Classical Live’s November Release Welcomes Four Leading International Orchestras to Google Play Music Today

New to the Classical Live program:

London Philharmonic Orchestra with Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor Vladimir Jurowski
Orchestre de Paris with Music Director Paavo Järvi
Sydney Symphony Orchestra with Chief Conductor & Artistic Director David Robertson and Charles Dutoit
Boston Pops Orchestra with Conductor Keith Lockhart
Plus new recording from the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Music Director Andris Nelsons

“A new way of thinking for symphony orchestras.”  – The Guardian, UK

NOVEMBER 13, 2015, NEW YORK: Drawn from Europe, Australia, and the USA, more of today’s leading symphony orchestras have joined forces to launch the November release of Classical Live, the first and only initiative offering current recordings exclusively on Google Play Music. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Pops Orchestra – all new to the program – join the Boston Symphony Orchestra in sharing their most recent performances directly with music lovers worldwide. Featuring three free bonus tracks, the orchestras’ twelve new recordings are available for digital download and through streaming subscriptions in all 60 countries where the service is offered at music.google.com.

Ted Kartzman, Global Head, Independent Music Companies, Google Play, commented:

“Classical Live is a fantastic program, bringing together world-class orchestras to release timely and well-priced concerts. We are thrilled to add music from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Boston Pops Orchestra this time around. They are masters of their craft and we’re happy to offer our classical customers these powerful orchestras on both our streaming music service and for download.”

Jessica Lustig, Founding Partner and Managing Director of 21C Media Group and Co-Director of Classical Live, noted:
“We are very proud to see Classical Live continue to grow and are excited about embarking on new collaborations with four such important orchestras while developing the program in new territories throughout the world.”

Timothy Walker, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, said:
“Orchestras in the 21st century are vibrant organizations that embrace new ways of reaching audiences – and offering recordings of our live concerts via Classical Live on Google Play helps us to share our music-making worldwide. Our opening program features the UK premiere of the Piano Concerto No. 2 by our Composer-in-Residence, Magnus Lindberg.”

Bruno Hamard, Director of Orchestre de Paris, explained:
“Since the beginning of his first season as Music Director in September 2010, Paavo Järvi has placed particular emphasis on French repertoire. Our first concert on the Classical Live platform is a brilliant testament to his commitment to this repertoire.”

David Robertson, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, added:
“The virtuosity and the heart of the music, the real emotional content, is something the Sydney Symphony Orchestra brings out really strongly in all its performances − but particularly in the second symphonies of Schumann and Sibelius. We think this is something Classical Live listeners around the world will really connect with.”

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s new recordings comprise Joy to the World with the Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart, and a performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony in which Music Director Andris Nelsons “coaxed from the strings a luminous sound and phrasing of surpassing tenderness,” and “drew playing that was texturally alert, clear, and brimming with vitality” (Boston Globe).

Many major news outlets took note when Classical Live first launched last June, with new recordings and digital-only exclusive releases from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. The New York Times called the program “a destination for music lovers.” Business Insider noted its “most concerted effort to target the audience,” and the Wall Street Journal admired its dedication “to mak[ing] new material available more quickly than many fans are used to, with quicker turnarounds between live performances and listening.”

About Classical Live
Classical Live helps broaden and grow the audience for classical recordings. Through a powerful worldwide partnership with Google Play Music, the program enables orchestras to share key recent performances with a global audience without delay. As more of the world’s leading symphony orchestras are invited to join this selective program, more recordings will be added, creating a regular schedule of exclusive international releases for digital download and streaming on Google Play Music.

About Google Play Music
Google Play is an online store with millions of digital songs, movies, TV shows, apps, games, books and more. Google Play Music offers access to 35 million songs on any device, in an ad-supported version and an ad-free subscription version with unlimited access. Build interactive radio stations from any song or artist, browse expert-curated playlists, or discover new music with Google-powered recommendations.

www.classical-live.com

 Classical Live
New releases, November 2015

Boston Pops Orchestra
Joy to the World / conductor: Keith Lockhart

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Mahler: Symphony No. 6, “Tragic” / conductor: Andris Nelsons

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Lindberg: Piano Concerto No. 2 / soloist: Yefim Bronfman; conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Stravinsky: Petrushka (1911 version) / conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Prokofiev: Chout (excerpt: “The Buffoon”) / conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
FREE: Holst: The Planets (excerpt: “Jupiter”) / conductor: Vladimir Jurowski

Orchestre de Paris
Roussel: Symphony No. 3 / conductor: Paavo Järvi
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3, “Organ Symphony” / conductor: Paavo Järvi
FREE: Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice / conductor: Paavo Järvi

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 / conductor: David Robertson
Schumann: Symphony No. 2 / conductor: David Robertson
FREE: Respighi: Pines of Rome (excerpt: “Pines of the Villa Borghese”) / conductor: Charles Dutoit

Inaugural releases, June 2015

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Bartók: Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin / conductor: Andris Nelsons
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique” / conductor: Andris Nelsons
FREE: Brahms: Theme & Variation I from Variations on a Theme by Haydn / conductor: Andris Nelsons

The Cleveland Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, “Eroica” / conductor: Franz Welser-Möst
Wagner: Overture to Tannhäuser / conductor: Franz Welser-Möst

London Symphony Orchestra
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, “Italian” / conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5, “Reformation” / conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Mendelssohn: Overture: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage / conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Mendelssohn: Overture: Ruy Blas / conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner

New York Philharmonic
Verdi: Requiem / conductor: Alan Gilbert
Highlights from the inaugural 2014 NY PHIL BIENNIAL
FREE: Verdi: “Dies irae” from Requiem / conductor: Alan Gilbert

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 / conductor: Mariss Jansons
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 / conductor: Mariss Jansons
FREE: Mussorgsky: “The Great Gate of Kiev” from Pictures at an Exhibition / conductor: Mariss Jansons

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© 21C Media Group, November 2015