Conductor Vassily Petrenko continues his definitive RLO series of all the symphonies with a seemingly odd pairing: the 1927 No2 To October commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, and No15, Shostakovich's last, written in 1972, three years before his death. The composer's swansong contains remarkable contrasts, quoting from Rossini's William Tell Overture and Wagner, dominated by a mighty Adagio, and it gets an electrifying performance.
No.2 is a propagandist work described as "organised musical chaos" but Petrenko carries it off with a scorching brilliance. The final blazing movement with the thunderous shouts of the choir becomes a sensational experience that may bring this more into concerts.
Highlight: Another jewel in this superb series.
Julian Lloyd Webber playing soulful cello with the LSO in The River Cam is one of the great moments in a beautiful programme. The orchestra, conducted by the composer, is also magnificent in Equus, and Water Night. In Goodnight Moon, soprano Hila Plitman joins in - she is Eric's wife, and both are Grammy-winners.
Whitacre, who formed a virtual choir in 2010, fusing together online performances by 185 singers from 73 countries, writes accessible, modern classical music, both choral and orchestral. There are five splendid items here by his singers, opening with a new Alleluia, then Oculi Omnium, Her Sacred Spirit Soars, When David Heard and Sleep My Child.
The CD boasts no less than seven world premiere recordings.
Highlight: Sublime music conveying peace and solace.
