Walton: Symphonies 1 & 2, Orb and Sceptre - Yamada
Deutsche Grammophon 4868227
Stereo
Classical - Orchestral
William Walton:
Orb and Sceptre
Symphony No. 1 in B flat minor
Symphony No. 2
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Kazuki Yamada (conductor)
On their DG debut album, Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) present three works by English composer William Walton – Orb and Sceptre and the composer’s two symphonies, all new to the DG catalogue.
The two symphonies illustrate different stages in Walton’s career, before and after World War II. Twenty-five years lie between Walton’s powerful First Symphony, premiered in 1935, and his more contemplative Second Symphony, dedicated to Georg Szell. The third piece, Orb and Sceptre march, is a commission work for the coronation of Elizabeth II, whose 100th birthday we will commemorate in 2026.
“They have a special telepathy, a sixth sense. We can feel each other in the music, even without words. It’s a real partnership, like a family. They welcomed me from the beginning, and now it’s like a love story,” says Yamada on his collaboration with the CBSO.
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