New York Philharmonic Announces New Albums, Series of Digital Recordings

The New York Philharmonic announces a new album of works by Christopher Rouse, the Philharmonic's second Marie-Jose?e Kravis Composer-in-Residence, and the launch of Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic: 2015-16 Season digital recording series - which will feature ten albums of performances from the current season - for download and streaming.

The new album of works by Christopher Rouse presents four live recordings performed by Music Director Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic, three of which were composed for the Orchestra and Alan Gilbert: Odna Zhizn, the Third and Fourth Symphonies, and Prospero's Rooms. The album, available now for pre-order on Amazon, will be released on May 3 by Dacapo Records, which released the Philharmonic's critically acclaimed cycle of the complete symphonies and concertos of Carl Nielsen and the CD of works composed for the Philharmonic by then Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg. The album will be distributed in the U.S. by the Naxos Group.

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic: 2015-16 Season, the Philharmonic's digital recording series, launches with the release of two albums in a series of ten. The first album features Alan Gilbert conducting LA Variations, the first work by The Marie-Jose?e Kravis Composer-in-Residence Esa-Pekka Salonen during his three-season tenure, and Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben, featuring newly appointed Concertmaster Frank Huang playing the concertmaster solos. The second album includes Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Emanuel Ax as soloist; Brahms's Tragic Overture; and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Both albums are now available for download and streaming.

Works by Christopher Rouse on Dacapo Records

Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Odna Zhizn (A Life) was given its World Premiere in February 2010, during Alan Gilbert's first season as Music Director. Called "a magical score" by The New York Times, the work was "composed in homage to a person of Russian ancestry who is very dear to me," Christopher Rouse writes. "Her life has not been an easy one, and the struggles she has faced are reflected in the sometimes peripatetic nature of the music."

Mr. Rouse's Symphony No. 3 was given its New York Premiere by the New York Philharmonic in June 2013 as part of Gilbert's Playlist, the 2012-13 season-concluding programs showcasing hallmarks of the Music Director's tenure. Mr. Rouse writes that he "toyed with the concept of 'rewriting' a work composed by someone else. ... to take some central aspect of an already composed work and consider it anew." The work he chose to reconsider - "the old bottle into which I have tried to pour new wine" - is Prokofiev's rarely performed Symphony No. 2.

Commissioned for the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL - which Mr. Rouse and Alan Gilbert co-curated - Mr. Rouse's Symphony No. 4 received its World Premiere in June 2014, led by the Music Director. Though Mr. Rouse admits he had a particular meaning in mind when composing the 20-minute work, he writes that he "prefers to keep it to myself." He added that "there's got to be some kind of expressive message in a piece of music. My caveat is that the message may not necessarily be a happy one, and you have to be open to that."

Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Prospero's Rooms is dedicated to Alan Gilbert and the Philharmonic, which gave the World Premiere in April 2013 before taking the work on the EUROPE / SPRING 2013 tour. The work is based on Edgar Allan Poe's symbolist story "The Masque of the Red Death," in which Prince Prospero locks his friends in his house of seven rooms, each painted a different color, to escape the Red Death.

"Chris Rouse is one of the most important composers working today," said Music Director Alan Gilbert. "He actually shapes the sound and the flow of his music in a way that only great composers can."

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic: 2015-16 Season

The New York Philharmonic's digital recording series - now in its seventh season - will include ten albums of more than 25 works conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert during the 2015-16 season, including performances by The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in- Residence Eric Owens; the New York Premiere of Composer-in-Residence Esa-Pekka Salonen's Karawane, a New York Philharmonic Co-Commission with Zurich's Tonhalle Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony, and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; the World Premiere-Philharmonic Commission of a new Trombone Concerto by William Bolcom, performed by Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi; performances by Concertmaster Frank Huang, including Vivaldi's The Four Seasons; solo performances by Principal Tuba Alan Baer and Principal Cello Carter Brey; works by Sibelius honoring the 150th anniversary of his birth; and highlights from the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL. Check Watch & Listen on nyphil.org for the latest releases.

The series' recordings, accompanied by digital liner notes, are available for download from all major digital download services including iTunes, Amazon.com, and Google Play (ranging from $9.99 to $13.99 per album) and streaming on Spotify. Works by Christopher Rouse are available for pre-sale on iTunes and Amazon. Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic: 2015-16 Season is produced by the New York Philharmonic and distributed by The Orchard, the Philharmonic's digital recordings technology partner and the leading digital distributor of classical music. This is the seventh series of live recordings produced since Alan Gilbert became Music Director in September 2009.

Dacapo Records was launched in 1989 in Denmark and is dedicated to producing music of the best international standards, with Danish music throughout 1,000 years as its point of departure. The label has received Gramophone and American Grammy Awards, as well as the Cannes Classical Award. Dacapo Records released The Nielsen Project, the New York Philharmonic's critically acclaimed cycle of the complete symphonies and concertos of Carl Nielsen. For more information, visit www.dacapo-records.dk.

The Orchard is a pioneering music, video, and film distribution company and top-ranked Multi Channel Network operating in more than 25 global markets. With a holistic approach to sales and marketing combined with industry-leading technology and operations, The Orchard amplifies reach and revenue across hundreds of digital, physical, and mobile outlets around the world. The Orchard streamlines content owners' business complexity with an intuitive client dashboard, comprehensive rights management, and tailored client support. Founded in 1997, The Orchard empowers businesses and creators in the entertainment industry. For further information, please visit www.theorchard.com.

Christopher Rouse is one of America's most prominent composers of orchestral music. Winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Trombone Concerto, Rouse has created a body of work perhaps unequalled in its emotional intensity. His music has been played by nearly every major orchestra in the U.S. and numerous ensembles overseas, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney and Melbourne symphonies, and the Austrian Radio Orchestra. Christopher Rouse served as The Marie-Jose?e Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic from 2012 to 2015. Recent premieres include Rouse's Trumpet Concerto, Heimdall's Trumpet (2012); the concert openers Prospero's Rooms (2013), Supplica (2014), and Thunderstuck (2014); and Symphony No. 4 (2013). Premieres next season include Rouse's Organ Concerto with The Philadelphia Orchestra and his Symphony No. 5 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Christopher Rouse is published by Boosey & Hawkes.