Rachmaninoff Serge (1873-1943) BBC Philharmonic Orchestra The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29 Symphony ('Youth Symphony') Symphony No. 1, Op. 13 CD or DOWNLOAD   Reviews '[It] receivers a landmark performance from the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda… Noseda demonstrates the music’s power, eloquent beauty and structural cohesion.' The Telegraph 'Noseda’s notable Rachmaninov cycle with the BBC Philharmonic starts to arrive on CD. Nothing could be more liquid or gloomy that his reading of the superb poem The Isle of the Dead. His gifts for mood-juggling and structural flow ensure equally fine accounts of the student Youth Symphony and the composer’s official stormy Symphony No. 1. The full Chandos sound makes everything glow in the dark, especially the shadowy scherzo.' The Times 'Gianadnrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic have the work’s measure and their performance has a full-blooded intensity and fire. Tempos are well judged and orchestral textures well blended. Noseda balances a strong sense of the piece’s architecture with its expressive eloquence and rich nostalgia it is a reading that can rank alongside the classic Ormandy and Pletnev accounts, both of whom bring a special authority to the Symphony.' BBC Music Magazine 'This outstanding performance is well complemented by Rachmaninov’s unfinished ‘youth’ Symphony, written when he was only 17,and the ‘Isle of the Dead’, a dark musical response to the gloomy painting of Arnold Bocklin.' The Observer 'Listening to this exhilarating performance – now a repertory piece, though still rarely programmed in concert – it is hard to fathom its initial lack of success. Chandos’s brilliant recording enhances a performance that takes us on an emotional rollercoaster ride: the passion and despair of the composer’s unrequited love for a married women is drawn with febrile drama here.' Sunday Times 'Gianandrea Noseda’s performance of the First Symphony projects an unstuffy demeanour and trim athleticism to remind the listener that Rachmaninov was still a young man of 21 when he embarked upon it. Unlike some of his bigger-name colleagues, Noseda eschews sensation for its own sake and gratuitous point-making. Emotions are always under control (the slow movement’s hesitant love song radiates sweet innocence), and he secures a conspicuously well coordinated response from his Manchester band.' Gramophone 'This [the Symphony] is beautifully done… However, the masterpiece on the disc is of course Isle of the Dead. Aided by a recording of excellent range and depth, Noseda gives a strong and colourful performance.' International Record Review 'Chandos’s superbly weighty yet detailed sound registers every tiny inflection of this mesmerising score, from the insinuating brooding opening to the work’s terrifying climax as Charon, the ferryman of the dead from Greek mythology, delivers the latest body to its final resting place. Once heard, this awesome work will haunt your memory for days.' Classic FM Magazine 'Yet even this splendid reading [Isle of the Dead] along with the hard-to-find Youth Symphony must be deemed icing on the cake set beside Noseda’s white-hot account of Rachmaninoff’s still sorely underrated D minor – a wonderful piece, wondrously set forth by the BBC players. If this is no one-off, it will be good to hear what Noseda does with the Second Symphony.' American Record Guide
	Mahler Gustav (1860-1911) BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Symphony No. 10  A performing version of the draft for the Tenth Symphony prepared by Deryck Cooke (1919-1976) CD or DOWNLOAD   Reviews 'I find the sound here (so impotant in Mahler) to be much superior to that from Berlin, and with tempi roughly comparable to those of Rattle, it puts this disc on level pegging as a recommendation.' Liverpool Daily Post 'When I heard this orchestra and conductor perform this work in public, I thought it was the finest account yet of Deryck Cooke’s wondrous performing edition. This recording confirms me in my opinion. Gianandrea Noseda obtains superlative orchestral playing, which is captured by the excellent recording, and the symphony’s hypnotic power is projected with the surest of touches. The scherzos are especially well characterised and the interpretation of the devastating finale is – well, devastating. David Matthew’s booklet essay is required reading.' Sunday Telegraph 'Noseda conducts an impassioned performance… and heeds Matthew’s observation that Mahler’s orchestra is huge for instrumental clarity rather than volume.' Sunday Times 'The first song speaks of ‘anger’ and ‘trouble’, and there’s plenty of both in Mark Padmore’s performance… However, there’s more to Padmore’s performance: fine tone, a strong sense of pitch, crystal clear enunciation and a wonderful feeling for long lines. The members of