RALEIGH, NC. (Top40 Charts/ North Carolina Symphony) - The North Carolina Symphony today announced it will record two compact discs with renowned Scandinavian classical music label BIS Records in 2008.
'This marks an enormous step forward for us as we enter the international recording arena,' said Symphony president and CEO David Chambless Worters. 'It's an incredible opportunity to showcase the talents of music director Grant Llewellyn and this fantastic orchestra on a global stage. Forging a contract with a respected label like BIS has been one of our primary goals since Grant joined us in 2004, and we're delighted to have this dream become reality.'
First to be released is a CD of works by American composers including Michael Daugherty's Sunset Strip; John Williams's Escapades, featuring saxophonist Branford Marsalis; Ned Rorem's Lions, featuring the Branford Marsalis Quartet; and Christopher Rouse's Friandises. Three of the four works, Sunset Strip, Escapades and Friandises, are world-premiere recordings. The second CD, featuring piano concertos by Russian composers, will feature brilliant young pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, who has been hailed as by London's Daily Telegraph as, 'potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century.'
'BIS Records is very excited about its forthcoming collaboration with the North Carolina Symphony,' says BIS President and CEO Robert von Bahr. 'Grant Llewellyn is already an established BIS artist having previously recorded for us in his native Wales. With soloists as diverse as Marsalis and Sudbin joining the North Carolina Symphony for these recordings, I am sure that some great music-making is going to be captured for audiences' eternal enjoyment!'
Llewellyn notes, 'To perform in front of a live appreciative audience is our greatest thrill. To play for microphones is a very different kind of excitement – we have to ensure absolute precision in our playing whilst not losing the spontaneity and joy of performance. It is therefore a wonderful prospect to be looking forward to a professional relationship with the terrific team at BIS Records.'
The recordings will be distributed internationally throughout Europe, the United States and the Far East.
About BIS
Founded in 1973 and located in near Stockholm, Sweden, BIS is well-known in the music industry for its uncanny ability to find musical niches to fill. The label focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, and explores undeservedly neglected or previously unknown repertoire. BIS is currently working with only two American orchestras; its other U.S. project is a cycle of Beethoven symphonies with the Minnesota Orchestra and its music director Osmo Vanska.
About the North Carolina Symphony:
The North Carolina Symphony is a full-time, professional orchestra with 68 members. With its home in Raleigh, North Carolina's spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall, the symphony performs about 175 concerts in nearly 40 communities across North Carolina.
