Walton: Belshazzar’s Feast & Symphony No. 1 - London Symphony Orchestra, Davis

DSD recording, live at the Barbican September 2008 (Belshazzar’s Feast) and September/December 2005 (Symphony No 1) Stereo and multi-channel (5.0).

In 2006 LSO Live released Walton’s First Symphony conducted by Sir Colin Davis. The disc received widespread acclaim – it was an Editor’s Choice in Gramophone and voted CD of the Year by listeners of BBC Radio 3 CD Review. It is now being re-released, coupled with a new recording of Walton’s spectacular oratorio Belshazzar’s Feast.

Walton’s Symphony No 1 and Belshazzar’s Feast, which were written consecutively, helped him consolidate his reputation as the most exciting British composer of his generation. Belshazzar’s Feast, a superbly crafted oratorio, vividly depicts the story of Babylon’s excesses and subsequent downfall, brilliantly coloured by the orchestral forces, including two brass bands. Similarly effervescent, volcanic sentiments simmer beneath the surface of the First Symphony, the music conveying the tensions of the 1930s, whilst remaining timeless in its appeal.

LSO Live has recently released Sir Colin’s recording of Verdi’s Otello and the first in a cycle of Nielsen Symphonies. Forthcoming releases include Haydn’s The Seasons.