FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Rachel Trignano, Manager of Public and Community Relations
404.519.1015 (m) – 303.308.2477 (o)
COLORADO SYMPHONY DEBUTS BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 9 “ODE TO JOY” RECORDING; ANNOUNCES NEW, INDEPENDENT RECORD LABEL
Jan. 20, 2017 – Denver, CO – Today, the Colorado Symphony debuted the recording Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, the first to be released under their in-house media label, Colorado Symphony Multimedia & Recording. The recording is immediately available for purchase in digital format on iTunes, and on compact disc on Amazon; compact discs will also be available at Denver’s Boettcher Concert Hall in Spring of 2017 at the Colorado Symphony Guild Shop.
The performance was conducted by current Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Litton, who led the Colorado Symphony with a cast of internationally–acclaimed soloists: Rachel Nicholls, soprano; Kelley O’Connor, mezzo–soprano; John Mac Master, tenor; and Kevin Deas, bass–baritone.
The piece’s famed “Ode to Joy” was performed by the two hundred-member, world-renowned Colorado Symphony Chorus—celebrating their 30th season with the Symphony at the time of the recording—led by longstanding Chorus Director Duain Wolfe. It was captured at Boettcher Concert Hall in September 2014 during the Colorado Symphony’s Opening Weekend of the 2014/15 Concert Season.
Completed in 1824, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is his final full symphony and considered one of the most recognized and greatest works within the western canon. While Symphony No. 9 consists of four movements, this recording features the choral finale “Ode to Joy” in a fifth track.
Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 was produced by Grammy® Award winner Leslie Ann Jones and Neumann Microphones President Wolfgang Fraissinet, engineered by Mike Pappas and Duke Markos, and mixed in March 2015 at Skywalker Sound, a Lucasfilm Ltd. Company. It is being distributed by Naxos of America, the world’s leading classical music label, in standard stereo compact disc and digital formats, with a BluRay audio 5.1 surround version slated for release in Summer 2017.
Deemed a “Symphony for audiophiles” by Fraissinet, the recording stands out for its use of a staggering sixty-six microphones—most of which were Neumann digital microphones, with Sennheiser digital microphones and Neumann analog mics—and a German-made Stagetec Aurus digital mixing console, giving this recording performance stand-out depth and detail.
“This is our first recording released on our own label, and its quality was of utmost importance—that’s why we worked with Neumann and Skywalker Sound,” said Anthony Pierce, the Colorado Symphony’s Chief Artistic Officer. “Having an in-house label gives us an unprecedented amount of control over the audio quality and artistic scope of our recordings, and we look forward to releasing more symphonic albums in the coming concert seasons.”
Next week, Music Director Designate Brett Mitchell will conduct the Colorado Symphony while Duain Wolfe leads the Colorado Symphony Chorus in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. in Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets are available for purchase online at coloradosymphony.org/tickets or by calling the box office at 303.623.7876.
RECORDING DETAILS
LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
1 – I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso………………….15:27
2 – II. Molto vivace…………………………………………………………..11:09
3 – III. Adagio molto e cantabile…………………………………………15:13
4 – IV. Presto……………………………………………………………………..6:46
5 – IV. Presto – “O Fruende, nicht diese Töne!” – Allegro assai…17:40
Total Timing: 65:35
Artists:
Colorado Symphony
Andrew Litton, Principal Guest Conductor
Colorado Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, Chorus Director
Rachel Nicholls, soprano
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
John Mac Master, tenor
Kevin Deas, bass-baritone
Catalog Number: CSCD-001
Label: Colorado Symphony Multimedia & Recording
Producers: Leslie Ann Jones and Wolfgang Fraissinet
Location: Recorded In Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver, Colorado.
Date: September 2014
To purchase: iTunes and Amazon. Compact discs will be available for purchase in Boettcher Concert Hall Spring 2017.
To review: Contact Kelly Voigt at kvoigt@naxosusa.com for physical copies for review.
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CONTACTS:
For more information or to request interviews:
Rachel Trignano, Manager of Public and Community Relations
rtrignano@coloradosymphony.org – 303.308.2477 (o)
To obtain physical or digital review copies:
Kelly Voigt, Senior Manager of PR and Media
For high-resolution, downloadable images of the Colorado Symphony, visit: coloradosymphony.org/media
The 2016/17 Colorado Symphony Season is presented by Arrow Electronics. Support also provided by: The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), 9News, and United Airlines.
TICKETS:
Tickets are available online at coloradosymphony.org/tickets, by phone at 303.623.7876, and in person at the Boettcher Concert Hall Box Office, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1000 14th Street. The Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, noon – 6 p.m.; and two hours prior to each performance.
ABOUT THE COLORADO SYMPHONY
One of the leading orchestras in the United States, the Colorado Symphony performs more than 150 concerts annually at Boettcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver and across Colorado. Led by Music Director Designate Brett Mitchell, the Colorado Symphony is home to eighty full-time musicians, representing more than a dozen nations, and regularly welcomes the most celebrated artists from the world of symphonic music and beyond. Every season, the Colorado Symphony serves more than 250,000 people from all walks of life, performing a range of musical styles, from traditional to contemporary. Recognized as an incubator of innovation, creativity, and excellence, the Colorado Symphony continually expands its reach through education, outreach, and programming. The Colorado Symphony partners with the state’s leading musical artists, cultural organizations, corporations, foundations, sports teams, and individuals to expose diverse audiences to the transformative power of music. To learn more, visit coloradosymphony.org.
ABOUT NAXOS OF AMERICA
Headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, Naxos of America is the leading independent classical music distributor in the U.S. and Canada. Specializing in state-of-the-art distribution and marketing and promotion, Naxos of America distributes nearly 80,000 SKUs to traditional brick and mortar retail, as well as offering a comprehensive suite of services tailored to consumer direct fulfillment. Naxos of America is also one of the world’s largest digital distributors of independent classical music and video, supplying a catalog of over 1.8 million tracks and 80,000 albums to hundreds of digital platforms and mobile outlets across the globe. Naxos of America offers marketing, publicity, physical and digital e-commerce services, licensing opportunities, streaming services, sales support and customer service for all new releases and active catalog titles of Naxos Records and nearly 1,000 distributed labels. http://naxosusa.com.