Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Riccardo Muti, conductor
Pierre Boulez, conductor

Tchaikovsky  Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op  74 (Pathétique) (October 2021)

Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto per violoncello ed archi RV 401
Ensemble Zandonai-orchestra da Camera di Trento
Violoncello solista Stefano Guarino
Primo violino e direttore Giancarlo Guarino


Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto per violoncello ed archi RV 401 II movimento

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Neeme Järvi, conductor

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47

THOMAS GOULD Live in Riga
Sinfonietta Riga

1-3. Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61 - Ludwig van Beethoven
	I. Allegro ma non troppo
	II. Larghetto
	III. Rondo (Allegro)

4. The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams  

Produced by Raphaël Mouterde
Executive producer Dave Stapleton

‘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 Beethoven - Violin Concerto In D, Op.61 - II. Larghetto

First attempt at a new piece I've been playing around with. One take, no editing, slightly dodgy upright piano. So don't be a dick about the odd fluffed note/shitty sound quality :)
Mikhail Pletnev's genius transcription for solo piano of Sleeping Beauty. What a melody...


Tchaikovsky/Pletnev Adagio from The Sleeping Beauty

Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 I. Allegro molto moderato

Johannes Brahms Symphony no. 4 in E minor, 4. Allegro eneergico e passionato (excerpt)

Bach: Fantaisies chromatiques, sonates & transcriptions

Partita, BWV 1004: Ciaccona

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor / Benjamin Zander / Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13 (Winter Dreams)(February 2019)

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
David Afkham, conductor

Brahms Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90 (October 2019)

Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world. In collaboration with the best conductors and guest artists on the international music scene, the CSO performs well over one hundred concerts each year at its downtown home, Symphony Center, and at the Ravinia Festival on Chicago’s North Shore, where it is in residency each summer. Music lovers outside Chicago enjoy the sounds of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through best-selling recordings and frequent sold-out tour performances in the United States and around the globe.

Visit cso.org for tickets and information.

Brahms Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90 (October 2019)

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