Peter Boyer will conduct the world-renowned London Symphony Orchestra in recording sessions for the fourth album of his orchestral music, to be released by Naxos Records. The sessions will take place at London’s Henry Wood Hall on January 28 & 29, 2022 with the LSO at full strength: 90 players.
This will be Boyer’s third album as composer/conductor for the acclaimed Naxos American Classics series, following his previous recordings with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Symphony No. 1 and other works) and the Philharmonia Orchestra (the Grammy-nominated Ellis Island: The Dream of America).
Boyer’s works to be recorded include Balance of Power, commissioned by the Kennedy Center for the National Symphony Orchestra; Fanfare for Tomorrow, commissioned for the inauguration of President Biden; two works commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for the Cincinnati Pops; and others. The repertoire will include new orchestra versions of three pieces originally composed for concert band, and a new work for string orchestra, Radiance, composed especially for this album.
Simon Rhodes will be the recording producer for the project. Senior Engineer at Abbey Road Studios and four-time Grammy winner, Rhodes’s body of work for films and classical recordings is extraordinary, ranging from Harry Potter film scores for John Williams, to 40+ projects for James Horner including Avatar and Troy, to James Bond scores for Thomas Newman, albums with the LSO and Sir Colin Davis, and much more. The production team will also include Jonathan Stokes and Neil Hutchinson of Classic Sound Ltd., who have worked with the LSO on many recordings for the orchestra’s own record label, LSO Live.
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- The London Symphony Orchestra at LSO St Luke’s
The LSO has an astounding discography of more than 2,500 recordings. Film scores which they recorded include the first six Star Wars films and Raiders of the Lost Ark for John Williams; Braveheart and Aliens for James Horner; The Imitation Game and The Shape of Water for Alexandre Desplat; and many more. The LSO has nearly seven million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Boyer stated: “I am truly thrilled to have the opportunity to record another album of my music with the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the world’s greatest orchestras. The glorious sound of the LSO has been part of my life since I was young, both through their work on iconic film scores including Star Wars and so many others, and through their incredible legacy of recordings. I grew up listening to LSO albums led by brilliant conductors including Benjamin Britten, Leonard Bernstein, André Previn, Claudio Abbado, Sir Colin Davis, and Michael Tilson Thomas, and have admired many recent albums with their current Music Director, Sir Simon Rattle. All of them are among my musical heroes, so it is a very special privilege to once again conduct this extraordinary ensemble in a recording of my own works. I have long hoped to work with Simon Rhodes, one of the top recording engineers and producers in the world today, and that makes this project even more exciting.”
Boyer’s debut recording as composer/conductor was with the LSO at Abbey Road Studios in 2001, for The Music of Peter Boyer, originally released by Koch International Classics. Tracks from that recording continue to be broadcast widely on American classical radio. Worldwide release of Boyer’s new LSO recording by Naxos is expected in July 2022.
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- Henry Wood Hall, London
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- Boyer conducting the LSO at Abbey Road Studios, 2001
