Alexander Vinogradov (bass) & Gal James (soprano)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Huddersfield Choral Society, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, Vasily Petrenko

Vasily Petrenko was appointed principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 and in 2009 became Chief Conductor. He is also Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. He was the Classical BRIT Awards Male Artist of the Year 2010 and 2012, and works regularly with many of the world’s finest orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Russian National, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras, and the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Recordings with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra include Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony [Naxos 8570568] (2009 Classic FM/Gramophone Orchestral Recording of the Year) and other orchestral works, Elgar’s Symphony No. 1, Shostakovich’s complete symphonies, and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, Symphonies and complete Piano Concertos.

Each release of Vasily Petrenko’s cycle of Shostakovich’s symphonies with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra created a sensation between volume 1 in 2009 and the final installment in 2014.

The individual recordings remain a leading choice amongst collectors and critics, with for instance the Eighth Symphony (8572392) selected as top recommendation by BBC Radio 3’s ‘Building a Library’ programme in November 2013.

Our box set collections always do well, but this is guaranteed to be at the top of many a Christmas wish list.

There are numerous complete sets of Shostakovich’s remarkable symphonic achievement, but critical acclaim for these recordings has seen this particular set become a modern market leader.