the Schubert ensemble make superb musical partners here, and then make the strongest case yet for the earlier Piano Quintet.' BBC Music Magazine ‘Choice’ 'Noseda’s vision of the work comes into its own as aggression gradually subsides into the funereal thud of the drum. The account of the consoling finale is one of the most intensely moving on disc' The Telegraph 'In terms of playing and recording, this is probably the orchestra’s finest collaboration yet with Chandos, while David Matthew’s note is as authoritative an introduction as could be wished.' International Record Review 'He [Noseda] coaxes playing from his BBC Philharmonic of unforced beauty, keeping the lines alive in the more monumental proportions of the outer movements and lining the string sound with handsome horn and trombione chords assisted by the luminous Manchester recording…In the interplay between soft dynamics and ‘big tine’ as Mahler’s love of life reasserts itself, Noseda and his orchestra ultimately touch greatness.' BBC Music Magazine 'This new performance surpasses Rattle II in emotional intensity and sound quality; 10ths by Inbal, Chailly, and Michael Gielen, as well as rattle I, have their strengths, but I have no reservations in suggesting that Noseda’s performance is superior. Anyone looking for a first-rate recording of Deryck Cooke’s Mahler 10 need look no further.' Fanfare
	Rachmaninoff Serge (1873-1943) BBC Philharmonic Orchestra  Francesca da Rimini, Op. 25  An opera in two scenes with prologue and epilogue  Gennady Bezzubenkov bass Evgeny Akimov tenor Sergey Murzaev baritone Svetla Vassileva soprano Misha Didyk tenor BBC Singers   CD or DOWNLOAD Reviews  'Noseda sculpts the brooding passions of Rachmaninov’s dramatic score with thrilling intensity, before the BBC Philharmonic’s ‘whirlwind of the damned’ swirls up from the depths with gut-churning power. While the libretto’s flaws will always persist, Noseda’s interpretation is never less than compelling.' The Times 'The sighing, swirling music of the opening, depicting the tormented soul of Francesca and her lover in hell, is stunning, and the climactic, peak-and-trough gestures of the central love duet are thrilling. The singing, from a Russian-speaking cast, is loud and exciting if not always seductive, but with such excellent accompanying the overall effect is still passionate.' Classic FM 'Rarely performed, Rachmaninov’s steamy one-acter manages to transcend its clunky libretto (Tchaikovsky’s brother Modest) and achieve moments of angst-ridden rapture. Svetla Vassileva makes an impassioned Francesca, with eloquent support from Misha Didyk’s ardent Paolo and Sergey Murzaev’s simmering Lanceotto. But the stars of this recording are Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic, who evoke all the exquisite agonies of an adulterous couple condemned to Dante’s Hell.' The Observer '…Rachmaninov at his Romantic best and the Chandos production is of the usual high standard.' Liverpool Daily Post 'This is an excellent way of coming to know a flawed but interesting piece of Rachmaninov, and it is much helped by excellent presentation from Chandos.' Gramophone 'The recording quality is magnificent, the sound opening up thrillingly at climactic moments and capturing the voices in what seems like a completely natural acoustic. Excellent notes and a complete libretto (in Russian, English, German and French) complete an altogether impressive package. Very Strongly recommended.' International Record Review 'Rachmaninov’s romantic one-act opera about the doomed lovers Paolo and Francesca in Dante’s Inferno receives a powerful performance of intense atmosphere and full bloom.' Telegraph ‘CDs of the year’ 'Rachmaninov’s swirling chromaticism and dark palette in the prologue and epilogue, establishing a backcloth to the lovers’ fate, are graphically realised by the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda, and intensified by the BBC Singer’s wordless wailing as the chorus of lost souls.' Telegraph 'Noseda draws forth plenty of power and sweep, passion, and a sense of doom from the orchestra. The choral passages are particularly impressive. Nezzubenkov’s black bass is cavernous, terrifying, emerging as if from hell instead of a human singer. Akimov’s pointed tenor has little to do, but he does it well. Most commanding and authoritative is the Lanceotto of Murzaev – solid, but not stolid, menacing in its strength.' American Record Guide 'Noseda is completely at home in this passionate outpouring, and the respond to him with brilliance. And the relaxation of the tension after the love-scene’s climax is as meltingly lovely as it was in concert.' Manchester Evening News
	Schumann Robert BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Symphony No. 1 DOWNLOAD Released Date: October 2007 Recorded In: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 24 May 2007