Edition Classics. Over the last decade he has been in demand as a soloist with major orchestras worldwide, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra and LA Phil New Music Group. He is also much in demand as a leader/director, working with Britten Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s ACO2, but it’s when he brings these disciplines together that the magic happens. As Gould explains, “It means that everyone plays in a more engaged way. There is a group commitment to making it work, so the process is much more collaborative than when working with conductor.”

Sinfonietta Riga is an orchestra with a story to tell. Formed in 2006, their vision is as bold as Gould’s. Equally happy to play in concert dress or T-shirts they are intent on building new audiences for the music while reaching for the highest artistic standards. Their collaboration is a perfect match and a unique experience for both the orchestra and for Gould. This live concert recording bears witness to this special musical symbiosis.

To release an album featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending is a bold decision. As two cornerstones of the violin repertoire, there are plenty of performances to compare, but Gould’s versions demonstrate a brilliance of tone and colour that demands attention. His flexibility and breadth of musical interests is fully evident. Gould’s playing has the clarity you would expect from any major performer but radiates a freedom in its expression as though improvised with an immediate elegance and poise.

For Gould it’s all about achieving the right balance. Whether it’s jazz or classical, written or improvised, as soloist or director, Gould is right in the eye of the storm. If the dark clouds gathering in the wider music world imply that the days of the single-minded virtuoso are coming to an end; if to succeed in that brave new world we need to attract more diversity and brighter colours, then in Thomas Gould we may have found the lightning conductor to spark a new generation.

Thomas Gould, violin
Sinfonietta Riga

Recorded on 11th and 13th April 2014 at The Great Guild Hall, Riga, Latvia
Produced by Raphaël Mouterde
Executive producer Dave Stapleton

Thomas Gould
performs as soloist with orchestras worldwide including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, LA Phil New Music Group, Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne and West Australian Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with conductors such as John Adams, Thomas Adès, Nicholas Collon, Paul Daniel, Edward Gardner and Robin Ticciati.

Thomas regularly appears at the largest UK venues, and in recent seasons has performed at venues including London's Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre and Royal Festival Hall, Manchester's Bridgewater Hall and Manchester Evening News Arena, and Birmingham's Symphony Hall and National Indoor Arena.

Thomas has a great enthusiasm for bringing classical music to new audiences, and has headlined events such as Nonclassical, Limelight and Classical Kicks at Ronnie Scott's, as well as performing at major festivals including Latitude, London Jazz Festival and Festival No.6.

Leader of Aurora Orchestra and associate leader of Britten Sinfonia, Gould appears as soloist and director with both groups and also enjoys regular collaborations with Sinfonietta Riga, London Sinfonietta and Mahler Chamber Orchestra, playing with the latter in the prestigious Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Andris Nelsons in 2014. In 2011 Thomas toured Australia as soloist and guest director with the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s ACO2 ensemble.

A strong advocate of contemporary music, Thomas has given numerous world, UK and London premières, including concertos by Nico Muhly, John Woolrich, Hans Abrahamsen and Christopher Ball, and works by Harrison Birtwistle, Krzysztof Penderecki, Tarik O’Regan, Joe Duddell, Mark Bowden, Dai Fujikura and Michel van der Aa.

In 2014 Thomas signed exclusively with Edition Classics, the classical imprint of Edition Records, a label with a wide-ranging reach to diverse audiences. The first release in spring 2015 will be a live recording of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending with Sinfonietta Riga.

He has also recorded for Decca Classics (Nico Muhly’s Seeing is Believing with Aurora), Harmonia Mundi (Bach’s Goldberg Variations with Britten Sinfonia), Champs Hill Records (Piazzolla with Ksenija Sidorova, Mendelssohn with Artea String Quartet, two albums with swing band The Man Overboard Quintet, and a contemporary solo album called Bach to Parker), ACT (with Gwilym Simcock), Pavillon Records (with Jim Rattigan and Liam Noble), Basho Records (with Trish Clowes), Hyperion (works by Joseph Jongen) and Omnibus Classics (Christopher Ball’s Violin Concerto).

He plays a 1782 J.B. Guadagnini violin and a six string electric violin made by John Jordan.

This album contains no booklet.