Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, "Classical" Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris & Philippe Jordan

• Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881): Arr Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition:
• 1I. Promenade I01:41
• 2II. Gnomus02:31
• 3III. Promenade II00:54
• 4IV. Il Vecchio Castello04:11
• 5V. Promenade III00:32
• 6VI. Tuileries01:06
• 7VII. Bydlo03:09
• 8VIII. Promenade IV00:46
• 9IX. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks01:18
• 10X. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle02:19
• 11XI. The Market at Limoges01:27
• 12XII. Catacombæ (Sepulcrum romanum)01:59
• 13XIII. Cum mortuis in lingua mortua02:04
• 14XIV. The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yagá)03:31
• 15XV. The Great Gate of Kiev05:50
• Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, "Classical Symphony":
• 16I. Allegro04:16
• 17II. Larghetto04:07
• 18III. Gavotta01:37
• 19IV. Finale - Molto vivace04:09
• Total Runtime47:27

Info for Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, "Classical"

Philippe Jordan conducts the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris in much-loved works by Russian composers: Prokofiev’s ‘Classical’ Symphony and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in Ravel’s famous orchestration.

Directly before the recording sessions, a concert featuring both works prompted this response from ResMusica: “Philippe Jordan, known for his precision in interpreting a score, exhibited superb authority in a programme that showed off the orchestra to great effect and astonished the ear with its profusion of colours … Pictures at an Exhibition was marvellous from beginning to end.”

Commenting on his life as a conductor in the French newspaper Les Échos, Jordan said: “My feeling is that activity both in the orchestral pit and on the concert podium is necessary for a full appreciation of what a conductor’s life has to offer.”

The Swiss-born maestro is much admired for the refinement he draws from orchestras; as Gramophone observed of his Erato release of Ravel’s complete Daphnis et Chloé, recorded with the orchestra of the Paris Opéra: “He graces the rhythms and dynamics with natural, malleable inflection and crafts the textures with such care.”

For all that, Jordan believes that “Sheer beauty of sound is not enough … you have to find the particular soundworld of each work, of each composer.”

Orchestre du Theatre National de l'Opera de Paris
Philippe Jordan, conductor

Philippe Jordan
Currently Musical Director of the Opera National de Paris and Chief Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker beginning September 2014, Philippe Jordan has established himself as one of the most gifted and exciting conductors of his generation.

Philippe Jordan’s musical education began with piano lessons at the age of six. At the age of eight, he joined the Zurich Sängerknaben and he was eleven when he began studying violin. At sixteen, he entered the Zurich Conservatory where he obtained his diploma of piano teacher with honors. He studied theory and composition with the Swiss composer Hans Ulrich Lehmann and continued his piano studies with Karl Engel. At the same time, he worked as assistant to Maestro Jeffrey Tate on Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Châtelet in Paris. He continues to appear occasionally as pianist in recital and chamber music.

His career began in 1994/95 as Kapellmeister of the Ulm Stadttheater. From 1998-2001, he was assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin. From 2001-2004, he held the position of Chief Conductor of the Graz Opera and Graz Philharmonic Orchestra. In this period he made his debut at several prestigious international Opera houses and festivals, the Houston Grand Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Metropolitan Opera, New York, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Teatro alla Scala, the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, the Salzburger Festspiele (Cosi fan tutte), the Wiener Staatsoper, the Festspielhaus Baden Baden (Tannhäuser) and the Bayreuth Festival (Parsifal). From 2006-2010, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden.

Philippe Jordan’s orchestral engagements have included the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Staatskapelle, Vienna Symphony, Vienna RSO, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tonhalle Zurich, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, NDR/Hamburg Symphony, DSO Berlin, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munchner Philharmoniker. In North America, he has appeared with the Seattle, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington, Minnesota, Montreal, New York and San Francisco Orchestras.

Highlights of the last season include Tristan und Isolde at the Paris Opera, as well as a prestigious tour with the Paris Opera Orchestra for concerts at the Musikverein in Vienna.

In the 2014-2015 season, he will conduct Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Pelléas et Mélisande and Le Roi Arthus at the Paris Opera as well as Arabella in Munich with the Bayerische Staatsoper. He will also conduct concerts at the Teatro alla Scala and at Lucerne Festival as well as a Beethoven Cycle with the Opera National de Paris and an integral Schubert Cycle with the Wiener Symphoniker.

Philippe Jordan has recorded Carmen (Glyndebourne Festival), Werther (Wiener Staatsoper), Doktor Faust (Zurich Opera) and Salomé (Covent Garden), Tannhäuser (Baden Baden), Le Nozze di Figaro (Paris Opera) and Pelléas et Mélisande (Opéra de Paris), which received the “CHOC de l’année” prize for Classica, in DVD format. He has also recorded for Naïve the complete Beethoven Piano concertos with François-Frédéric Guy and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France as well as the Strauss Alpensymphonie with the Opéra National de Paris Orchestra awarded “CHOC de l’année - Classica”. The Sacre du Printemps CD that he also recorded received the “CHOC” prize for the Musical World. Mr. Jordan has also recently released two albums, one with a recording of the Verdi Requiem, the other with symphonic excerpts from Wagner’s Ring. Both of these were performed with the orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris and were released through the label Erato. In September 2014, he recorded a CD of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique symphony with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Booklet for Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, "Classical"